On the cold Sunday morning of November 10, runners prepared for the second annual Sean Hughes Memorial 5K on Arnold Field. The Character Counts 5k is a fundraiser organized by the Sean Hughes Memorial Fund to commemorate the life and legacy of Sean Hughes, LM’s late principal. The event consisted of both a 5k and a one-mile fun walk for those who wanted to show their support without competing. 157 runners raced the 5K, which included many students and staff from LM. The course record was smashed by Ryan McCabe, a cross country runner from LaSalle College High School.
“I want to support the Sean Hughes Memorial and I want to have fun with my friends,” shared Ian Nance-Cardona ’26, after being asked why he wanted to run the 5K. Other runners took this race seriously, hoping to run good times. Flynn FitzGerald ’26 explained that he wanted “to run a sub twenty minute 5K…to get ready for Nike Cross Regionals.”
On November 13, 2021, beloved LM principal Sean Hughes was tragically killed in a car crash. Since his passing, his family, friends, and many of LM faculty and alumni have wanted to host different events that relate to aspects of Hughes’s life. Before school, Hughes ran around the block to get exercise and Hughes had participated in many races, so this 5K wasn’t just to fundraise, but also to symbolize Hughes’s passion for running.
At the start of race day, past alumni came to pay their respects before the runners took their marks. For example, Demetrius Lilley ’22, came out to support the 5K and talk about his personal experience with Hughes, who helped him get over his anxiety and doubt playing Varsity basketball. Lilley came to speak about Hughes right before the race: “He welcomed me to Lower Merion when I came in my first year, and he told me that he was excited for me to be here and was excited for the basketball season. My first year, even though I had a bad game at Harriton, Sean came up to me and said what a great job I did and how proud he was of me. For that to come from your principal, you don’t get that from a lot of schools.” This anecdote is one example of how much passion Hughes had for other people to succeed. Now, Demetrius plays basketball for La Salle College, and his success was likely attributed to Hughes’s passion and kindness.
The course of the 5k was three loops around Hathaway Lane, which is about a mile for each loop. Runners got off the starting line fast, some even sprinting. However, the crowd later separated into their respective paces. Since a 5k is a mentally exhausting distance to race, it was a journey from beginning to end for each participant. Emma Maloney ’25 said, “I was thinking about the food afterward, I’m not going to lie.” When asked about why she showed out at the race, Maloney said, “I want to have fun and support the Memorial Fund.” Ben Schur ’27 said after he finished his race that “I feel great. I just did the Rocky Run and I got a 28:00 5K in that. I dropped two minutes in today’s race. I feel pretty happy.” Spanish teacher and LM soccer coach Nicholas Severini said, “I did this to support the community. I ran at a good pace, which was an 8:10 mile time. I think next time I should bring a soccer ball and kick it throughout the 5k.”
The competition between runners was a step up this year. Last year, the first place time was 19:25, placed by Andrew Grimes, a former Harriton cross-country runner. This was the only time under twenty minutes. This year, the record was broken by more than two minutes. McCabe, this year’s first place winner, ran a 17:13 5K, with three other runners running twenty minute times. FitzGerald was one of the top five finishers, finishing with a 19:20. “I was thinking that the 17:13 guy was running too fast, so he might just slow it down, but no, he just kept on going 5:30 throughout the entire race,” FitzGerald claimed. McCabe is a runner from LaSalle College High School, a Catholic high school in Montgomery County. It was clear that this year, participants not only came to show support for Hughes but to do their best.
After the race, there was an awards ceremony, where each top finisher in their respective age class received awards. More significantly, shovels were dug into the ground on the plot of the future Sean Hughes Memorial Garden. It marked the beginning of construction of the garden, which the fund has been working towards since Hughes’s passing. The 5K helped to raise money for the garden. The garden hopes that as future freshmen “enter to learn” and seniors “go forth to serve,” they will be reminded of the life and legacy that Hughes has brought to LM. In all, the 5k and symbolic breaking of ground led to a successful day for the Memorial Fund and for all those who participated.
