The fifth annual John McKenna Memorial 5K Race, organized each spring by the Binghamton University crew team, will take place this Saturday in Recreation Park in Binghamton’s West Side.
The five-kilometer foot race is held each year to pay tribute to John McKenna IV, a former crew team member and marine who was killed while serving in Iraq, to raise money for the Injured Marines Semper Fi Fund and to support the crew team.
BU students participate in the race every year, with some participating several times throughout their school career.
“I did the McKenna Memorial 5K twice and I’m going to do it again this year,” said Alex Guerron, a senior majoring in history. “Everyone should come out because the profits go to a good cause as well as support the crew team.”
Jayson Francisco, a senior double-majoring in actuarial sciences and economics, said he participated in the race once before and also plans to do it again this year.
“I am going to [run in the race] again because of the satisfaction I got from finishing it,” Francisco said.
Vivien Levine, a senior double-majoring in political science and economics and the media relations co-chair for the memorial race, said the race has expanded from about 100 runners its first year to more than 1,000 last year.
Contingents of marines, state and local police officers, firefighters, an honor guard and a bagpipe band will also be involved in the event’s opening and closing festivities.
Levine called the race a positive experience for the crew team and for the McKenna family.
“We hold this race annually to honor John’s memory, and it is a good representation of the Binghamton crew team,” Levine said.
McKenna graduated from BU in 1998 after having rowed for the crew team for four years. After college, McKenna became an officer in the state police and then joined the U.S. Marine Corps. McKenna was in his third tour of duty in Iraq when he was killed by enemy gunfire.
According to Colin Aylesworth, a senior majoring in English and the event’s media advertising co-chair, McKenna’s family approached the crew team in 2007 with the idea for a race as a way to honor their son.
He also said that this year, race chips — a technology that precisely tracks each runner’s time through sensors placed in the runners’ shoes — will be distributed at the McKenna 5K.
“This adds a level of professionalism and prestige [to the race],” Aylesworth said.
The race costs $10 to enter for BU students and $15 for community members.