Boo Run gives charities a boost

It was six years ago when Carl Albano moved to the area and began looking for a running club.

Only a week passed before he found the Lakewood Ranch Running Club and he showed up for his first day to work out.

"I was looking for people to run with," Albano said. "And they were such a welcoming, great community. On my first day, they were doing marathon training. I expected to run a 5K, and I ran 22 miles."

It was the perfect group for him.

Six years later, Albano is the president of the club, which has 110 members, and he wants the members to be involved with the community as much as possible.

An example of that commitment is the annual Boo Run, which returns Oct. 26 for the 21st year.

It will be the second year for Albano to be the benefit race's executive director, after he replaced Jen Tullio, who stepped down due to health reasons last year. Tullio, who is a member of the running club, had been the race director since 2008.

"Generally, we look for races that are community oriented," Albano said. "We like the proceeds to go to local charities. Hopefully, they also have a fun theme."

The Lakewood Ranch Running Club was the Boo Run's founder.

"It was such a fun, Halloween-themed race and there were not many such races in the area," Albano said. "It's got the fun, the music, a costume contest, interesting vendors. Slim Chickens is the main sponsor, giving out free food like chicken wraps."

Best of all for Albano is that the Boo Run raises funds for Another Day for Gray and the Humane Society of Lakewood Ranch.

Another Day for Gray supports those with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, and that includes Tullio's son, Grayson Tullio.

"We give back 100% of the proceeds from this race," Jen Tullio said.

Tullio was glad Albano took over as race director, especially with his youth (he is 30), energy and enthusiam.

Photo by Jay Heater

"Carl jumped right in," she said of his effort last year. "He does have a lot of enthusiasm. He is trying to be out there with the club, trying to be in the community. He has this train moving forward."

Albano believes he did a good job organizing the race in his first year but also added that he was too focused on how he should make the race operate. He said he will spend more time this year getting volunteers to go through the crowd, introducing themselves to participants, and asking them to check out the running club. 

The bottom line was that the 2023 race raised $7,000 and had about 500 participants, a 20% increase from the previous year.

"The way I say it, the biggest reason to put on race — and obviously it is great for people to compete — is to incentivize people to stay around after the race to meet their community."

Approximately 270 runners have signed up for this year's race and Albano is hoping for a big push closer to the event. He said the goal is to have 700 participants.

"These storms have not been helpful," Tullio said. "It is poor timing."

Even so, Albano said the future of the race, and the benefit to the nonprofits, is solid.

"Our goal is to continue to grow the race," he said. "The more people, the more fun. It changes the experience, and besides getting more competition, you get more interaction. That builds more energy."

Since the causes are so important, Albano said he does feel pressure to maintain the momentum built by Tullio.

"It has been impressive that Jen has carried this race on since 2008," he said. "It has been impressive for her, the club and the community. In the end, it takes a community to support the race and it is a community that makes it successful and fun. I look at it as an opportunity to make a difference, and to be part of something larger than myself."

Photo by Jay Heater

He said participating in races gives him a greater appreciation of race directors since things don't always go as planned. 

Albano said he tips his hat to FCCI for supporting the race over the years and being a great host for the run.

With the Lakewood Ranch Running Club expanding its membership and having focused on more communication between the members, along with a new website, things are looking up for the Boo Run in the future.

Tullio said the Lakewood Ranch Running Club has amazing members.

"It is easy to find someone to match up with to go on runs," she said. "These are the kind of people who get excited about getting up at 4 a.m. to run 20 miles, and believe that's the perfect way to start the day."

The club also is for those who don't want to run 20 miles in the morning.

Albano's fiancé, Kayla Capwell, has helped to grow the walking group since she joined the club. They walk 3 to 4 miles when the club meets and then they meet for coffee.

"A lot of times, our significant others are runners," she said, "So the walkers can hang out together without having to run. It's a great atmosphere, very upbeat."