By: Steven Bradley

I’ve just returned from running in the MLB All Star 5k & Fun Run at Prospect Park. And I did the run with absolutely no prep.

This isn’t as impressive as it sounds. I admit, I am not a “runner” in any sense of the word. I participated in the “fun run” portion of the race — a whopping 1.5-mile run. May sound measly, but you can’t really sneer at it when you consider the running conditions: 82-degree weather with 70 percent humidity.

But anytime I was feeling sorry for myself, I glanced ahead and was astonished to see numerous pregnant women, parents pushing strollers, and young children leaving me behind in the dust. This inspired me to push on. For a moment, I regretted not bringing my own infant son along on the racetrack, but that probably would have added a further 30-minutes onto my shameful finish time (actually, I finished in 12 minutes – not too shabby for a non-runner).

Being a huge baseball fan, I immediately wanted to attend this event just to be a part of All Star week, but I was even more drawn to it upon finding out that all proceeds from the race go to aid those affected by Hurricane Sandy.

I am originally from England, where people honestly still believe films like The Warriors accurately depict life in the city. But events like today’s run prove that New York looks after its residents and families here genuinely care about the welfare of other families.

The memory of the Boston Marathon tragedy was clearly at the forefront of people’s minds and this showed in today’s tight security. Anyone carrying a backpack had to have it inspected and emptied into a clear plastic bag. Thankfully, this did not stop runners and supporters from turning up in large volumes.

Everything ran smoothly and I was rewarded with a banana, cereal bar, Gatorade and a bottle of water at the finish line. The freebies didn’t end there as many companies set up tents to give away various products to the runners and there was even a free pitch and toss game in order to win a bag of goodies.

Hopefully the All Star game returns to NYC when my son is old enough to enjoy it. For now, though, I’m content to see New York families make the most of good times like this and feel safe in the knowledge that if bad times do ever come to this city again, everyone will be looking out for each other. I am proud to be a part of it all in the form of events like today’s race.