Sea of Green Streams Through West Hartford at Annual Johnny’s Jog for Charity
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Victor Gonzalez, branch manager of event sponsor NBT Bank, prepares to run/walk with his daughters, ages 6 and 5. Johnny’s Jog for Charity. March 23, 2025. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
The St. Patrick’s Day-themed ‘Johnny’s Jog for Charity’ 5K was held on Sunday, March 23, 2025, in West Hartford’s Blue Back Square.
Johnny’s Jog founders and organizers (from left): Dan Clark, Kelly Clark, Laura Moran, Dan Moran. Johnny’s Jog for Charity. March 23, 2025. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
By Ronni Newton
Since the first Johnny’s Jog for Charity was run in 2011, the event has grown into a community favorite drawing serious runners, casual walkers, fans of St. Patrick’s Day-themed activities, and supporters of the nonprofits that the fundraiser benefits.
There were roughly 1,500 registered to participate in the 2025 5K on what was a brisk but sunny morning, and many more supporters who lined the course that traversed West Hartford neighborhoods or spent the morning in Blue Back Square where the race started and ended – cheering, posing with mascots Chompers (Yard Goats), Dillon (Hartford Athletic), and Homer (Miracle League of CT), and enjoying entertainment before, during, and after the race. Performers included Acoustic Marshpit and Irish Step dancers from Mulcahy Academy. An after party and auction was held at Rockledge Grille after the race.
Johnny’s Jog for Charity. March 23, 2025. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
Participants had the option of running or walking just for the experience or being timed. Evan Dolecki, 28, of West Hartford was the winner with a chip time of 16:33, followed by Eliot Norwood, 16, also of West Hartford, and 17-year-old Jethro Ehrlich of Hartford.
Crossing the line in 11th place overall, in a time of 19:56, Jillian Agarwal, 39, of West Hartford was the first female finisher for the third year in a row. Lucy Vargas, 15, of West Hartford, was the second female to cross the finish line, with Megan Johnson, 50, of Berlin, in third place.
First place finisher Evan Dolecki. Johnny’s Jog for Charity. March 23, 2025. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
Laura Moran and her husband, Dan Moran, and their friends and fellow West Hartford residents Dan and Kelly Clark, started the 5K fundraising event in 2011, and it has taken place each year since then with the exception of 2020 due to the pandemic. The event was inspired by the incredible, brave, but sadly brief life of Laura and Dan Moran’s son, Johnny, who was born in 2007 with Wieacker Wolff Syndrome, a rare and debilitating condition. Johnny passed away in April 2016, but the organization and race founded in his honor continue to celebrate his resilience, strength, and positive attitude, and bring the community together.
“We haven’t done the full tallies yet but we expect it to be pretty close to what it usually is,” Dan Clark said of the fundraising results. “We usually give out about $100,000 a year.”
Johnny’s Jog for Charity. March 23, 2025. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
Clark said most exciting is “every year just seeing people come … you never really know how the day is going to shake out, but it’s amazing to see everyone come and support it, and just to know that people are here to support each other and be part of the town is really pretty incredible.”
Johnny’s Jog will absolutely continue in the future, Clark said. “It’s just a great part of our life and it feels like it’s a good part of the town at this point, and the charities really get a lot of benefit from it, and it’s just been a beautiful thing.”
Johnny’s Jog for Charity. March 23, 2025. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
The beneficiaries of the race are all children’s-related nonprofits, and include Covenant Preparatory School of Hartford, which provides tuition-free middle school to boys in underserved families in the City of Hartford in order to help them graduate academically prepared for further education (www.covenantprep.org); the Miracle League of Connecticut, which fosters a community and sports facilities that remove all barriers so young athletes with unique needs are able to join their friends and experience the joy and triumph of team sports in their purest form (www.miracleleaguect.org); and the Molly Ann Tango Memorial Foundation which helps finance the purchase of much-needed medical supplies or services when insurance is exhausted and other social programs are unavailable (www.mollytango.org). These organizations benefit the lives of countless children annually and depend on communal donations to do so.
Johnny’s Jog for Charity. March 23, 2025. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
To spread the love even further in the community, several years ago Johnny’s Jog added a fourth, rotating charity, termed a “Clover Club Charity.” This year they chose the Sunflower Kids Program at Connecticut Children’s – which provides an extra layer of support to patients and their families facing potentially life-limiting or chronic illnesses, helps with pain and symptom management, goals of care conversations, and care coordination, and aims to make each day as good as it can be.
Johnny’s Jog is thankful to NBT Bank, the exclusive Grand St. Patrick’s Club sponsor for the second year in a row, showing impressive community support, as well as to the many other sponsoring organizations from throughout the community.
For more information about Johnny’s Jog, visit the website www.johnnysjog.com. You can also ollow Johnny’s Jog for Charity on Facebook or Instagram (@johnnysjog). Johnny’s Jog gear can also be found online here.
