2013 3.2-Mile Run in Remembrance to be held Saturday, April 13, in Blacksburg

20 Feb 2013

For the fifth consecutive year, the Virginia Tech community will host the 3.2-Mile Run in Remembrance to honor and remember 32 individuals who lost their lives on April 16, 2007.

This year’s event will be held on Saturday, April 13, at 9 a.m. rain or shine. Participants will start on the Drillfield near War Memorial Gym and finish near the April 16 Memorial across from Burruss Hall.

The event is free and open to the public; individuals may run or walk the 3.2-mile course, or volunteer to help work the event. Participants are asked to preregister for the event at the Department of Recreational Sports website.

“We hope this run brings fellow Hokies together, to feel the support of the community, to remember those we’ve lost, and to celebrate the lives of our friends and family members still with us,” said Chris Wise, director of recreational sports.

In the event of severe weather, the status of the run will be posted to the university homepage.

The route for the 3.2-Mile Run in Remembrance will take participants throughout campus, around the Duckpond, and through the home team tunnel used to enter Lane Stadium before returning to the Drillfield via Kent Street.

Runners and walkers are encouraged to be a part of the 3.2-Mile Run in Remembrance photograph that will be taken at 8:55 a.m. at the start line. A moment of silence and the release of 32 white balloons will signal the start of the run.

All pre-registered participants should check in prior to the run at Room 125 War Memorial Hall on Friday, April 12, between 4 and 8 p.m. or Saturday, April 13, between 6:30 and 8:30 a.m. Please bring your confirmation sheet with your QR code.

Commemorative T-shirts will be provided to the first 4,000 people who register online and may be picked up during check-in Friday night or Saturday morning. Any T-shirts that have not been picked up will be given away on a first-come, first-served basis.

The event requires approximately 300 volunteers to provide support for the walkers and runners. A variety of shifts are available such as pre-race preparations, set-up, registration, route marshals, water station, and post-race clean-up, and all volunteers will receive a commemorative T-shirt. Those interested in volunteering should register online on the Recreational Sports website.

Free parking is available for the 3.2-Mile Run in Remembrance in all Perry Street lots and the Perry Street parking garage located off Prices Fork Road. A campus parking map can be found online or call 540-231-3200 for parking information.

The 3.2-Mile Run in Remembrance is organized by the Virginia Tech Department of Recreational Sports and the April 16 Student Planning Committee which is made up of representatives from nine student groups and an at-large member from the student body. Organizations represented on the planning committee are the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets, Council of International Student Organizations, Interfraternity Council, National Pan-Hellenic Council, Panhellenic Council, Residence Hall Federation, Student Alumni Associates, Student Government Association, and Students Against Violence.

Dedicated to its motto, Ut Prosim (That I May Serve), Virginia Tech takes a hands-on, engaging approach to education, preparing scholars to be leaders in their fields and communities. As the commonwealth’s most comprehensive university and its leading research institution, Virginia Tech offers 240 undergraduate and graduate degree programs to more than 31,000 students and manages a research portfolio of $513 million. The university fulfills its land-grant mission of transforming knowledge to practice through technological leadership and by fueling economic growth and job creation locally, regionally, and across Virginia.