Despite Rainy Conditions, East Quogue Community Shows Up for the Inaugural Mr. Long See You Out There 5K

Hampton Bays Superintendent of Schools Lars Clemensen opened Saturday morning’s inaugural Mr. Long See You Out There 5K by stating that despite the day’s rain, Robert Long’s spirit was still very much shining down on the 250 or so people who showed up to participate.

In the days after he was diagnosed with cancer, Long, the former East Quogue superintendent of schools, who died in August, told his wife, Dawn, that he would love to have a scholarship foundation so that an East Quogue student would eventually have a good chunk of change when they set off for college. Being an avid runner, he said that he preferred that a local race would lead the fundraising aspect for it.

After months of planning by a number of people in the East Quogue and surrounding communities, both of Long’s requests came to fruition, and then some. The Robert J. Long Scholarship Foundation was created to provide a $10,000 scholarship to a graduating senior who attended and graduated from East Quogue Elementary School, in addition to another scholarship to a graduating sixth-grader each year in memory of Long.

After a stirring rendition of the national anthem by East Quogue graduate Erin Kracke, New York State Assemblyman Fred W. Thiele Jr. was on hand on Saturday morning to announce that he, along with State Senator Anthony Palumbo, had a New York State legislative resolution that was adopted in the Assembly on January 17 and by the Senate on January 24, that listed all of Long’s many accomplishments as a school administrator and his contributions to his community.

Thiele, who said he became good friends with Long throughout the years working on various school projects together, presented the resolution to Long’s wife, Dawn, and his youngest daughter Meghan, 22, who were in attendance on Saturday morning. Long’s oldest daughter Shannon, 24, could not make Saturday’s event as she was studying for an upcoming final exam to earn her law degree.

“I mean, it’s beautiful,” Dawn Long said of the resolution. “It talks about how much the community meant to him and how there was this give-and-take relationship between Robert and the East Quogue community. I don’t know if they’ll ever have someone like him again. He and Fred became pretty good friends over the years so it was just so nice for him, and Senator Palumbo, to do that together.

“My husband was one of a kind,” she added. “I was one lucky girl.”

A Hampton Bays resident, Long, who began his career as an administrator when he became principal of East Quogue School in 2000, would often be found running in the community, not only in his hometown, but that of his school as well. It was on those runs that he would often do his best thinking, which much of the time, his wife said, would involve planning, or as she specifically put it, “his next great thing.” So, as Clemensen said, Saturday’s route through East Quogue was very much the same roads that Long could be seen pounding the pavement.

“See You Out There,” was something that the East Quogue faculty and students would often hear Long say after every one of his morning announcements.

Chris Hudson, the East Quogue Board of Education president, was part of the race committee, along with his wife, Tara, board Vice President Jessica Stalters and Brian Babcock. He said the turnout, considering the weather, was fantastic. With over 360 people registered, 242 people crossed the finish line braving the constant downpours.

“I think it was Lars who said it, that even though it was raining, Robert is still shining down on us, and I think that was shown in the spirit of East Quogue,” he said. “There was such an enthusiasm and a lot of smiling faces, so many volunteers who were willing to help out. We had such a great list of sponsors that helped donate to the foundation. To have 240-ish people actually run, that was pretty impressive, and over 360 registered. The Fred Thiele resolution was pretty amazing. It went off really well.”

And of course there was an East Quogue connection to the two champions.

Nick Berglin, 26, is a graduate of Hampton Bays, but actually met Long when he was about 10 years old, he said, at the Montauk Turkey Trot. Fast forward some 15 years or so and Berglin wound up working for Long, at least indirectly, when he was hired as a part-time security guard by the East Quogue School District in October 2020, one of the few part-time jobs he still holds today. Berglin also does part-time IT work for the Hampton Bays School District and is a junior high cross country and track coach there as well.

A six-year varsity runner at Hampton Bays who turned his successful high school career into a four-year running career at SUNY Oneonta, Berglin was actually asked by the East Quogue School Board if he would run Saturday’s race to give it some panache and legitimacy and he more than willingly agreed.

Berglin finished the 3.1-mile course in 17:02.11, a mile pace of 5:29, to win the inaugural race. With Long being from his hometown of Hampton Bays, having attended school with both of his daughters and both being avid runners, Berglin basically said it was an honor to be able to run the race.

“I’m really happy that they did a perfect kind of memory for him because it’s at his school that he worked at and he was a runner so this was a good mix,” he said.

It wasn’t too long ago that Caeden Dorn could be seen in the hallways of the East Quogue School, but now the 14-year-old can be seen running varsity cross country and playing varsity lacrosse at Westhampton Beach High School. Dorn crossed the finish line in 21:28.31 to become the race’s inaugural female champion.

For full results, go to elitefeats.com.

“It was fun,” she said. “I’ve been running a little bit ever since cross country ended, but it was nice to get back in the groove. It felt really good.”

Chris Hudson said that the plan is for this to be an annual race with it being a main fundraiser now for the scholarship foundation. It would be no surprise to anyone if the race continues to grow.

“People are so goddamn grateful about Robert Long,” Dawn Long said. “They always come out for him.”

For more information on the Robert J. Long Scholarship Foundation, to apply for one of the scholarships or become a sponsor, go to rjlscholarship.com.