To the Editor:

Last Sunday HiTOPS presented the inaugural Princeton Half Marathon. We want to thank the many people and organizations that helped make this a wonderful community event for our town. An endeavor of this magnitude — 13.1 spectacularly beautiful miles, 1000 runners representing 26 states, 300 volunteers — was made possible because of the collaboration of many people and entities over two years of planning.

We thank Princeton University, the Institute for Advanced Study, the Princeton Battlefield, and the Town of Princeton for allowing us to include their sites on the course. Mayor Lempert and the Town Council, Palmer Square Management, and the Nassau Inn worked early on with HiTOPS and the Princeton Police Department to plan and problem solve. The event would not have been as smooth without their collaboration, support, and counsel.

Arm and Hammer served as the cause sponsor, supporting HiTOPS in their goal to bring awareness about how health decisions made during adolescence affect the overall health of our community and the future success of our youth as they become adults. This event highlighting adolescent wellness truly involved the entire community of residents, merchants, police, churches, schools, organizations, sponsors, runners and their families. In addition to the seven distinct neighborhoods hosting water tables sponsored by NRG, it was thrilling to see so many people out cheering the runners and making the event fun and inspiring for everyone involved.

HiTOPS congratulates the top winners and each of the runners for going for their personal best. You are models of what community health looks like — happy, healthy, and enthusiastic individuals of every age, race, size, and ability.

For all of this, we are deeply and truly thankful and look forward to serving this community and bringing next year’s Princeton Half Marathon to you in 2014!

Elizabeth M. Casparian, PhD

Executive Director, HiTOPS