Making memories: Inaugural Run to Remember

  • Published
  • By Maj. Nancie Margetis
  • 183rd Public Affairs
ABRAHAM LINCOLN CAPITAL AIRPORT, Illinois --  Over 120 unit members gathered Sunday, Jun. 6 to take part in the first-ever Run to Remember, a 5K Walk/Run to pay tribute to members lost to the 183rd.

The idea for the race originated from Senior Master Sgt. Brian Hemphill, from the Maintenance Squadron. He was thinking of doing just a maintenance squadron run to raise money and it escalated from there.

The race raised over $2,000 for the Non-commissioned Officer Academy Graduates Association. The money will go towards buying retirement gifts and plaques.

"For a first-time race, it went off without a hitch," commented Master Sgt. Rob Stults, who volunteered to be the race coordinator. "It couldn't have been so successful without so much help from people in the unit," he said.

Overall male winner, Airman 1st Class Daniel Dunbar, led the race and finished with an amazing time of 15:39. "It felt good to run with members of the Guard unit," said Dunbar who is a systems administrator with the ACOMS unit.

While Dunbar has experience in running races, overall female winner, Senior Master Sgt. Erin Roesch, from the Communications Flight, had never competed in a road race. "This was the first time I've ever ran a 5K race. It was exciting!" said Roesch. She finished the race in 24:31. Both Dunbar and Roesch have set the bar by establishing the course record.

Col. Meyer, 183rd Wing Commander had this to say about the race. "The first Run to Remember was a huge success. It was very poignant and extremely well executed. The Wing should be very proud that the Maintenance Squadron not only came up with the idea for this event, but also took it upon themselves to organize and run the event. It was a great way to start out the unit's Safety Stand Down program."

He added, "I wish to thank all those members of the 183rd who volunteered to support the run; and I also want to thank the Springfield Airport Authority, the Illinois Valley Striders, and Chris Alexander for their valuable assistance."

With the success of this years race, Stults hopes to open it to family members next year.