Family Running for Sick Woodbridge Teen Fights to Get Their Money Back After 5K Canceled

Woodbridge, NJ - The organizers of a 5K race that some were running in honor of a Woodbridge teen who is battling brain cancer abruptly canceled the 5K last month — and now runners say they haven't heard a word from the company since, or gotten their money back.

Color Buzz 5K was scheduled for July 16 at First Energy Park in Lakewood, NJ. Some of the thousands of people who had signed up to participate included Woodbridge resident Amy Mikosz, who signed up to run with her mom and daughter, Madison. The women were going to run on behalf of Madison's friend at Woodbridge High, Ben Lepisto. Last spring, a cancerous brain tumor was discovered when Ben became ill running track as a freshman at the high school. He was diagnosed in March and is currently undergoing chemotherapy.

But in mid-July, runners who had signed up for the event received an email informing them it had been canceled and would be rescheduled. And as of right now, they still have no date or venue for the race.

"It just seems like they disappeared," Mikosz told ABC 7 On Your Side. "No one is getting responses, no one is getting their money back. There is absolutely no communication. We have tried every which way, (and) emailed tons of times."

Mikosz said she's repeatedly tried to contact race organizer, We Do Reality, but no one has responded. Participants paid a minimum of $19 per person to race, $29 for those who wanted a VIP experience. But on July 8, participants received an email from the company that said the event had to be rescheduled "due to unforeseen circumstances."

Then, Greg Giombarrese, a spokesman for the BlueClaws, told the Brick Patch that FirstEnergy Park never even received a signed contract from the company.

"Starting about a month out (from the event) we ramped up, saying 'Hey, you have to get us a deposit,' " Giombarrese said. But he said the company never responded, and about two weeks before the event, it notified the company that it was canceling the event.

"The BlueClaws have not had any contact with event organizers over the last several months," First Energy Park said in an announcement about the cancellation on its website.

When ABC's 7 On Your Side contacted We Do Reality, the Arizona-based race organizer raced to credit the fees back to Amy's credit card. But other people who signed up for the Color Buzz said they haven't heard from the company, either, and are having a hard time getting their money back. As of Tuesday, the Color Buzz website was still taking registrations for the race, despite the lack of a rescheduled date or new site.