Hundreds of runners gather to honor Eliza Fletcher in Big Spring Park - WAFF

kuangkunang.blogspot.com

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WAFF) - The Huntsville running community gathered in Big Spring Park for a group run Friday morning to remember the life of Eliza Fletcher. These local runners may not have known Fletcher, but her death is having a huge impact on them.

It was a very passionate and emotional morning. A few female runners said running means so much to them. They said it is more than just exercise, it’s a means of escape and a way to have control in their lives. They said they feel like it was taken away from them when Fletcher was kidnapped during her morning run, and later killed in Memphis, Tennessee.

“We feel like she represents all of us,” said ‘Run for Eliza’ organizer Suzanne Swift. “We feel like she represents all of our dreams and passions of training for the Boston Marathon or just getting up and exercising. She’s everyone’s mother, sister, wife, friend and we want her life to make a difference.”

‘Run for Eliza’ organizers, Fleet Feet Huntsville, Running Lane Events and the Huntsville Track Club, honored Fletcher by starting the event at 4:30 a.m. on Friday, the time Fletcher took her morning runs and a major point of recent criticism.

Organizers say they were called to action not only by Fletcher’s death but by the strong reaction to her death.

Fleet Feet owner Suzanne Swift said she saw victim blaming when she read comments on Fletcher’s story online.

She said commentators blamed Fletcher for the attack because of the clothes she wore, and the time of day she went running. Swift says she’s tired of hearing these arguments.

“To say she shouldn’t have been running at 4:30 in the morning, number one, that’s not fair,” said Swift. “It’s not right to blame her or judge any other female that gets up before her kids go to school or before she goes to work.”

Some runners are changing their routines after the abduction and public reaction. Huntsville runner Madison Thom says she has to run during the mornings because of her busy schedule but she’s now terrified of running alone. She says before Fletcher was killed she felt safe running by herself with just her phone and pepper spray by her side, now she feels like she needs to have company so she brings her male friends on runs now.

Thom said she hates that she has to take so many precautions to feel safe going on a run.

Thom was grateful for the large event and she’s glad she was able to run with a safe community.

“This doesn’t happen every day, you can’t get 200, 300 people together every day because that’s just not how everyone’s schedules work,” said Thom. “Even though this moment was amazing and shouldn’t be taken for granted the reality is this doesn’t happen all the time and the reality for a lot of women is that we have to run alone.”

Many of the runners say they will be following this case. Cleotha Henderson was charged with kidnapping and murdering Eliza Fletcher. He appeared in court for the third time this week.

The judge denied a motion for the public defender’s office to be removed from the case due to a conflict of interest so now the case will now proceed as normal according to the prosecutors. Henderson is expected back in court in late September.

Meanwhile, Fletcher’s family will say goodbye. Her funeral is happening on Saturday in Memphis.

Copyright 2022 WAFF. All rights reserved.

Adblock test (Why?)

"gather" - Google News
September 09, 2022 at 09:04PM
https://ift.tt/S13Ai2N

Hundreds of runners gather to honor Eliza Fletcher in Big Spring Park - WAFF
"gather" - Google News
https://ift.tt/BfNMl3k
https://ift.tt/tEzR0xL

Bagikan Berita Ini