Clean up, clean up, everybody clean up! On a Saturday morning, the Farmingdale Girls Cross Country team picked up plastic bottles, cans, and other trash on their beloved Bethpage Bike Path. The team consistently has their practices on the 10 mile bike path that stretches from Massapequa Park to Bethpage State Park. Transitioning from summer to fall, the scenery is so extraordinary- the tree leaves changing, falling from the sky, and nothing heard but runners’ footsteps. 

On the night of August 22nd, a humongous storm (rumor is that is was a tornado) hit Nassau County. Trees were taken down by the wind, causing many to lose power, and it left the Bethpage trail a mess. Garbage was everywhere and fallen trees blocked the path, almost making it look like a war zone. Coach Rich Santa Maria came up with the great idea of cleaning up the trail after a workout run. He helped facilitate the cleanup with bags, gloves, and transporting three huge bags of trash, offering a prize to the girls who collected the most.

“The girls had a great time doing a small but quite productive trail clean-up. They cleaned up over two miles of the trail, which we daily train on and as a coach, I’m super proud of them,” said Coach Santa Maria. The girls cleaned and collected two huge garbage bags and seven plastic bags, filled to the brim with trash that tremendously contributed to the cleanliness of the bike path.