Members of the Lake Orion High School cross country team will honor their former teammate, Josh Schrauger and his brother Tim, in a 5K that will benefit the Schrauger Family Fund. The race, the Schrauger Memorial 5K Run, will be held on Josh’s birthday, Saturday, Nov. 17.
‘It’s great that we can do this. Since we can’t run with him anymore, this gives us a chance for run for him,? said John Paulson, a senior at Lake Orion and a member of the cross country team.
‘This is probably the best way to honor Josh’s memory. He was probably the best captain out of all of us,? added senior Matt Cross, one of the boys team captains.
The course, which features parts of the old cross country course and the woods, has been designed to be a race that Josh would want to run. According to his teammates, the course features piles of bales of hay that participants can climb over, similar to a race that the cross country team took part in this year and was a favorites of Josh’s.
‘It is designed to be Josh’s ideal race, but on a smaller scale,? said senior Allie Hock, captain of the girls cross country team, noting that at the race the cross country team competed in with the hay, Josh wanted to climb over them.
For those that aren’t interested in doing the adventurous route, there will be a detour around those features.
Onsite registration and check-in is from 8-9:30 a.m. in the upper pool lobby, with the racing beginning at 10 a.m. Participants can register online for the event at www.active.com (search Schrauger). The first 200 participants to register will receive a t-shirt, donated by Tri-County Sports and designed by a high school AP art student, as well as the top 40 male and female finishers receiving medals and everyone receiving ribbons. The top two male and female finishers will also win $50 gift cards.
The cost to participate is $15 and will go towards the family. For those that choose to register online, they will be charged an additional $3 processing fee by the active.com website.
‘He wouldn’t complain, so we didn’t really know the extent of the family’s financial problems, but now we can help,? said Hock, adding that part of the reason of the 5K is to honor Josh’s memory and the other part is to help his family.
The 5K has also been a coping mechanism for many of Josh’s teammates.
‘Planning the race gave me something positive to think about,? Hock said. ‘We could use our grief for something positive and to help the family.?
The team said that they have been receiving a lot of outside support that’s helped make the event possible. High school teacher Tim Polonkey and Oakview Middle School teacher and Track Coach Carl Zoolkoski have assisted, and many businesses, including Hanson’s Running Shop, Garrett Morelock and The 3Sixty Group, Running Gear and State Farm Insurance, have made donations.
Any businesses that are interested in donating, as well as anyone with questions regarding the upcoming Schrauger 5K Memorial Run, are asked to e-mail jsmemorial5k@yahoo.com.