Collegiate Times

More than 3,000 Blacksburg residents will hit the pavement tomorrow in the first Run for Remembrance around campus.

The Student Government Association and the Department of Recreational Sports will hold a 3.2-mile run as part of the April 16 activities.

Beginning at 8 a.m., the event is open to all students, faculty and staff who would like to run, walk or jog in order to remember loved ones and fellow students who lost their lives two years ago that day.

The slogan for the race, 3.2 for 32, ties into the number of lives lost on April 16.

"We've only had a chance to plan for the last five or six weeks," Rec Sports marketing manager Cathy Kropff said. "It originally was going to be a 5K, but we decided to change it to the 3.2 for 32 of the lost Hokies. The Run in Remembrance name has always been there, however."

The event, which is free to all who participate, will begin at Alumni Mall near North Main Street and finish on the Drillfield near the April 16 memorial, directly across from Burruss Hall. It will be preceded by a balloon release, and a banner will be available for participants to sign prior to beginning the race.

Thirty-two biodegradable white balloons will be released in remembrance of the 32 lives lost, and each runner will also have a maroon or orange balloon to release following a moment of silence.

A student planning committee that consists of many different authority figures within the student body is hosting the event. The chair is SGA President Emily Mashack.

"We sat down as a student planning committee of several presidents from all over the university," Mashack said. "We wanted a sustainable event in a positive environment."

Kropff said the event was definitely the brainchild of several members within the SGA.

The run was planned relatively quickly with almost no marketing besides word of mouth and Internet promotion. Kropff says that not a single poster has been put up on campus.

"With the 3.2 mile Run in Remembrance, we thought it was a nice tie-in to make to the number of lives lost on that tragic day," Mashack said.

Initial registration numbers for the event surpassed the initial estimations. There are currently 3,140 registered participants.

"At first we envisioned about 500 people, and within a few days, after barely getting information out and not really publicizing all that much, we had over 700 people registered," Mashack said. "We are definitely proud to say that we now have over 3,000 registered."

Several students and families directly affected by the tragedy will also be taking part in the event. Most of these individuals have asked to have their information kept confidential.

The event has been extremely popular among students who are trying to find something to do on campus that day to contribute to the remembrance theme.

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