Joplin Memorial Run crosses finish line with its last race

JOPLIN, Mo. (KOAM) - For the last time runners have laced up their shoes for the Joplin Memorial Run.

“I'm actually recovering from arm surgery and a broken toe. So it's not going to be my best race. But I still wanted to compete and be here as part of the community to do this race one last time,“ says race participant Stacy Parks.

The race, which honors the victims of the 2011 Joplin Tornado, is ending with race organizers citing declining participation and cost concerns.

“If we're struggling to get volunteers and struggling to cover expenses, then we have to cut things that we feel are valuable. So we just felt like it's time to go ahead and just have one final event, do a really nice job, go out big and just make it a really good time for everybody in the final year,“ says Ruth Sawkins, race director.

To mark the final race, roughly 2,400 participants from 28 states and three countries gathered to take to the streets.

“I understand why it might be the last one, and I think it's a great legacy that they created, and I think it had a great run, and I'm sad to see it go. But everything has to come to an end I guess,” says Trudy Smith, who came from Texas to participate.

For many runners at the Memorial Run, the race is personal. Many say they feel drawn to join due to connections to Joplin or family who were impacted by the tornado.

“I wasn’t a part of the community at that time. But I know and care about a lot of people who were, so it feels special. And I'm really honored to be able to be a part of remembering those victims.“ says Lydia Schuchard, a race participant who traveled from St. Louis.

Although Smith traveled from Texas, her late parents lived in Joplin. She says the race is very meaningful to her.

“I saw how the city recovered and stuck together and rebuilt. And of course, since my mom lived here and she's now not with us anymore, even though she didn't pass away in the tornado, I still feel like this helps me remember her as well. To be here and to run with all of these people,“ says Smith.

And despite this being the end of a beloved tradition, both runners and race organizers say it is not the end of remembering and honoring the 161 victims.

"I am just amazed at how fast Joplin came together. And the surrounding area came together to support the people of Joplin and to remember everybody that perished here so many years ago,“ says Parks.

COPYRIGHT 2024 BY KOAM NEWS NOW. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THIS MATERIAL MAY NOT BE PUBLISHED, BROADCAST, REWRITTEN OR REDISTRIBUTED.