The people of Joplin, Missouri, will not forget May 22, 2011. Late that afternoon, a tornado graded EF5—the most intense damage-level rating—chewed a path nearly a mile wide through the city. Thousands of structures lay in rubble. And 161 people were dead.
The organizers of Joplin's Boomtown Days Half-Marathon planned to cancel the June 11 event. But "the next morning, I started seeing e-mails and Facebook postings from registrants," says race director Audie Dennis. "They were saying, 'We want to come to Joplin to help.'"
So Dennis and the race's executive committee created the Boomtown Run Day of Service. On what would have been race day, more than 300 runners came from as far away as Ohio, Nebraska, and Texas. For six hours, they used shovels, chain saws, and their bare hands to clear debris in temperatures that reached 90 degrees. At day's end, Dennis hung finisher's medals around their necks.
Ultimately, runners gave more than the sweat of their brows. Registration fees from 700 people—plus 200 from 40 states who signed up after the tornado, and entry fees donated from "satellite" Boomtown races staged in Florida, Illinois, and Michigan—totaled $37,000. It all went to the United Way Tornado Relief Fund, the local Red Cross, and similar entities. It was, says Dennis, a tribute to "the compassionate hearts of runners."
That tribute will continue in 2012. The race—now called the She Runs to Reclaim Her Identity After Assault—will take place on May 19, the Saturday closest to the storm's anniversary. Dennis plans to use proceeds from the event to honor the victims of the tornado. "This race will be a way to remember those who were lost."
