PLEASE JOIN US FOR THE 21ST ANNUAL RYAN STEIDL MEMORIAL MK5K RUN/WALK!
WE ARE EXCITED TO HAVE YOU PARTICIPATE IN THE 21ST YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF
THIS RACE TO SUPPORT AND REMEMBER RYAN, PLEASE JOIN US AND BRING YOUR
FRIENDS! LOOKING TO SEE ALL OF THE FACES THAT HAVE BEEN THERE THROUGH
THE YEARS! RACE COURSE WILL BE THE SAME AS PREVIOUS YEARS. ALL
REGISTRANTS WILL RECEIVE A RACE T-SHIRT IF YOU SIGN UP FOR ONE!!
PLEASE READ THE STORY OF RYAN BELOW AND WHY WE HONOR HIM TODAY WHILE
WE ARE SUPPORTING OUR TEAM AND HIS SCHOLARSHIP FUND. RYAN STEIDL -AN
IMPACTFUL LIFE Ryan Steidl was a 2006 Morris Knolls High School
graduate who never shied away from people; outgoing and always full of
energy, he would gravitate to those who were shy and to those who
needed help. Whether it was to introduce someone at a party or to help
a young boy on the baseball field, Ryan had the ability to make others
feel more confident and better about themselves. These were his gifts,
and he loved using them. Morris Knolls was a big turning point in
Ryans life. Everyone knew that Ryan was a baseball player but head
football coach Bill Regan noticed Ryan one day running in gym class.
It was then that Coach Regan introduced him to Dr. Thalman the cross
country and winter track coach. It was a match made in Heaven. Ryan
went on to set school records in the 4x400, 800m, 4x200m, and the SMR.
He loved Morris Knolls, the teachers, the kids, the atmosphere, and of
course his baseball coach, Adam Bonfiglio. As a senior at Morris
Knolls he was the teams pitching ace leading the Golden Eagles to the
Morris County Semifinals and went the entire season without making an
error on the mound or at first base. After high school he went on to
play baseball at Georgia Southern University and William Patterson
University and graduated with a degree in finance before settling into
professional life here in Morris County. Tragically, on March 17th,
2011 he was struck by a car while training to participate in the 7th
annual MK5K. Ryans brother, Evan, was on the Morris Knolls baseball
team in 2011, which dedicated its season and eventual State Sectional
Title to fighting alongside Ryan as he pushed hard to heal from a
traumatic brain injury. Sadly after a hard fought battle, Ryan passed
away six months later from the injuries sustained during this
accident. As a tribute to Ryan and his great love of baseball and
Morris Knolls the MK5K was renamed the Ryan Steidl Memorial MK5K as a
way of both remembering his short but impactful life and to promote
runner safety.
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10/07/2025 Last update