The Long Beach Island Commemorative 18 Mile Run has been part of the Island’s fabric for more than five decades, and now’s the time for runners and walkers to register and prepare for the annual event on Columbus Day weekend.

For this year’s big event – the 53rd version – both the 18 mile run and more recently added 12K again will be contested. The run, which last year had 628 finishers and was won by Rutherford’s William Brancato for a second straight year in just over 1 hour, 37 minutes, is…