The Philadelphia Marathon was this past Sunday and Wawa was proud to cheer on one of our own, Jay Culotta, who ran his 15th Run for Hannah marathon. For some, a marathon is an exercise in endurance and a matter of personal achievement; for others, like Jay, a marathon is a means for achieving something even greater. Jay runs for his daughter, Hannah Rose, and through his races has raised nearly $250,000 for the Kennedy Kreiger Institute's Down Syndrome Clinic. He has run a marathon every year since the birth of his daughter, now age fifteen, and appeared on CBS 3's Talk Philly earlier in the week to discuss the experience. Click here to view an excerpt from his interview.

At Wawa, we proudly support causes that are close to our associates' hearts and our associates were excited to come out to support all the marathoners, especially Jay. Wawa even hosted a cheering station at our Chestnut Street store in University City where Hannah, Jay's wife Cindy, and a team of associates joined together to cheer on runners and to greet Jay as he ran past. It was an emotional moment when Jay appeared from among a mass of runners and gave Hannah a big hug as our associates cheered them on.

After the race, Jay said of his experience:

"I had a great day today, and who wouldn't have with such a great group of enthusiastic supporters. I can't put into words how much it means to me.  Cindy and Hannah also had a tremendous time. We are all overwhelmed. It was all such a blur, but I will remember the faces and the enthusiasm forever."

Marathons take focus, passion and months of training to prepare for each race, and we're all proud of Jay for channeling this dedication and effort towards a greater good. And, of course, I'd be remiss if I didn't also congratulate Jay on his time of 3:37:26.

'Till next time...