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By Mark Huard
NORRIDGEWOCK — The 2nd annual Corporal Cole 5K & Half-Marathon took place at Mill Stream Elementary School on Sunday Aug. 19, raising $25,000 for the Cpl. Cole Memorial Scholarship.
More than 700 registered runners took part, with 500 running in the 5K and 200 in the half-marathon. Ages of runners varied from 1 to 84.
Three individual moments of silence took place on Sunday. One was for Maine State Police Det. Brian Campbell, who died while helping a motorist in Interstate 95. Gleason encouraged the crowd to follow Campbell’s lead and “do the right thing.” The second was for Fairfield Capt. Jim Lane, whose funeral was the day of the race. The final one was for Somerset County’s Cole, who was killed in the line of duty in April 2018, with a reminder of his wife, Sheryl’s, words ” his shoes may never be filled but his footsteps can always be followed.”
Among the runners was Eli Meader, 9, who ran his first 5k at age 6. He told his mother he wanted to run a marathon, but she said he had to run a half-marathon first. Even thouse his longest training run was just a little more than eight miles, Eli only walked a little during the half-marathon, which is 13.1 miles long.
His next goal is to be the youngest kid in the world to run a full marathon. A 14-year-old has the record.
Sheryl Cole started each race with the air horn, following the national anthem sung by Katie Lee Hill. Somerset County Sheriff Dale Lancaster joined Tom Cole, brother of Cole, in the 5k walk. All money raised from the races go to the Corp. Cole Memorial Scholarship Fund. Between last year and this year, more than $70,000 has been donated to the fund.
Organizers said the race is a success largely because Sheryl Cole and her family trust them with honoring Cole’s legacy, and also because of the hundreds of volunteers and unsung heroes behind the scenes who put in countless hours. The organizers are working on certifying the half-pmarathon with USA Track & Field for 2020. Race registration will open on Nov. 1.
This year also marked the first kids’ fun run. More than 20 kids participated on an obstacle course run created and managed by Kennebec Valley Community College physical therapist assistant students. Every child received a super hero cape with the numbers 1312 on the back, Cole’s Badge number. \
Sponsors and volunteers for 2020 are encouraged to contact Jess at corporalcolememorialrun@gmail.com
TOP PHOTO: Race director Jessica Gleason with Somerset County Sheriff Dale Lancaster. (Missy Brown/ Central Maine Photography photo)
