Eva Casale of Glen Cove begins another series of marathons to honor veterans

With her feet pounding the wet pavement as she was accompanied by three team members and supporters cheered her on Sunday morning, Eva Casale ran up and down Main Street in Huntington, taking the first steps of a 184-mile series of seven marathons she plans to run in seven days to raise money and awareness for veterans organizations.

Through April 29, Casale, 58, of Glen Cove, will run marathons from East Rockaway to Shelter Island, placing flowers or wreaths at 350 points of honor to celebrate the memory of fallen veterans and all veterans in the Long Island communities she and her Team Eva will run across.

Casale started her first marathon Sunday in Huntington, continuing across Centerport and Commack before finishing in Northport, a total of 26.2 miles.

Casale, an ultramarathoner, has run a series of marathons for veterans every year since 2016, except for 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. She has raised almost $200,000 thus far, according to organizers.

As she stood at Town Hall in Huntington on Sunday morning in an opening ceremony before beginning this year's seven-day marathon series, Casale said she welcomed the rain at the start of her team’s journey to honor local servicemen and women who serve and have sacrificed in the U.S. armed forces.

“We welcome rain because we look at rain as being tears of joy from our fallen heroes that we are on a positive and meaningful mission today,” Casale said. “So we do welcome the rain today and all through the week.”

Deputy Town Supervisor John T. McCarron presented Casale with a proclamation honoring her in advance for completing the run.

Susan Warsaw of Coram, a Blue Star parent of Army Sgt. Derek Warsaw, who is serving in Europe with the 101st Airborne Division, will be running parts of the marathon alongside Casale as part of Team Eva with her husband, Andrew Warsaw. As she spoke of her son at the ceremony, Warsaw grew emotional.

“We know he is in a danger zone; the details are limited and we can only hope and pray for him and his fellow soldiers’ safe return after their task is complete,” Warsaw said, adding, “I can truly say it is an honor to call Eva my friend and be part of the Team Eva mission to honor our heroes, honor our veterans and support our troops.”

Diana and Vinny Bonacasa, Gold Star parents of fallen Air Force Staff Sgt. Louis Bonacasa of Coram, spoke at the ceremony in support of Casale and her team’s efforts to raise awareness and funding for veterans. Louis Bonacasa, 31, of the 105th Base Defense Squadron, died in 2015 in Afghanistan while protecting his patrol from a suicide bomber on a motorcycle.

“As a Gold Star mother, I am grateful to know that this special team shows gratitude by remembering the sacrifice that our men and women gave for our nation and her people,” Diana Bonacasa said. “As the rain falls down and the sun shines on their faces as they run, they are getting a ‘thank you’ from heaven.”