Patrick Fischer of Morris Township has put together the "Run it Out" 5K run and walk to honor Brian Fleury, a former Delbarton School teacher and coach who died in 2007.
The race will start at 10 a.m. on Sunday, April 29 at Central Park of Morris County. Race day registration will open at 8:30 a.m.
Fischer, a freshman at , organized the 5K for a project at his school. He noticed how big of an impact Fleury had on Delbarton, and combined the idea of doing something to honor him with his love of running to create this event.
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Fischer first heard Fleury's name when his cross country coach handed out their uniforms to them. He saw that Fleury's initials, "BEF," were on the back of each jersey.
"I began to understand who Brian Fleury was and how much of an impact he had on the Delbarton community," Fischer said. "He was an awesome baseball player and trusted coach, and after hearing his story I was really proud of wearing his initials and running in his memory all season long."
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Fleury died in 2007 after a 20-year battle with Hodkin's lymphoma. He was a popular figure in the Morristown area, where he spent most of his life. After growing up in Morris Plains and attending , he later came back to the area to work at Delbarton as an athletic director, teacher and coach.
Athletics were always part of Fleury's life, as he learned to play baseball on the field at Community Park, which is now the Brian E. Fleury Field. He also excelled in Morristown athletics, and played baseball in college.
Fischer said about 30 people have signed up for Run it Out already, but he's hoping for at least 100 people to join and honor Fleury. He also hopes for it to become an annual 5K.
Participants who register before April 22 will be guaranteed a T-shirt. Pre-registration by April 22 costs $28 for participants, and $33 for after April 23. Fischer said the money raised will go toward commemorating the late teacher and coach.
After the race, awards will be presented at 11:15 a.m. for the first overall male and female finishers, and the top three by age group.
For more information on the event, and to register or become an event sponsor, you can visit raceforum.com/runitout5k.
