The third annual Sandy Hook 5K will bring together 1,500 adults and 250 children on Saturday, March 28, to honor the memories of those who were killed on, as well as to offer continued support to those affected by, 12/14. An additional 100 runners will participate virtually, having signed up online with a commitment to run in their hometowns. Proceeds from all race fees, as well as funds raised by individuals and groups participating on March 28, will benefit The Newtown Memorial Fund.

The field for runners and walkers — which was expanded this year to accommodate an additional 300 adults and twice as many children as last year — filled within 24 hours of its opening in January.

Race Co-Director Katie Blake said it was a “heroic desire to show solidarity” with fellow fire responders that led Jeff Kozo, a member of Washington (Depot) Volunteer Fire Department, to coordinate a group of firefighters for this year’s Sandy Hook 5K. She calls the idea one of a few “incredible stories” that have arisen surrounding this year’s race.

“Jeff was able to get more than 25 firefighters from surrounding towns to join him in this event,” said Ms Blake. “We are honored to have them participate and wish them well as they cross the finish line.”

In addition to Mr Kozo, the following Washington FD members have registered for the Sandy Hook 5K: Vincent Belanger, Chris Campbell, Darcy Campbell, Quintin Campbell, Spencer Campbell, Michael Kozo (Mr Kozo’s youngest brother), Amanda Orson, Jason Thomen, and Adam Woodruff.

Firefighters coming in from Kent will include Timothy Limbos, Brittany Pinette, Kolleen Cheney Pinette, and Noah Shernow. Bantam Fire member James Brady; Tracey Du Bois Sikorski from Pleasant Valley Fire in New York; and Travis Floyd, Jennifer Thompson Jaynes, Jeremie Richardson, and Sue Whalen, all from Wassaic (N.Y.) Fire, will also be walking the 3.1-mile course.

“The Wassaic and Pleasant Valley guys came to me after seeing my posts on Facebook,” Mr Kozo said of those coming in from New York to participate.

In January, Mr Kozo sent a letter to Sandy Hook Volunteer Fire & Rescue (SHVFR), letting the company know that he and others were planning to participate in the 5K and inviting anyone who wanted to, to join them. In response, seven members of SHVFR will also be walking that morning. Pete Barresi, Sean Donnelly, Brandon Gonzalez, Mike McDonald, Karl Sieling, Jr, Rob Sibley and Kevin Stoyak will be joining Mr Kozos and crew for the event.

“We will not be running,” Mr Kozo said. “We will wear full gear and [breathing apparatus], with sneakers, and walk with a purpose. We’re not going to be the only ones walking, or even jogging, but hopefully we won’t be the last ones to finish.

“We will all finish together no matter what,” he said.

The contact between the Washington and Sandy Hook fire companies began, like so many others, after 12/14. Mr Kozo, the father of two young children, remembers feeling, he said last week, distraught after hearing about the shooting. An automotive painter and custom automotive airbrush artist, he found a spare firefighter’s helmet and painted it with green and white flames, a Maltese cross, and the words Sandy Hook. He then created a plaque that features the helmet in its center and, after finding and then having photos of each victim printed on metal plates, added those photos to his design.

Meanwhile, Washington FD member Kevin Smith suggested that the department raise funds for SHVFR. During a one-day boot drive in Washington Depot, firefighters raised $10,500 for the company, said Mr Kozo.

The plaque and funds were delivered to Sandy Hook in early 2013. Mr Kozo and a few other members of Washington Fire, including Chief Mark Showalter, and Washington First Selectman Mark Lyon, all visited the Riverside Road firehouse to deliver the gifts and spend time with firefighters.

This year, Mr Kozo wanted to hold on to that sense of brotherhood.

“Any time I hear anything to do with Sandy Hook, my brain starts thinking,” he said March 13. “Someone started talking about doing something with them, and I started thinking about Tunnel To Towers in New York.”

Named in honor of FDNY Firefighter Stephen Siller, who died on 9/11 after running through the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel to the World Trade Center, The Stephen Siller Tunnel To Towers Foundation’s signature event brings people from around the world into Brooklyn each September for a 5K event that raises funds for first responders and veterans.

“Firemen do the same thing there that we’re going to do here,” said Mr Kozo. “They go from tunnels to towers, together. I thought it would be a good idea to get some guys together, and pay our respect to fellow first responders, in firefighter fashion.”

One member of Kent Fire plans to run and walk the course, according to Mr Kozo.

“Tim Limbos, from Kent, has been training a lot,” said Mr Kozo, who says he personally just tries to keep himself in shape to make it easier to be a firefighter. “Tim is going to attempt to run or jog the 5K, and when he’s finished, he’s going to grab his gear, put it on, and head backwards until he meets us, then turn around and finish with us.”

For some, training for the Sandy Hook 5K has meant additional visits to the gym, just to make sure they’re ready for the walk.

“The helmets are brutal,” Brandon Gonzalez said March 15. “Sean [Donnelly] and I did a practice run on a treadmill, in full gear and carrying packs, and it was the helmets that got us. They keep the heat in.”

For others, covering that ground will be like a regular lunchtime stretch of the legs. Rob Sibley often heads over to NYA Sports & Fitness Center for his lunch breaks, where he runs between four and six miles, he said.

Pete Barresi, who says he works out multiple times each week, see the 5K as both a fitness challenge and a way to return kindness that was extended to SHVFR two years ago.

“We gotta represent our town,” he said March 15, “especially seeing as another town’s fire department has challenged us. We accept it.”

For at least one Sandy Hook firefighter, the gesture is appreciated.

“It means a lot that other fire organizations still see that every day is a struggle,” said Mr Sibley. “To have other firefighters walk with us, to say ‘You are not alone,’ it’s a simple gesture that means a lot.”

Race Notes

Another valiant effort, according to Katie Blake, will be put forth by Roseanne Rhodes. For the last two years Ms Rhodes — who lives in Pennsylvania — has run with a backpack filled with one-pound weights for each person lost on December 14, 2012.

“Those that we carry, carry us,” said Ms Rhodes. “I run with my pack because I am different since December 14. My life and what I do every day has been unalterably changed since that day and this is my way of acknowledging the unimaginable sense of loss. That if I could, I would take on a piece of that burden to try to lighten it if I could.”

While The Newtown Memorial Fund is collecting and processing all donations in relating to the 5K and kids’ fun run, the proceeds will be divided among a number of groups. Partial proceeds will be donated to the Collaborative Recovery Fund administered by the Newtown-Sandy Hook Community Foundation, which pays the out-of-pocket mental health expenses for those eligible who have been most impacted by 12/14.

A percentage of the proceeds will also go directly to the chosen nonprofit organizations of the 26 families who lost loved ones.

The race will take start from and return to the campus of Fairfield Hills, rain or shine. The 5K route will also go over parts of Keating Farms Avenue, Mile Hill South, and Nunnawauk Road. Staggered starts for the kids’ fun run will begin at 8:15 am, while the 5K will step off at 9.

Road closures on March 28 will affect 1st Street (across the northwestern side of the municipal center), sections of Simpson Street and Keating Farms Avenue; Mile Hill Road South between Keating Farms Avenue and Nunnawauk Road; and Nunnawauk Road out to just north of the Garner CI, beginning at 9 am.

For a full race map, visit www.5krunforshf.org/course-maps.