RUNNING FOR THE KIDS

Nicole Corre, seen below running this year’s Boston Marathon, plans to tackle the five boroughs of NYC for the Boys & Girls Club in November. (Photo provided by Nicole Corre. Click to enlarge)

By DANIELLE TEPPER

When Nicole Corre, a Rumson native, heard about the Monmouth County Boys & Girls Club’s recent struggles, she knew she wanted to do anything she could to help out. So she turned her favorite hobby into a fundraiser.

Corre has done a lot in recent years to connect her free time with helping charities, most notably – as called out by redbankgreen in 2011 – working to start a Jersey Shore chapter of WGirls, a nonprofit network focused on helping women and children. An avid runner, she typically dedicates her races and marathons to local organizations.

This year, she’ll be running her second New York City marathon, her fifth overall, this time for the Boys & Girls of Red Bank and Asbury Park, as well as dedicating her 31st birthday to the cause.

“I don’t need or want much, so I asked my friends to just donate whatever money they would have spent if we had gone out for dinner or drinks,” said Corre. Two days after her birthday is the 26.2-mile marathon, an event Corre said can be “pandemonium.”

On November 4, the city plays host to runners from around the world who race before millions of cheering spectators and TV viewers.

“The whole city’s just a party,” Corre said. “It starts on the Verrazano Bridge, where there are barges spitting out red, white, and blue water. There are news helicopters, kids high-fiving you. It’s a really cool event.”

This is her third time raising money for the B&GC, which strives to keep kids engaged intellectually and physically after school and on weekends. So why this cause specifically?

“I heard they had to cut their Saturdays, and I’ve been there on a Saturday,” she said. “It’s a crazy house of activity. They do all sorts of great things for kids. It would be horrible to lose that. I think it would be depressing as a kid. I can’t imagine not having things to do or somewhere to go.”

Donations to support Corre’s efforts can go directly to her NYC Marathon CrowdRise page.

Next up: The New Jersey Marathon in May, which Corre plans to run for B&GC with a team. Her ultimate goal is to get a local celebrity to join the team.

“That’s my favorite part about running,” she said. “Anyone can do it and it’s totally gratifying. The community aspect is great, especially when you tap into that for a cause.”