By T.S. EVANS
Staff Writer

VENTNOR – It’s time to get the running or walking shoes ready for the Ventnor Fire Department’s annual Kenny Wayland Memorial Run on the Boardwalk. This year the run and fun walk will take place Sunday, May 25, rain or shine.

The run, held in honor of firefighter Kenny Wayland, is in its ninth year, and the Fire Department promises that it will be bigger and better than ever.

Wayland, a Ventnor firefighter, was killed in the line of duty Dec. 20, 1972 while helping to evacuate tenants duing an apartment fire at 5000 Boardwalk. He was 34 years old. Trying to escape the flames and intense heat, he fell from a window and suffered multiple skull fractures, internal injuries and severe burns.

Capt. Edward Arentz, who retired from the Fire Department in 1999, recalled that when the call came through that fatal day the firefighters had no idea they would be fighting a general alarm fire until they arrived at the scene. He said Wayland was looking for the owner of the building when he was killed.

The Ventnor firefighters FMBA Local 38 established the run in his honor and it takes place every Memorial Day weekend on the Boardwalk in Ventnor. The money raised benefits the Wayland Memorial Scholarship Fund, which awards scholarships to four students from Ventnor annually based on academic achievement, community service and need.

The run is scheduled to begin 9 a.m. at Newport and Atlantic Avenues. It goes to Longport and back. There is a 5K and a 10K run that are both certified and a fun walk. Preregistration is $15 and includes a T-shirt; race-day registration is $20, with a T-shirt while supplies last. Bottled water, bagels and oranges will be available for participants.

Registration is 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Saturday, May 24 at the rear of the Ventnor Community Center or the day of the race starting at 7:30 a.m. Register online at http://www.aksts.com/race-apps08/wayland2008.pdf. Include name, address, name, e-mail, event (5K, 10K or fun walk), sex, age, T-shirt size (M, L, XL) and whether you are a firefighter. Anyone under 18 must have a parent’s signature with the date.

For more information call the Ventnor firehouse at (609) 823-7956 or email fmba38@aol.com.

Sponsorships are $150. Checks made payable to the Wayland Scholarship Fund can be sent to the Ventnor City Fire Department, 20 N. New Haven Ave., Ventnor, NJ 08406. Include a business card or logo along with a contact person, telephone number and email address.

The department is also in need of gift certificates and nonperishable items for giveaways and raffle prizes.