Most people wouldn’t consider 8 a.m. on a frigid, windy, weekend morning an ideal time to go for a jog. But last Saturday, over 250 people got up early and did just that in order to support the U.S. Armed Forces.
The Veterans Day 5k race was held at the University of Colorado-Denver Auraria campus. The event is held every year by Charlie Company, an Army ROTC Company comprised of students from DU, CU- Denver and Metro State College of Denver.
Participants had to arrive early to register at 6:30 a.m. and prepare for the 8 a.m. start time. People of all ages and from a variety of backgrounds signed up to complete the two lap course around the Auraria campus.
An army platoon ran the entire race in formation while singing cadences, and a few individuals ran the race carrying extremely heavy rucksacks. A few veterans ran the race with prosthetic limbs, largely keeping pace with the others.
Not every participant was a die-hard runner. Some participants pushed strollers, others led dogs. There were many joggers and walkers, concerned not with having the fastest time but with supporting veterans.
The Veterans Day 5k is part of the ROTC’s efforts to branch out into the greater community. Ellie Loran, a sophomore at DU majoring in finance, is one of only 12 ROTC cadets at DU.
“These are really exciting times for [the ROTC program],” Loran said. “We are really seeking to create a positive community image. With the wars winding down, we want to forge a leaner but stronger program.”
The race was first held in 2009 in order to honor Charlie Company graduate Capt. Russel B. Riptoe, who died in 2003 while serving in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Proceeds from the race go to the Russel B. Riptoe foundation, the Metro State Army ROTC Running Club and the Auraria Future Leaders Association, which provides funding for leadership development activities for ROTC cadets. Various foundations and businesses also had a presence at the race, where they marketed services for veterans as well as runners.
This year marked the second year of participation for 36-year-old Trisch O’Conner from Thornton, Colo. O’Conner first discovered the Veterans Day 5k while searching the Internet for races around Colorado.
“My father is a retired Navy veteran. I run to support the military and veterans,” O’Conner said.
“I like the environment of supportive solidarity that this race creates,” she said.
At last year’s race, O’Conner’s father was able to join her, though this year he was unable to make it.
The American Veterans’ Traveling Tribute was also present on the Auraria campus during the race. The tribute included a portable replica of the Vietnam War Memorial and multiple displays detailing every armed conflict in which the U.S. has been involved since the country was founded.
In a section labeled “The Global War on Terrorism,” the names of soldiers killed in the conflict since 2001 were added individually, with additions as recent at September 2011.
This year’s race was run by Cadet Rob Bingham, a veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom and a second year Cadet in the Army ROTC program at Metro State College of Denver.
