The morning of Saturday, Nov. 17 would have been Josh Schrauger’s 18th birthday, and over 500 individuals took to the cross country course behind the high school to honor his brother and his memory.
According Allie Hock, one of the cross country captains that planned the event, over 500 people came out to participate, with around 438 crossing the finish line after completing the 5K.
‘I think we had a great turnout,? Hock said. ‘We were really surprised by the amount of people that came out.?
She added that the family told some of the captains after the race that the 5K was the best way to spend Josh’s birthday.
‘It was awesome to be able to raise money and make the day better for them,? Hock said, noting that the event raised $9,780 to benefit the family.
Cliff and Vicki Schrauger, along with their children Steven and Kristina, cheered on finishers as they completed the run, as well as some of them taking part in the 5K themselves though the family’s consensus was that ‘Josh and Timothy would have finished a whole lot faster.?
‘Thank you all you captains for putting this on,? Vicki told the group during a presentation after the run, ‘and thank you for everyone coming up and shivering with us.?
During the presentation, senior Kevin Gurski spoke about his former teammate, classmate and friend.
‘Josh Schrauger was not just a person I ran and worked out with everyday, but a person I lived life with,? he said. ‘He was not just an athlete, not just a friend, but a brother.?
Also as part of the presentation, the family was also surprised with a laptop computer, printer/fax and various computer accessories by Shawn Southern and his father, Mark, of Lake Orion Roofing.
Following their surprise, Cliff thanked everyone for their support, as well as thanking them sharing stories about his sons, noting that the stories are the ‘one thing that helps.?
Vicki also led the group in singing happy birthday to her son.
The cross country team hopes to make the Schrauger 5K Benefit Run a yearly event.
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Schrauger 5K Results
Men – Top Ten Finishers
Jordan Desilets 16:11
Jules Winfield 17:03
Max Hock 17:14
Joey Grace 18:27
Ted Howard 18:27
Michael Murphy 18:27
Jayson Lawton 18:50
Eric Nordquist 18:59
Johann Britting 19:10
Kevin Gurski 19:10
Women – Top Ten Finishers
Allie Hock 21:04
Sara Lieblein 21:15
Sydney Gutierrez 21:20
Deanna Skelcy 21:25
Kelsey Chapman 22:09
Sammi Kaufman 22:17
Kelsie Schwartz 22:18
Danielle Lorant 22:25
Lisa Bandico 22:32
Alyssa Osika 22:44
*Times available at RunMichigan.com