UF students are holding a 5K Saturday in honor of two fallen Gators.
The sixth annual Fallen Heroes 5K will start at 9 a.m. on the Commuter Lot. Registration is $25 for UF students, and they can register at www.active.com/running/gainesville-fl/6th-annual-fallen-heroes-5k-2013. People can also register the day of the event.
All money will go to the Gainesville Fisher House Foundation, which offers shelter and support for military families during a medical crisis, and the UDT-SEAL Foundation, which financially assists SEALs and their family members. As of press time, 165 people had registered, said Seth Lindstrom, the 5K’s director.
The 21-year-old UF mechanical engineering junior said the 5K is in honor of Navy SEAL James Suh and Naval Special Warfare Officer Thomas Fouke, both UF alumni.
“They’re kind of near and dear to our hearts,” Lindstrom said.
Suh, who graduated from UF in 1999, lost his life during a tour in Afghanistan in 2005. Fouke, who graduated in 2006, died in 2012 during training in Virginia because of heart complications.
Fouke’s friend and former UF classmate Joey Benevento said he won’t be able to attend the 5K Saturday but thinks its a great way to honor the fallen men.
“He was a great guy,” Benevento said. “I kind of looked up to him.”
Contact Samantha Shavell at sshavell@alligator.org.
