Franklin Man Continues to Honor Legacy of Friend with ‘Muddy 5K’

| May 8, 2018

FRANKLIN, Pa. (EYT) – When you own two for-profit businesses at the young age of 26, life can be busy at times.

For Franklin resident Devin Gold, however, the most joy he gets from his business dealings comes through his work with his non-profit, 519Strong, which strives to carry on the positive spirit that was displayed by Gold’s close friend, Jeremy Coast, of Harrisville, through his three year battle with AML leukemia.

Coast’s fight with leukemia came to an end on June 11, 2015, at the age of eighteen.

June 11, 2015, also marked the day that Gold began the process of ensuring that Coast’s positive spirit and love for life would never be forgotten.

Anyone who knew Jeremy knew his love for motocross. His life revolved around the sport as he raced in AWRCS Series – A True American Woods Racing Series and FCC Moto Sports based in Wesley, Pa.

The number Jeremy wore on his back, 519, for his birthday, May 19, was evidence that he was born to race.

“Jeremy’s attitude and outlook on life was such an inspiration that it is an honor to carry on his legacy and promote his positive attitude to others facing difficult situations,” said Gold.

Gold would spend the remainder of the summer of 2015 organizing 519Strong. Today, the non-profit (named after Coast’s motocross number) “exists to carry on the positive spirit that Jeremy Coast displayed, use his story as a witness to others, and provide hope and encouragement to individuals when they need it the most.”

Over the past three years, Gold has been able to establish two major events associated with 519Strong that work to accomplish their mission. The first of those is the 519Strong Memorial Scholarship which awards multiple $519 scholarships to local students who have maintained a positive outlook while dealing with their own adversity. Working with Bridge Builders Community Foundations, Gold estimates that they have awarded over $5,000 in scholarships over the past two years.

The second activity that 519Strong is responsible for is its annual 519Strong Toy Drive for Children’s Hospital in Pittsburgh. Gold, who himself is a childhood cancer survivor, teamed up with Jeremy’s father, Clair Coast, to collect and donate toys during the Christmas season at Children’s Hospital. Gold and Coast both received their cancer treatments at Children’s. In 2016, 519Strong was recognized as the largest private donor of toys that Children’s Hospital had ever received.

On May 19th, 519Strong will be holding a 5K and Moto Ride to help raise funds to continue on with these events in honor of Coast at Switchback Raceway in Butler.

Gold emphasized that the first annual 519Strong 5K will not be your typical 5K run on pavement but instead will be a more challenging run on an outdoor course through the woods.

“This is not your typical 5K. We’ve stepped it up a notch by challenging our runners every step of the way by having them run through an off-road cross country style course filled with mud, hills, and a whole lot of fun.”

For those who would rather ride than run, Gold said that the day will also feature a “Ride Day” for motocross enthusiasts. “We will have moto tracks available all day and the woods trails will be open in the afternoon after the 5K is finished.” Gold went on to say that while the 5K is a new fundraiser for 519Strong, he can’t imagine a better way to honor Mr. 519 himself than by seeing tracks and trails packed with dirtbikes on May 19th, or 5/19.

Pre-registration for the 5K and the Ride Day is $25 per event or participants can purchase a combo ticket for $40. All who pre-register by May 17th will also receive a t-shirt. Interested participants can register by visiting https://runsignup.com/race/events/PA/Butler/519strong5k.

Registration at the gate is $30 per event or $50 for both.

Gates will open and 5K registration will begin at 7:30 am on 5/19 with the 5K set to begin at 9:00 am. All day riding will take place from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm.

“519Strong would like to thank the local community for all of the support over the past two years and is excited for the continual growth and expansion of 519Strong’s impact,” Gold concluded.


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