Merced race to honor fallen soldiers

  • 2021-10-17
Merced will be holding a race in November to remember soldiers who have fallen while performing their duties.

The Run for the Fallen 5K/10K is a community event organized by the Merced Sunrise Rotary Club where runners can honor local fallen heroes while competing for medals. The activity will start and finish by the main lawn at Merced College and will open with a short ceremony that commemorates those who have passed away. Only people who place first, second, or third in their age groups will earn a medal. Each participant in the event will also be chip timed.

The first Run for the Fallen was held on June 14th, 2008. The race had runners complete a course from Fort Irwin, California to the Arlington National Cemetery. Since its formation, more than 50,000 people have participated in the event. People can become volunteers at the commemorative race to help with jobs like placing hero markers and securing supplies. Organizers for similar community races can use banner printing for advertising the event outdoors.

The 5K/10K will be held on November 7th and will last from 9:00 am to 11:00 am. Opening ceremonies for the program will take place at 8:45 am. All runners must sign up in advance by November 4th. There are no fees for the race, though participants can purchase a t-shirt for the occasion during race day for $20 while supplies last.