A warm-up to Long Island Marathon

Robert Mouzakes doesn't have room in his head, or heart, for mile-pace calculations and expected finish times. Before every race, he clears his mind of immaterial statistics such as those, and focuses on the one person that truly matters.

"I only think about my son," the 49-year-old sales representative and part-time actor said, shortly after crossing the Long Island Marathon weekend's 5K finish line yesterday morning at Mitchel Athletic Complex.

Mouzakes, of East Patchogue, and his wife, Melanie, were two of 210 race participants wearing yellow-green pinnies on behalf of "Friends of Karen," a group based in Port Jefferson providing support for tristate-area families of children diagnosed with cancer and other life-threatening illnesses.

Hundreds braved chilly and windy conditions to partake in the 1-Mile Run, 5K and Kids Fun Run -- preludes to Sunday's Long Island Marathon: Festival of Races. About 6,000 participants are expected to compete in the 10K, half-marathon and full marathon at East Meadow's Eisenhower Park.

Nassau County Executive Edward Mangano served as the official starter of the 5K race and later held up the finish line banner as men's winner Nicolas Amouroux, of Paris, crossed at 17:17. The 32-year-old, who completed the London Marathon two weeks ago, said he decided to run the 5K as a way of killing time before his brother's Bay Shore afternoon wedding.

Oceanside's Drew Falkenhan placed second (18:01). The recent college graduate, who grew up playing lacrosse for East Hampton, said he was drawn to the event because his Melville-based employer is one of the many sponsors of "Friends of Karen." Michael Robles, 52, of Smithtown, finished third (18:15).

Jessica Petrina, 29, a Plainview fitness instructor and nutritionist, was the first woman to cross the 5K finish line in 21:12.

For the third straight year, the Mouzakeses affixed a photo of their son, Taylor, on the back of their shirts. "We do this for our baby," Melanie said.

Her husband eagerly searched through his cell phone for one of his most-prized possessions: a photograph of him and his son dressed as Superman and Superboy, respectively, on Halloween. It was taken less than seven months before Taylor died of brain cancer in 2006.

The memories are as vivid as they are gut-wrenching, but through his grief, Mouzakes said he finds the strength to counsel other families facing similar hardships.
Like the Mouzakeses, Darris Crandall of Wantagh chose to run the 5K on behalf of "Friends of Karen" as a way of giving back to an organization that has given so much to his family. When his 3-year-old son Jackson, who has Down syndrome, was diagnosed with leukemia in July, Crandall, 39, and his wife, Kim, soon became overwhelmed by a litany of medical procedures and hospital stays.

But "Friends of Karen" was there to provide plenty of support, he said, including school supplies for their 7- and 9-year-old daughters just before they were set to start a new school.

"It was just a very touching gesture," Crandall said, getting choked up. "And something we really needed."

Jackson is currently in remission and has been at home for the past five weeks.