Mops Great Moms 5K 2012

Great Moms 5K trophy top.

Merritt Island High School Color Guard

Zumba warm up

Merritt Island Mops (Mothers of Pre-Schools) held their 2nd Annual 5k Race/Walk on Saturday January, 28th 2012, at the Manatee Cove Park, N. Tropical Trail, located in Merritt Island. The Merritt Island MOPS really pulled off an amazing event.

The race is held annually and this year, Perrone Photography was asked if we would like to capture the event as a donation. We were more than happy to help! It was a slightly chilly morning when registration began at 7 AM. The runners were given gift bags containing goodies from each of their sponsors. Jason had magnets printed to look like the business cards that Amy designed. The magnets were our contribution to the gift bags and they were a hit!

A Zumba dance warm up took place and that was a blast! We were even moving to the music. Thank goodness for fast shutter speeds! The warm up was a fun wakeup call and had every one pumped up and ready to pound the pavement. The Merritt Island ROTC opened the start of the race with the Pledge of Allegiance and a salute to our flag. As the runners lined up at the starting line, which was the entrance to Manatee Cove Park, the sun really came out and brightened up the day.

A little after 8 AM, the runners were off! While Amy drove down to the half-way turn around point with the Rebel Ti, Jason captured the start of the race, using the Canon Mark II 5D. He also decided to put his Go Pro, a Christmas gift from Amy, to good use and captured a wide-angled video of the start of the MOPS Great Moms 5K! The video is awesome and available to view at www.youtube.com. Search for our channel "Perrone Photography" and subscribe to see all of our other video works.

While the race was underway, the children's festivities began. Kids of all ages were enjoying the bounce houses, face painting, games, and playing on the playground. A kid-friendly Zumba session was held near the pavillion. The little ones had so much fun and seemed blissfully unaware of the cameras. The bounce houses were provided by Bob O'Connell's Rental Center.

To see the results of the race, please visit www.merrittislandmops.com. The race was amazing and all of the runners did great! A little tykes Fun Run was held for all of the children that were enjoying the event. The little ones dashed toward to the entrance sign to make the loop, while the younger ones turned back at the tree line. They were adorable and had so much fun!

An award ceremony concluded the event. There were trophies and awards given to several runners, including Ralph Perrone Jr, of Perrone Realty, who placed first in his category. Ralph Jr. is Jason's older brother. Jessica, his younger sister, is a fellow Merritt Island MOP and played a special role in organizing the event. We would like to thank Merritt Island MOPS for allowing Perrone Photography to be a part of this inspiring event. THANK YOU!

Kids Run.

Start of the race

Bounce Houses for the kids.

Brevard County Sheriff Deputy.

Volunteer at the 1 mile mark.

We would like to thank Blood Sweat and Ink for the amazing shirts they made us for this event.
The shirts are great and really comfortable. Blood Sweat and Ink is based in Port Saint John, FL.
You can check out their website at www.bloodsweatandink.net. Really awesome job, guys! Thank you!!