COLTS NECK — Four New Jersey teenagers sliced through the air at Dorbrook Recreation Area on a recent summer morning, the sound of their speed skates whirring against pavement as they recorded lap after lap around the park.
The Middlesex Racing Team is aiming to raise $12,000 for the American Heart Association by collecting $10 for each mile of their 1,200-mile skating goal. The team's four members -- Vetrichelvan Maharajan, 15, of Edison; Gajan Mohan Raj, 17, of Manalapan; Nareshsanjay Muthukumar, 17, of Howell; and Suniti Suresh, 16, of Monroe -- sped through the park early on a recent Wednesday morning and passed red signs along their route that read, "Skate for Hearts."
Each mile they skated and each dollar raised will help to honor the memory of Nareshsanjay's father, Muthukumar Karuppasamy, and raise awareness for the American Heart Association's mission to combat heart disease, the nation's top killer of adults.
Muthukumar Karuppasamy, who helped inspire the team to pick up speed skating, died last summer from a heart attack, Nareshsanjay Muthukumar said.
"Me, Naresh and Vetri have known each other since… we were two years old," said Mohan Raj, a student at High Technology High School in the Lincroft section of Middletown. "All of our dads know each other, and we all grew up in the same community. They're basically my brothers.
"His (Nareshsanjay's) dad was the one who introduced me to the sport (of speed skating)," he said. "My mom, she was opposed to speed skating. She thought it was kind of dangerous, but his dad was the one who would convince her."
At times, each racer is going as fast as 25 or 30 miles per hour, Mohan Raj said.
"I would say speed skating is as rewarding as any other sport, but what sets it aside is the adrenaline rush," said Suniti Suresh, a student at Monroe Township High School. "It's kind of… freeing."
Muthukumar, a student at Manalapan High School, said he loved "the adrenaline rush you get while racing. Just everyone's compact and you're going fast, like one wrong move, and you're kind of screwed."
The team's members have been skating for about 10 years and said they have won both national and regional competitions..
"It's really fun once you get to know the technique and actually do it," said Suresh. "I would encourage more women to join. It's a pretty equal sport."
They train year-round. When they are not speed skating, most of the members run track or work out at the gym regularly to keep their leg muscles in shape.
In August, they posted signs along their course at Dorbrook Recreation Area that showed QR codes for their Skate for Hearts fundraising website as they circled the parking lot.
The team said it felt empowering to skate not just for the joy of the sport, but for an important cause.
Cardiovascular disease led to 931,578 deaths in the United States in 2021, according to the American Heart Association. Heart disease and stroke killed more people that year than all forms of cancer and lower respiratory diseases, the association said.
"I feel good knowing that I'm doing something that gives back to the community," said Maharajan, who attends John P. Stevens High School in Edison.
Muthukumar said the fundraiser will go beyond honoring his father's memory.
"Honestly I'm just glad… I was able to get three of my closest friends to do this in honor of him, and… spread awareness about heart disease everywhere," he said.
So far, the team has skated 1,012 miles. But as of Thursday, they remain behind their fundraising goal. They have collected $4,414 of the $12,000 they hope to raise by September.
To donate to their cause, visit https://raiseyourwayforaha.funraise.org/fundraiser/skateforhearts.
Amanda Oglesby is an Ocean County native who covers education and the environment. She has worked for the Press for more than 16 years. Reach her at @OglesbyAPP, aoglesby@gannettnj.com or 732-557-5701.
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Speed skating with heart: New Jersey teens raise money after father's death
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