Thousands run in remembrance at Virginia Tech

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By Jarett Henswhaw
WSLS Digital Journalist

It started with a moment of silence, followed by 2,500 balloons being released into the sky by runners and walkers. The silent start soon became cheers of joy for the run in remembrance.

“When it first went off, old my gosh, all you see is maroon and orange and they’re all running,“ said Sarah Bosco.

“I remember when I was going over there and I looked behind me and I saw the balloons and I saw everyone else coming behind me, I really felt united and as one,“ said Jenn Brill.

The maroon and orange army rounded the drillfield and passed the April 16th memorial.  Over 35-hundred people officially took part in the run, but there were at least another eight hundred more who joined just before the race.

“This is Hokie nation at its finest right here.  It gives me cold chills thinking about it,“ said Chad Martin.

“The greatest thing was looking side by side and just seeing Hokies surrounding you,“ said Joe Malstrom.

The 3.2 mile long race course was designed for the 32 victims of the 2007 shooting.  Most jogged, using the time to reflect on how far they’ve come since the tragedy.

“From the moment the balloons were released, to us running around the drillfield at the start of the race, we were all moving together as one the whole time…  It was great! It was awesome!  It was so powerful!,“ said Malstrom.

Some sprinted to the finish line but freshman Jenn Brill hoped it wouldn’t end.

“It was kind of sad that it was over, just the whole experience, I just wanted to keep going.“

After the finish, everyone gathered on the drillfield to share their experiences of the inaugural three-point-two run in remembrance.

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Associated Press coverage:

BLACKSBURG, Va. (AP) - Two years after they were wounded by a gunman who sprayed bullets through their German class at Virginia Tech, Katelyn Carney and Derek O’Dell helped the campus mark the second anniversary of the worst mass shooting in modern U.S. history.
    Carney, who graduated in December, returned to run a 3.2-mile race Thursday to honor the 32 people killed April 16, 2007, by student Seung Hui-Cho, who also took his own life. She and O’Dell worked together to bar the door to their classroom so Cho couldn’t get back in.
    “This is where it matters,“ she said as she and a friend prepared to run.
    O’Dell, who walked the race course, called the experience bittersweet.
    “We’re celebrating their lives, but remembering, too,“ he said. “It’s difficult, but I think it’s important.“
On campus, Carney and O’Dell were joined by many of the other students injured that day, memories of the shootings still clear in their minds.
    Engineering student Fred Cook jumped out a second-story window in Norris Hall as his professor, Liviu Librescu, was gunned down while he barred Cho from entering his classroom. Cook hurt his ankle, but took up running when he recovered and participated in Thursday’s race.
    “Not a day goes by that we don’t think about it,“ Cook said. “This increased sense of awareness by everyone certainly makes it more acute for us.“
    Most of the 12 injured students still on campus joined about 4,300 people who raced around the main section of campus on the bright, sunny morning. The event began with the release of balloons - 32 white, followed by hundreds in the school colors of maroon and orange - and chants of “Let’s Go, Hokies.“
    The mood was upbeat as students crowded around a table to sign a message banner before the race.
    Suzanne Grimes, whose son Kevin Sterne was injured, was impressed that nearly all of the runners were students, some of whom weren’t on campus two years ago.
    “They came out and showed their respect,“ she said.
Classes were canceled, but the response to the “3.2 for 32” race was so great that the school also delayed opening offices until midmorning to avoid traffic jams.