Cleveland Group Completes 1,000 Mile Relay
A group from Cleveland, Tennessee, completed a relay run of over 1,000 miles Saturday, April 19 as they crossed the start line of the Boston Marathon in Hopkinton, Massachusetts, two days before the 118th running of the storied event.
Members of the Run Now Relay team gather at the start line of the Boston Marathon in Hopkinton, Massachusetts.The town marked the ceremonial finish of the relay until four members of the team finish the Boston Marathon today. (click photo to enlarge)
The group of 26 runners consisted primarily of Lee University alumni who have a love of running and were touched by the bombings that took place at last year’s marathon.
Fred Garmon, Lee alum and director of People for Care and Learning, was one of the early visionaries of the endeavor.
“We have a tight-knit group of runners here in Cleveland and when the bombings took place last year, it struck at the heart of what we love,” Garmon said. “We wanted to find a way to give back.”
Garmon spearheaded a 5K fund-raiser in Cleveland last May where more than $2,000 was raised. Conversation following the event centered jokingly on the idea of “running” the check up to Boston and from there the concept of the Run Now Relay was birthed. Over the past ten months, planning took place on logistics, fund-raising, recruitment, and the meticulous mapping of a route from Cleveland, Tennessee to Hopkinton.
Cameron Fisher, along with Don Bennett, were two employees of the Church of God International Offices in Cleveland who participated in the relay, He said the contribution of the Church of God at several levels helped make the relay possible.
“Almost half of the route went through Virginia the Church of God in Tennessee and Virginia really stepped up to help as we passed through their states,” Fisher said. “We were grateful for churches that offered their facilities for us to eat and sleep. Without them would have increased the costs for the runners or cut into the amount of money available to donate to our two charities.”
Fisher thanked the International Executive Committee for their support of the relay, including a financial contribution to the effort and the time off for the two of them to participate as members of one of the five relay teams. He also mentioned the contribution of Men and Women of Action who provided a “Command Center,” a semi-truck that has been on-site at various disasters throughout the United States.
The Run Now Relay began with a ceremonial send-off on the Lee University campus and an official launch from the Bradley County Courthouse on Saturday, April 12. For the next eight days, five teams of five runners ran 24/7 through Tennessee, Virginia, Washington, D.C., Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, and Connecticut before crossing into Massachusetts over the weekend. The relay ended in Hopkinton, Massachusetts, the town of the start line on the Boston Marathon. The team ran approximately 1,075 miles with the final 26.2 to be completed by four members of the relay team at the finish line of the marathon today. The four runners include Garmon, and two other Lee graduates Matt Carlson, and Johnny Clemons, a former member of the Lee University cross country team who, over the last week, ran the equivalent six full marathons. The fourth runner is Matt Ryerson, an adjunct faculty member at Lee.
Along the way the Run Now Relay attracted media attention in every major market, and landed a weekend feature on ABC’s Good Morning America. Their efforts have resulted in over $63,000 raised for two charities, One Step Ahead and Dream Big Foundation.
“This was a truly diverse group of runners that came together for a unified effort,” Fisher said. “It was truly an ‘epic journey’ that brought attention to some great causes and I am grateful for everyone who participated and put some long hours into making this a reality.”
The journey was completely documented on social media and can be viewed at www.runnowrelay.org.
