The University of Memphis cadets of the Tiger Battalion ROTC program will hold a 5k race that benefits the American Heart Association at Overton Park on April 28.
This race was started to honor former student, fraternity member of the Lambda Chi Alpha and ROTC cadet, Gerold Blum, who passed away from a rare heart condition in Dec. 2013.
Greg Weatherford, the senior cadet officer in charge, knew Blum through the ROTC program and expressed he was the most enthusiastic person when it came to getting up at 5 a.m. for two-hour workouts before class.
“We competed together on our Ranger Challenge team,” Weatherford said. “It is an 11-person team that trains for the entire fall semester, to compete against 38 other schools in a rigorous military competition. And to do all that while being an engineering major, an emerging leader and rushing a fraternity. It still blows my mind how he accomplished it all and came out with above a 3.5 GPA.
Blum was just 18-years-old at the time of his passing. He had a full-ride, national-based scholarship with the U of M Army ROTC program.
The Gerold Blum Memorial 5K will take place on April 28, with a fundraising goal set at $6,250, exceeding the previous years overall total of a little over $5,000 with 350 participants.
“The overall goal is to ‘Carry the Spear’,” Weatherford said. “His name, Gerold, translates to this phrase, and it is one that is so commonly associated with his remembrance amongst family and friends. His drive and dedication to making everyone around him better, encourages us everyday to get out and give 110 percent in everything we do. The proceeds of the run go to the American Heart Association, at his family’s request.”
Registration is open for those interested in competing in the 5K. The program also accepts donations on the crowd-funding site, GoFundMe.