Johnny’s Jog for Charity. March 23, 2025. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
Johnny’s Jog for Charity. March 23, 2025. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
Johnny’s Jog for Charity. March 23, 2025. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
Johnny’s Jog for Charity. March 23, 2025. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
Johnny’s Jog for Charity. March 23, 2025. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
Johnny’s Jog for Charity. March 23, 2025. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
Johnny’s Jog for Charity. March 23, 2025. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
Johnny’s Jog for Charity. March 23, 2025. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
Johnny’s Jog for Charity. March 23, 2025. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
Johnny’s Jog for Charity. March 23, 2025. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
Johnny’s Jog for Charity. March 23, 2025. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
Johnny’s Jog for Charity. March 23, 2025. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
Johnny’s Jog for Charity. March 23, 2025. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
Johnny’s Jog for Charity. March 23, 2025. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
Johnny’s Jog for Charity. March 23, 2025. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
Johnny’s Jog for Charity. March 23, 2025. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
Johnny’s Jog for Charity. March 23, 2025. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
Johnny’s Jog for Charity. March 23, 2025. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
Johnny’s Jog for Charity. March 23, 2025. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
Johnny’s Jog for Charity. March 23, 2025. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
Johnny’s Jog for Charity. March 23, 2025. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
Johnny’s Jog for Charity. March 23, 2025. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
Johnny’s Jog for Charity. March 23, 2025. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
Johnny’s Jog for Charity. March 23, 2025. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
Johnny’s Jog for Charity. March 23, 2025. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
Johnny’s Jog for Charity. March 23, 2025. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
Johnny’s Jog for Charity. March 23, 2025. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
Johnny’s Jog for Charity. March 23, 2025. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
Johnny’s Jog for Charity. March 23, 2025. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
Johnny’s Jog for Charity. March 23, 2025. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
Johnny’s Jog for Charity. March 23, 2025. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
Johnny’s Jog for Charity. March 23, 2025. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
Johnny’s Jog for Charity. March 23, 2025. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
Johnny’s Jog for Charity. March 23, 2025. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
Johnny’s Jog for Charity. March 23, 2025. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
Johnny’s Jog for Charity. March 23, 2025. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
Johnny’s Jog for Charity. March 23, 2025. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
Johnny’s Jog for Charity. March 23, 2025. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
Johnny’s Jog for Charity. March 23, 2025. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
Johnny’s Jog for Charity. March 23, 2025. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
Johnny’s Jog founders and organizers (from left): Dan Clark, Kelly Clark, Laura Moran, Dan Moran. Johnny’s Jog for Charity. March 23, 2025. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
Johnny’s Jog for Charity. March 23, 2025. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
Johnny’s Jog for Charity. March 23, 2025. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
Johnny’s Jog for Charity. March 23, 2025. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
Johnny’s Jog for Charity. March 23, 2025. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
Johnny’s Jog for Charity. March 23, 2025. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
Johnny’s Jog for Charity. March 23, 2025. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
Johnny’s Jog for Charity. March 23, 2025. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
Johnny’s Jog for Charity. March 23, 2025. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
Jillian Agarwal was the first woman to cross the finish line. Johnny’s Jog for Charity. March 23, 2025. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
Johnny’s Jog for Charity. March 23, 2025. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
Johnny’s Jog for Charity. March 23, 2025. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
Johnny’s Jog for Charity. March 23, 2025. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
Johnny’s Jog for Charity. March 23, 2025. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
Johnny’s Jog for Charity. March 23, 2025. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
Johnny’s Jog for Charity. March 23, 2025. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
Johnny’s Jog for Charity. March 23, 2025. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
Johnny’s Jog for Charity. March 23, 2025. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
Johnny’s Jog for Charity. March 23, 2025. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
Johnny’s Jog founders and organizers (from left): Dan Clark, Kelly Clark, Laura Moran, Dan Moran.Johnny’s Jog for Charity. March 23, 2025. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
Johnny’s Jog for Charity. March 23, 2025. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
Johnny’s Jog for Charity. March 23, 2025. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
Johnny’s Jog for Charity. March 23, 2025. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
Johnny’s Jog for Charity. March 23, 2025. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
Johnny’s Jog for Charity. March 23, 2025. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
Johnny’s Jog for Charity. March 23, 2025. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
Johnny’s Jog for Charity. March 23, 2025. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
Johnny’s Jog for Charity. March 23, 2025. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
Johnny’s Jog for Charity. March 23, 2025. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
Johnny’s Jog for Charity. March 23, 2025. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
Johnny’s Jog for Charity. March 23, 2025. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
Johnny’s Jog for Charity. March 23, 2025. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
Johnny’s Jog for Charity. March 23, 2025. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
Johnny’s Jog for Charity. March 23, 2025. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
Johnny’s Jog for Charity. March 23, 2025. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
Johnny’s Jog for Charity. March 23, 2025. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
Johnny’s Jog for Charity. March 23, 2025. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
Johnny’s Jog for Charity. March 23, 2025. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
Johnny’s Jog for Charity. March 23, 2025. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
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