Registration is now open for the 2023 Fallen Soldiers 5K, the 12th annual run/walk, which will be held Saturday, Sept. 30, on the Western Illinois University campus in Macomb, a news release says.
The event honors members of the armed forces, as well as two fallen soldiers, who are also WIU alumni: Capt. Derek Dobogai and Lt. Col. Robert Baldwin.
An opening ceremony will begin at 8:30 a.m. at the Donald S. Spencer Student Recreation Center, and the race begins at 9 a.m., taking off from in front of Western Hall on University Drive.
The run/walk began in 2012 as a way to raise money for the WIU Fallen Soldiers’ Scholarship Fund, and honor Dobogai and Baldwin, who were both killed in the line of duty. Since the beginning of the event, $193,000 has been raised for the scholarship fund.
Dobogai graduated from WIU in 2003, with a bachelor’s degree in Law Enforcement and Justice Administration. He was among 14 soldiers on a Black Hawk helicopter, which crashed in August 2007, in northern Iraq. Baldwin earned his bachelor’s degree from WIU in Industrial Technology in 1993. He was killed in September 2010, when his Black Hawk UH-60 helicopter crashed while carrying international troops during combat operations in Afghanistan.
Registration for this year’s Fallen Soldiers 5K Run/Walk is $30 (on or before Monday, Sept. 11), which guarantees a t-shirt and a finisher medal. After Sept. 11, registration is $45. A virtual option is available for those who cannot participate in person, and that registration is $40. WIU students can register up through race day for $10.
A new feature for this year’s race is the ability to text FS5K to 41444 to have a registration form sent by text.
There are a variety of sponsorship opportunities still available for portions of the run/walk, including helping with the medals, the mile markers and the starting line. A $50 donation can also be made to honor a veteran who has served, or a service member who is currently serving, with a sign placed along the event route. The sign will include their name, rank and military branch.
The event typically has between 400-500 participants on campus. For more event information, to register, or to become an event sponsor, visit here or email fallensoldiers5k@wiu.edu.
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