The Cleveland Browns united with its professional sports counterparts in the Cleveland Indians baseball and Cleveland Cavaliers basketball organizations to raise money for charity through the FAN-tastic 4-miler last Sunday morning, July 15.
The event -- presented by Cleveland Clinic Sydell and Arnold Miller Family Heart and Vascular Institute -- benefitted the Cleveland Browns Foundation, as well as the foundations for the Indians and Cavaliers.
“While all of our teams support different initiatives, we all have Cleveland in common,” said Renee Harvey, vice president of community outreach for the Browns. “We all support the youth. This event will allow us to support those kids throughout the year.”
The four-mile long run took the participants around the downtown Cleveland area, starting and ending at the Indians’ home, Progressive Field. The runners also ran around the warning track at Cleveland Browns Stadium and across the court of the Quicken Loans Arena.
Following the run, Cleveland Clinic held a one-mile long Family Fun Walk around the warning track at Progressive Field.
More than 900 runners participated in the inaugural event.
“We’re going to run through all three stadiums and my plan is to kiss the Browns field,” said Ashley Koepf, one of the runners in the event.
Former players from all three teams -- Reggie Langhorne of the Browns, Campy Russell of the Cavaliers and former Indians pitcher Jason Stanford -- were on hand for the awards ceremony, where the top overall runners and top finishers in each age group were given prizes from each of the teams.
Each of the team’s mascots, Chomps (Browns), Slider (Indians) and Moondog (Cavaliers) were on the course to provide inspiration and support for the runners.
“It’s kind of nice to see all the groups get together and support the kids,” Langhorne said. “I can say for Browns fans that it’s nice to see them out there. All of the proceeds will benefit the youth of Northeast Ohio.”
Mike Capriolo was the top male and Kelly Green was the top female runner in the event. Capriolo finished the four-mile run in 20:41.60, while Green completed the course in 23:22.30.
Click here for complete results.
