Editor’s note: Adam Zook was a former staff member of The Rocket and was set to be editor-in-chief for the 2019-20 school year.
UPDATE (May 12, 1 p.m.)
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the date for the memorial run has changed to Sept. 26. Click here to register for the event.
ORIGINAL STORY (Published Jan, 24, 5:10 p.m.)
A group of Tyrone community members are planning a memorial run in memory of Adam Zook, a Tyrone graduate and former SRU student who died in July 2019.
The Adam Zook Memorial Run is a 5K run and two mile walk that will take place May 16 at Reservoir Park in Tyrone, Pennsylvania, located 2.5 hours east of SRU.
Zook, a 2016 graduate of Tyrone Area High School, ran junior high track and varsity cross country and was coached by Tammy Wills for six years. Now, Wills is one of the lead organizers for the memorial run alongside track/cross country booster club members, parents and Zook’s friends and family.
Wills, who also serves as a special education teacher at the school district, said she thought of the idea for a memorial run shortly after Zook’s passing and brought her idea to the parents and booster club members.
“Everybody was on board with the idea right away,” Wills said. “[Zook] was an important part of our district, he was an important part of our track and cross country team when he was here, and we wanted to do something to honor him.”
Wills added that once organizers created the event page, the event quickly gained 400 shares on Facebook.
Pre-registration prices are $25 for adults and $15 for students. The first 250 people to register will be guaranteed a T-shirt. Registration online on the memorial run’s Facebook page is set to open Feb. 1. The prices will increase to $30 for adults and $20 for students the day of the event.
The proceeds from the memorial run will fund two student scholarships for senior cross country and track students. Wills added that there are plans to add a third scholarship to support a scholarship related to another organization Zook participated in while at Tyrone, including the speech and debate team.
“Adam was so involved in everything,” Wills said. “We want to do as much as we can once we get things going, and a lot of it will depend on the success of this race and how we build.”
There will also be a pancake breakfast following the memorial run for all participants.
“We do expect this to be a pretty emotional event for some of us, for those who know him,” Wills said.
More information on the event will be posted to the memorial run Facebook page.
