OKLAHOMA CITY – Thousands were in Oklahoma City Sunday morning to take part in the Run to Remember.
It was a morning of remembrance for the 168 lives lost on April 19, 1995.
News 4’s Emily Sutton started the morning off by using her pipes to deliver the National Anthem.
Gov. Kevin Stitt was among the thousands of participants, nearly 24,000 in total, taking part in the relay with his team.
“It was fantastic. I got so many high-fives and when people went past me they were like, ‘I’m beating the governor.’ It was a great experience, it was fun,” said Stitt. “Everybody that beat our relay team gets a t-shirt saying ‘I beat the Gov.'”
Team Stitt ran in with a 4:15:58 and came in 190th place out of the 700 registered Relay teams. The winners in each of the 15 Relay divisions will be invited to a special awards dinner at the Governor’s Mansion in early May.
This year, the course changed a bit, with a loop through south Oklahoma City, but Gorilla Hill was still in the mix.
As always, first responders were representing – in full gear and all.
And, those who lost so much gave their time to keep the memories of their loved ones alive. Helena Garrett lost her 16-month-old son Tevin in the explosion 24 years ago.
“Although it was a tragedy, it still brings joy to see everyone together,” she said.
The winner on the men’s side was Dr. David Rhodes, a doctor originally from Nebraska, running just his fourth marathon.
Rhodes finished the race at 2:39:06.
On the women’s side, Stephanie Andre broke the state record, coming in at 2:45:07.
The previous record was 2:45:13, which was set by Camille Herron in 2012.
“I’m just so grateful to the city and the spectators. The crowd support was phenomenal and that really helped me out on that last stretch,” she said.
Calvin Moser was in the building on April 19, 1995. He lost his best friend in the bombing and wants to make sure we know why we run to remember.
“Terrorism has to be defeated by love and hope and concern for one another,” he said.
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