BERKELEY — At some point today, Elizabeth Singh will receive a homemade card and a teddy bear from her son Matthew.

It's a simple present to mark Mother's Day, and she hopes to receive it before her son runs out to the store to pick up the paper to see his name in print.

Matthew Singh, 12, took first in the DARE Classic one-mile fun run and finished the five-kilometer race in just over 18 minutes. But, he did not want to race Saturday.

"My mother dragged me here‚" the 12-year-old said after his run. "She told me if I wanted to be an athlete, these are the kinds of sacrifices I had to make."

Matthew runs the 800 meter and the 200 meter for his track-and-field team.

"I know I can place in the 800. That's just to get points‚" Matthew said. "But, I'm really a soccer player."

"Next year‚" Matthew said, "I'm running the mile."

Still huffing and puffing and a little flushed from his race, Matthew stood on the side of the road and waited for his mother to finish.

"Come on, Mom!" he screamed when he saw her turn off Forest Hills Parkway and onto the Veterans Park driveway. "Finish strong!"

She did.

"I did well," she said, also huffing and puffing. "I beat my time, 31 (minutes): 54 (seconds)."

Her personal best was 32:20.

The DARE Classic was her fourth road race. She started running at the behest of a friend and co-worker, but her son keeps her going.

"He's my inspiration," Elizabeth Singh said. "When I see him run, I get motivated."

Elizabeth and Matthew Singh were two of nearly 600 who ran or walked in the annual DARE Classic, which is held to raise money for the township Police Department's DARE program and the Municipal Alliance.

Both organizations work to educate the public on the dangers of using drugs and alcohol.

It wasn't much longer than a quarter of an hour before Mark Mellea, 46, of Manchester and Chris Peters, 53, of Barnegat crossed the finish line in a tie for first place.

"Well, Mark helped," by pulling him to the finish, Peters said.

Following the race, runners, walkers and their supporters listened to music, played volleyball and ate breakfast in the park.

Proceeds from the DARE Classic are used to purchase prizes to give to children who win DARE contests the officers hold throughout the year, Officer Scott Selby said. Prizes include basketballs, Frisbees, portable fans, backpacks and hats, all with the DARE logo.

A bicycle was given away this year, as the grand prize for an anti-tobacco poster contest.