Devil Battles Turtle: Mascots Fundraise $125K In Essex County

WEST ORANGE, NJ — When a devil races a turtle, who wins? The devil, it seems… but it’s a close matchup.

Last month, a battle of the mascots took place in Essex County, including the NJ Devil, Myrtle the Turtle and several college icons. Held in partnership with the New Jersey Devils hockey team, the charity race raised $125,000 to benefit programs and services at RWJBarnabas Health.

The highlight of the day was a “first-ever Battle of the New Jersey Mascots,” featuring an obstacle course race that kicked off the festivities. The winner, the NJ Devil had to beat out a lineup of popular mascots, including the Turtle Back Zoo’s Myrtle, who finished in second place.

Other beloved mascots at the race included Lakewood BlueClaws (Buster); Rutgers University (Scarlet Knight); Somerset Patriots (Sparkee); Princeton University (Tiger); Trenton Thunder (Boomer); Monmouth University (Shadow); Seton Hall University (Pirate).

After the mascot race, their human counterparts lined up for a 5K race. Huan Tran of Montclair was the overall winner, finishing in 16:44:59, while Fawzia Kheir of Jersey City was the winner of the women’s race, crossing the finish line in 19:52:80.

New Jersey Devils Alumni and Stanley Cup Champions Colin White & Grant Marshall served as official race starters and took photos with participants, while former NY Giants two-time Super Bowl Champion and RWJBarnabas health ambassador David Diehl took photos with attendees, including members of the Bloomfield Fire Department – who ran the 5K in full gear. Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo Jr., served as honorary chairman of the event.

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