On Sunday, May 4th, Hamptonites ventured off the beaten path and ran The Sixth Annual Hither Hills Off-Road Half Marathon! The race raised over $3,000 to benefit Paddlers for Humanity, a Hamptons non-profit that donates to children and youth charities.  Jason Hancock won the Men’s Division with a time of 1:33 and Sinead Fitzgobbin won the Women’s Division with at time of 1:43.  The first seven miles were challenging (hence the name, Hither Hills) but the final six miles were reasonably gentle and rolling. Participant Renee Meier said, “It was so much fun!”

Paddlers for Humanity (P4H) is an all-volunteer 501(c)(3) local non-profit organization and raises funds and awareness for worthy, nonprofit organizations that focus on children and youth. Grants are awarded on an as-needed project basis with funds raised through sporting adventures and challenges.

Proceeds from the event were donated to Long Island Communities of Practice (LICOP) (www.licop.org), offering educational, social and recreational programs to children with disabilities, and the East Hampton Trails Preservation Society (EHTPS) (www.ehtps.org), dedicated to the protection and preservation of East End trails, for the third year in a row. “EHTPS operated on a very tight budget, which includes significant costs for maintaining our own trails. P4H’s contribution will go a long way toward fulfilling our mission,” says Jim Zajac, president of EHTPS. Helene Fallon of LICOP also says, “Simply put, without the support of Paddlers for Humanity (P4H), LICOP would not be able to provide our summer surf camps; sincere thanks.”

For further information about Paddlers for Humanity events, visit www.p4h.org or contact 917-834-3888.  Get social at www.facebook.com/paddlersforhumanity and www.twitter.com/p4humanity.