Hundreds turn out for 4th annual Mike Reese Memorial 5K

MOUNT PLEASANT, Pa. (KDKA) -- Hundreds of people participated in Saturday's Mike Reese Memorial 5K, held in honor of the former state representative at Mammoth Park.

As participants paced through the course in Mount Pleasant, it was hard for Angela Reese not to think about the good her husband did.

"He was real active in his work to support youth and athletics," Reese said.

That's in addition to his time representing parts of Westmoreland and Somerset counties in Harrisburg.

Mike Reese spent 12 years in the State House. He died of an apparent brain aneurysm in 2021, a couple of months after being re-elected.

Angela says her husband believed in the power of sports and what it did to help people like him.

"That came from the fact that athletics was about what it can do for kids," Reese said. "Like, how it can help them grow and develop – how it teaches them sportsmanship, [and] how it teaches them just to be good people.

The run has raised about $20,000 a year since 2021. Angela thinks that number can rise.

"We already have more sponsorships than we've ever had before," Reese said. "So, I'm hoping, maybe we hit that $25,000 number this year."

With every t-shirt sold and every mile run, Reese hopes to advance her husband Mike's goals and take them beyond just memories.

"Since he's passed, I've heard so many stories, things I never knew he did," Reese said. "That's what's important to me, is just trying to continue the good that he was doing."

Proceeds from Saturday's run will go to the Mike Reese Memorial Fund, which provides scholarships and grants for young athletes and youth athletic organizations.

You can also check out everything else the Mike Reese Memorial Fund has to offer on their website at this link .