Not everyone can turn a terrible tragedy into something that inspires and helps others. But Elizabeth “Liz” Maggio, of Lake Como, and Jerry Frazee, of Manasquan, have done just that. They have turned what used to be a typical road race into something much more: they make sure to keep the memory of Liz Maggio’s sister, the late Gránia Maggio, alive by holding the Lake Como 5K in her honor.
On July 2, 2005, Gránia Maggio, a former Lake Como resident, was struck from behind and killed by a drunk driver in Saratoga Springs, New York, while walking along the road after a Dave Matthews Band concert.
For the past decade, the Lake Como 5K has been run in her memory.