The Fred d’Elia Ridgewood Run was created by Manfred (Fred) d’Elia and his wife, world-class runner Toshiko d’Elia, in 1976. Tired of driving his wife into Manhattan for competition with the New York Road Runners, Fred decided to create his own race to attract serious runners to their hometown. The inaugural Ridgewood Run took off with runners sporting hand-made bib numbers with Fred acting as race director, course certifier and timer. “With no money to put on a race, we all had our tasks,” recalls Toshiko d’Elia. “I hand-delivered all the race applications around town to save on stamps and our daughter Erica, was handed a black dry-marker to make race numbers.”

Since its inception, this homespun race which is always held on Memorial Day has grown to over 3000  nation-wide participants who compete for prize money in the 10K, 5K, masters mile, and elite mile events. There is also a Fun Run/Health Walk for children and walkers. The Henry H. Kessler Foundation Wheelchair 10K was introduced in 2001 with an outstanding field of about 25 athletes .

The evolution from hand-made bib numbers includes time clocks at every mile, Champion Chip scoring and online registration. Despite these state-of-the art devices, the event remains runner-friendly. It is truly a community-driven event. The North Jersey Masters Track and Field Club, started by the d’Elias’ in 1976, are the organizers of the race.

Ramsey Volvo is our presenting sponsor. The Ridgewood YMCA is the perfect sponsor for the Fun Run/Health Walk and the Valley Health System is the proud sponsor of the Elite and Masters Mile races. All sponsors have a very strong commitment to the community.  Please contact info@njmasters.com if you would like to know more about our sponsorship opportunities.

Race proceeds benefit the Special Olympics of New Jersey, the Kessler Foundation, Ridgewood YMCA and other local charitable organizations.