Concern about the coronavirus pandemic has led to the cancellation of the annual Cpl. Christopher G. Scherer I Did the Grid Run/Walk during Memorial Day weekend.
The race has kicked off the Suffolk County Veterans Run Series every year, and honors the memory of the East Northport marine who was killed July 21, 2007 in the province of Al Anbar, Iraq.
Runners wearing the names of four service members on their bibs make 31 turns along the course on the streets near Pulaski Road School in East Northport.
“It is with a heavy heart and an abundance of caution that we have decided to cancel the Grid this year,” organizers said Tuesday night on Facebook, saying they did not want to jeopardize the hundreds of people drawn as runners or volunteers to the event.
Scherer’s parents, Tim and Janet, with the help of numerous friends and volunteers have organized and managed the event, which included several different races, for 13 years. On the Friday evening before the race, scores of residents and runners have gathered for a moving, collective reading of the names of those killed in recent wars and plant flags in their honor.