The Run For Our Heroes is a 5K race/walk using a new certified course in scenic downtown Raleigh. The event is part of the Second Empire Grand Prix Series.
Schedule of Events
8:30 a.m. – Ceremony to honor our fallen officers with the laying of the wreath
9:00 a.m. – 5K kicks off
10:00 a.m. – McGruff Crime Dog Kids’ Dash
The course starts near the old Raleigh Police Department at City Hall on Hargett Street, proceeds up Salisbury Street to Lenoir Street, down Fayetteville Street around the State Capitol, to Franklin Street up Blount Street, and then back into the downtown area where the race finishes in front of the City Memorial on Hargett Street. The course will provide runners/walkers with a flat and fast route. Printable Race Map.
Splits will be called at miles 1 and 2 and at the halfway mark. There will be one water station on the course.
At 10:00 a.m., the McGruff Crime Dog 100-Yard Kids’ Dash will be held at Nash Square. The dash is for children ages 10 and younger. The entry fee is $5.
A free social for event participants will follow the race at Napper Tandy’s Restaurant 126 North West Street. For more information or to register for the Run for Our Heroes 5K or the McGruff Crime Dog 100-Yard Dash, visit the website.
All proceeds from the race go to the foundation’s fund to build a memorial to the eight Raleigh Police officers who lost their lives in the line of duty. A ceremonial wreath-laying to honor the sacrifice and lives of the fallen officers will be held at 8:30 a.m. in Nash Square, across Hargett Street from the Avery C. Upchurch Government Complex and the former Raleigh Police Department’s headquarters.
The Raleigh Police Memorial Foundation is dedicated to honoring the lives and memories of police officers who made the ultimate sacrifice in the performance of their duty while serving the City of Raleigh. The foundation is a charitable, non-profit, private organization and is separate from the City of Raleigh Police Department. For more information visit the Raleigh Police Memorial Foundation website.
The eight fallen offices and the dates of there deaths are: Tom Crabtree, Sept. 1, 1922; Robert Sparks, March 8, 1968; James Lee, Dec. 5, 1968; James Allen, Dec. 5, 1968; D.D. Adams, Feb. 3, 1980; Denise Holden, Aug. 4, 1995; Paul Hale, July 11, 1997; and Charles Paul, Sept. 10, 2002.