UPDATE: Michael Thorne Run Returns to West Long Branch Sunday

The memory of Michael W. Thorne will be preserved again this weekend during a race in West Long Branch.

The 11th Annual Michael W. Thorne Scholarship Run/Walk will be held on Sunday, May 19 at 9 a.m. at Franklin Lake Park in West Long Branch.

Thorne was a volunteer fireman in West Long Branch and who died while fighting a fire at what was then Monmouth College in 1984.

The 4-mile course will run through neighborhoods in West Long Branch, and residents can expect some road closures as a result on Sunday morning.

The West Long Branch Police issued the following statement on the run this week:

West Long Branch residents please remember that the annual MT Race is this coming Sunday, May 19, 2013. For those who don't know, this is an event which helps commemorate the service and sacrifice of West Long Branch Firefighter Michael Thorne who lost his life in service as such in 1984.

Traffic on local streets is temporarily detoured during the race. Police officers & other volunteers will require drivers to use alternate routes between the hours of about 9:30 AM and Noon (on the outside). Please cooperate with the direction of officers and volunteers during those times.

If for some reason you find yourself somewhere on the race route DURING the race, please exercise EXTREME CAUTION due to the runners/walkers in the road.

Proceeds from the race go the Michael W. Thorne Scholarship fund. These scholarships are given out to deserving high school seniors who are going to college and have demonstrated an ongoing spirit of volunteerism in the community.

Registration opens at Franklin Lake on Sunday from 7 a.m. to 8:45 a.m., but those interested in registering early can do so any time by clicking here.  Registration for the race is $20 before May 16 and $25 after May 16 and on race day.

There will also be kids races that will take place on Sunday at 9:45 a.m.