
Photo by Bill Bittar
Robert Dillon, 18, of Shelton, crosses the finish line to win the six-mile-race in the Sunset Run for the Warriors Sunday.
SHELTON — Runners battled oppressive humidity while competing in the 10th annual Sunset Run for the Warriors Sunday evening, but that was nothing compared to what the people the runners were helping have been through.
The race raises money for Hope for the Warriors, a national nonprofit that helps military members wounded in combat, their families, and the families of soldiers killed in action.
Robert Dillon, 18, of Shelton, who will run cross country as a freshman at Fairfield University this year, won the six-mile-race with a time of 35:58.
“It didn’t affect me too much,” Dillon said of the heat. “By the third or fourth mile I felt it, but I pushed through. I ran for the troops and all they do for us. Sometimes they don’t get all the support they need. We need to show we support them for protecting us.”
Other top finishers in the six mile run were Mathew Cristiano, 17, of Shelton, with a time of 37:53 and Tyler Pineau, 18, of Shelton, who did it in 38:20.
The top female finishers were Janet Voelpert, 72, of Shelton (52:42), Beth-Ann Grant, 47, of Hamden (53:32) and Kaitlyn Barry, 32, of Great Barrington, Mass., (55:47).
Robert Hansen, 18, of Shelton, won the 5K race, followed by Anish Rajamanickam, 17 of Avon, and Spencer Gangi, 19, of Shelton.
The top three female finishers were Mackenzie Bures, 20, of Shelton, Kaelyn Sheehy, 23, of Ansonia, and Sage Bagwell, 26, of Milford.
The overall winner of the First Mile was Chase Kastner, 11, of Southington, followed by the top female finisher, Riley Dean of Shelton, and Miles Dunford of Shelton.

Photo by Bill Bittar
A crowd of runners after the horn sounds to start the 10th annual Sunset Run for the Warriors Sunday.
The Reh family
The Run for the Warriors is held nationally. Shelton’s event was started by city native John Reh, a former Marine who works in the legal department for Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin Company, 10 years ago.
“I was getting out when this organization was just starting up and I wanted to be involved,” Reh said. “I started organizing a road race in Long Island and ran it for three or four years before moving to Madison. Then I started this race in Shelton.”
Reh, who served in the Marine Corps from 2002 to 2006, ran in the Sunset road race growing up and decided to make it more meaningful by benefiting Hope for the Warriors.
Reh said the nonprofit was started by four spouses of Marines, though it serves veterans in all branches of the military. He said about 80 percent of its employees are either veterans themselves or close to someone who served.
On Sunday, the Reh family was honored as Volunteers of the Month.
Reh and his wife Megan ran in the 10K as a family, along with their children Bobby, 11, and Johnny, 12; Reh’s mother Carol and sisters Marybeth and Danielle. His father Jack lent his support.
Remembering The Fallen
On the Huntington Green, Hope for the Warriors displayed photos of service members who died in action with their names, birth years and years of their death.
Tom Gillin of Long Island, an employee of the U.S. Navy and the M.C. of Sunday’s event, asked for a moment of silence for all the men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country.
Gillin also asked all participants to hold miniature American flag throughout the race in their honor.
Before the races, Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin Company, received a plaque recognizing the business for its contributions as the top sponsor.
Hope for the Warriors awarded plaques to the Shelton Police Department for closing the roads, directing traffic and keeping runners safe; to the city of Shelton and the Parks and Recreation Department for allowing free use of the green and equipment.
Jim Caprio of Valley Jim’s Soft Serve also received a Give Hope Award. A Team Hope Award was given to St. Joseph High School’s varsity cheerleaders.
John Papa, chairman of Shelton’s Parks and Recreation Commission, said the Parks and Recreation Department put up flags on poles along the race path. Privately, he and his wife Jane donated $250 to Hope for the Warriors. The couple has done so every year for the past decade.
“The city of Shelton always supports their veterans and the active military personnel protecting our safety and freedom all over the globe,” said Papa, a veteran who served in the U.S. Army Reserves.