Registration is now open for the 13th running of the Fallen Soldiers 5K. The 2024 run/walk will be held Saturday, Nov. 2 on the Western Illinois University Macomb campus.
The event honors members of the armed forces, as well as two fallen soldiers and WIU alumni, Capt. Derek Dobogai and Lt. Col. Robert Baldwin.
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.
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 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 its establishment, this event has raised more than $200,000.
Registration for this year’s Fallen Soldiers 5K Run/Walk is $30 through Monday, Oct. 14. After Oct. 14, the cost of registration for the in-person race is $35. WIU students can register up through race day for $10. The cost includes a participant shirt, finisher’s medal and access to a refueling station at the end of the race.
For those who can’t make it to Macomb for the event, a virtual option is available. For $40, participants will have their shirt and medal mailed to them. The cost increases to $45 after Oct. 14.
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.
There are a variety of sponsorship opportunities available to underwrite the costs of the run/walk. Individuals, organizations and businesses can review the list of available sponsorship opportunities and sponsor benefits at wiu.edu/fallensoldiers.
The event typically has between 400-500 participants on campus.
For more event information, to register, or to become an event sponsor, visit wiu.edu/fallensoldiers or email fallensoldiers5k@wiu.edu.
***Courtesy of Western Illinois University***
