A total of 724 registered runners and hundreds of spectators gathered to remember loved ones and fallen countrymen at the third annual Tracey Yeager Memorial 5K in Winona Lake on Monday.

Steve Yeager, husband of the late Tracey Yeager and a Navy veteran himself, led a short Memorial Day ceremony in the moments preceding the starter’s pistol. The men’s overall winner was Leo Frey from Valparaiso with a time of 17 minutes and 5 seconds, and Danita Keirn of Warsaw won the female category with a time of 20 minutes and 53 seconds.

Donations are still rolling in, but the event’s sponsors and registrations raised considerably more than last year’s total of $30,000 for the Tracey’s Trails Fund at the Kosciusko Community Foundation.

After the race, Steve expressed his gratitude to the participants, 75 volunteers, and sponsors, “We couldn’t have been happier with the incredible turnout for this community event.  The weather was perfect and the atmosphere was the kind that makes you incredibly thankful to live in such a great community.”

In an innocent testament to our privileged way of life, many racers in the 2-8 year old category identified “throwing water cups like a pro” as their favorite part of the race.