Tennessee town has memorial run for Sycamore cross country athlete days after sudden death

About a dozen Sycamore High School students gathered Friday around an old, painted picnic table in Pleasant View on what would have been their friend's sweet sixteenth birthday.

It should have been a time of celebration. Instead, it was a bittersweet memorial for Tristin Franklin.

The 15-year-old Sycamore High School sophomore and cross country athlete died less than two weeks ago on Aug. 27. He was running in his Pleasant View neighborhood, something he did often, according to those who knew him best, when a local resident found him in distress and called for an ambulance.

A cause of death has not yet been determined in Tristin's case, pending official autopsy results from the Davidson County Medical Examiner's Office.

More: Sycamore runner's death at 15 leaves family, community shaken, waiting for answers

His family and friends are hopeful the results will shed some light on the teen's sudden death, which has shaken the Cheatham County community where Tristin spent his whole life, including and most especially the “11 extraordinary men" gathered around the picnic table Friday afternoon.

“There is no unifying thing for this group of boys,” mom Holly Randa said. “They’re not all on a sports team; they’re not all at the same church; they’re not in the same classes in school; they just have a similar set of values and have bonded together since forever. Some of them went to kindergarten together, some of them moved here in sixth grade and they’re just a really tight group. They’re a good group of kids."

It was Pastor Randy Riggs who labeled them as extraordinary men during Tristin's funeral Thursday, Randa said. Services were held at Austin & Bell Funeral Home in Pleasant View, and the boy's remains were cremated afterwards.

More: 'So sad': 15-year-old Tennessee boy on cross-country team collapses, dies on routine run

At first, the Friday memorial and run were planned as a way for the teens to grieve in private, but word of mouth spread quickly, Randa said.

“They organized their friends and then a couple neighbors heard of it," she said. "The neighbors decided to come out onto the porch and cheer them on, and then somebody called the police department, and then the police department invited the community… so we weren’t sure how many people were going to be here, but we decided we needed to get organized."

Dozens of people ended up attending the 1.2-mile walk/run in Tristin's honor at 4 p.m. Friday in Harris Farms, a neighborhood near the boy's home and school.

The Pleasant View Police Department was at the event to assist.

Tristin's parents, Patricia and Philip Franklin, ran behind their son's core group of 11 friends. The kids were all cloaked in navy blue T-shirts featuring their friend’s initials.

More: Sycamore High School cross country runner died Tuesday; cause of death not known

After the run, people gathered under a pavilion to drink, eat and share memories.

Organizers and attendees, alike, shared a sigh that was part content, part grief over the event turnout. Everyone, from school officials and parents to regular community members, had different reasons for being there Friday.

“To support all these kids and their family,” Sycamore High School Assistant Edda Watson said.

“He grew up with my kids and his parents were good friends of ours… the only thing I could do was do something like this,” volunteer Greg French said.

Kevin Hager, one of the parents who participated in the run, said his son was a good friend of Tristin's.

“They’ve known each other for many years… (they're) on the same cross country team. Obviously, I’m here for Tristin, but also just to support all of his friends and the family and community,” Hager said.

Hours later, Sycamore High School students, faculty and community members held a moment of silence in Tristin's memory during the school’s first home football game of the season.

Memorial contributions are being accepted in the boy's memory.

Those wishing to donate can do so through Sycamore High School, (memo: Tristin Franklin for Track & Cross-Country Team), 1021 Old Clarksville Pike, Pleasant View, Tennessee 37146.

Katie Nixon can be reached at knixon@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Tennessee town has memorial run for Sycamore cross country athlete days after sudden death