45°
Corry, a former Norwalk High School lacrosse player, is the race director for Saturday’s 9/11 Heroes Run in Cranbury Park. The event is 5 kilometers, 3.1 miles.
There are about 30 other 9/11 Heroes Run races across the U.S. and Corry and Team Jesse has run in New York and Seattle. He started planning a version of the Norwalk race about five months ago.
The run honors the sacrifices of people killed in the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2011 and in the wars since that date. Proceeds from Saturday’s race benefit the Travis Manion Foundation, which is named after a Marine who was killed in Iraq in April 2007. It also supports the Team Jesse Foundation, which Corry and former University of Connecticut lacrosse teammate Kevin Mincio started in 2011.
Team Jesse is named after Jesse Williams, an Army soldier who was also killed in Iraq. Proceeds from Saturday’s race will be divided equally by the charities.
“Kevin and I and several other members of the Team Jesse family ran in the 9/11 Heroes Run in New York City on the 10th Anniversary of 9/11, and we said we’d like to be a part of this in the future,’’ Corry said. “Team Jesse organized the Heroes Run in Seattle last year and we thought it’d be great to bring it to Norwalk.”
Team Jesse started when Williams asked Mincio to “look after” his daughter before he was deployed to Iraq. The foundation is one method by which Mincio is fulfilling that promise.
“We’d like to make the race in Norwalk a yearly event,’’ Corry said. “As long as the Travis Manion Foundation and Team Jesse are around, we’ll keep doing it.”
Saturday’s race begins at 8 a.m. There is also a one-mile fun run. Runners and walkers can register online. The motto of the 9/11 Heroes Run is “Run, Volunteer, Donate, Cheer … but most of all: HONOR”.
Many of Corry’s former lacrosse teammates during high school and college will be running Saturday to support the event.
“We have about 150 people registered now and we’re hoping we can get over 200,’’ Corry said. “We think it’s a great venue. It’s going to be a good place to watch and it’s a nice setting. We’re excited to bring it to Norwalk.”
Click here to follow Daily Voice Norwalk and receive free news updates.
