The signs of autumn are all around us: pumpkin spice, leaves changing colors, and Halloween decorations. But in Bay Ridge, fall doesn’t happen without the annual P.O. Christopher Hoban Memorial 5-Mile and 5-K Run.

The race, which is hosted each year by Xaverian H.S., Bay Ridge, starts and finishes at the school while traversing the Shore Road Promenade bicycle path and Third Avenue.

The run honors the memory of a hero. Not a current or former professional athlete, but instead a man who was simply doing his job. This hero was so dedicated to his job that it ultimately cost him his life, a sacrifice he made for the safety of others.

On Sept. 21 — a day before the official start of fall — the traditional autumn run took place for its 37th year, celebrating the enduring legacy of late NYPD Police Officer and 1980 Xaverian graduate Christopher Hoban. With 1,166 runners, this year’s race was the largest to date.

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Hoban — just 26 at the time — was killed in the line of duty on Oct. 18, 1988, during an undercover narcotics operation buy-and-bust. His cover was blown when he refused to sample cocaine he was attempting to buy from three men in an apartment on West 105th Street in Manhattan. At that time, an NYPD policy prohibited the sampling of drugs unless an officer’s life was in danger.

A year later, the Police Alumni of Xaverian established the race to remember Hoban, who had attended Mass and grammar school at Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Sunset Park. Since its beginnings, the race has served as a family-reunion-style remembrance party at the school each fall.

“After 37 years, every year it gets bigger,” said Martin Hoban, Christopher’s younger brother and a 1984 Xaverian graduate. “The NYPD, Bay Ridge community, and Xaverian High School come together for it, which makes it such a special event. “It warms my heart every time we do it. Chris and my parents were smiling down on us. They always give us a wonderful day.”

Each year before the run, the race committee hands out recognition awards to thank community members for their dedicated service. NYPD Assistant Chief Frank Giordano, a 1990 Xaverian grad, received the P.O. Christopher Hoban Service to New York Award for his years of service and for keeping Chris’ memory alive.

RELATED: Xaverian’s Chris Hoban Run Honors Fallen NYPD Hero

In addition to honoring P.O. Hoban’s sacrifice, the race also serves the purpose of being the primary fundraiser for the Hoban Scholarship, a fund organized by the Police Alumni of Xaverian that provides tuition assistance to sons and daughters of NYPD officers to attend the school. This is the longest-tenured fundraising event in school history, with this year’s total surpassing $100,000.

“Chris stood for courage, service, and love of neighbor — values that still inspire us nearly four decades later,” said Rob Oliva, ’00, the St. Francis College, Brooklyn Heights, vice president of enrollment management and community relations, as well as a member of the Hoban race committee. “His memory is alive in every step taken today, in every volunteer who serves, and in every person here who believes in the power of community.”

It’s fair to say that the vast majority of the nearly 1,200 race-day runners never knew P.O. Hoban. However, the Xaverian community has done a fine job in including the school’s students each year so that they feel a special connection to the cause.

“The cheer team, the dance team, the baseball team, the football team, and many others all turn out for the run,” Martin Hoban said. “It really makes it special for me as an alum seeing all the kids. It has become such a fun, family-friendly event. I couldn’t in my wildest dreams have imagined that almost four decades later, it continues to get better and better. The kids are a tremendous part of it.”

While P.O. Hoban died too soon, he remains in the minds and hearts of many in the Bay Ridge community, especially on race day. It’s now been 37 years strong in celebrating the life and memory of this fallen hero. Christopher’s sacrifice is what truly defines a hero.