58 Kilometer Run to Remember (October 1, 2017)

#VegasStrong

Background

Back in July of 2020, as we were in special session up at the Nevada Legislature, I started to think about what I might be able to do to commemorate the anniversary of October 1, 2017, when the deadliest mass shooting in history took place in Las Vegas, at the Route 91 Concert. Due to the pandemic, I knew there wouldn't be as many in-person events as in the past. I came up with the idea of running 58 kilometers (36.04 miles) to commemorate the third anniversary. Running was something I could do and increasingly very long distances at that.

​The purpose of the run was to remember and honor the 58 (now 60) that we lost that night, to highlight the many heroic ways in which members of our community responded to the tragic events of that evening and afterward and, most importantly, to raise money for the Vegas Strong Resiliency Center, with the funds being used to help those directly impacted by the events of October 1, 2017. If this post inspires you at all, there is still time to contribute. You can do so at this link and no amount is too small: vegasstrongrc.org/FUND.

​The 58k started from my house in Southwest Las Vegas at 8am. Here is the basic route that I mapped out on Strava, which had me stopping at a number of points of interest that were significant to the events of October 1 and the aftermath.

Strava map

Here is the flyer that we made to publicize the event and solicit donations:

As I ran, I carried this baton, which contained these two pieces of paper with the names and photos of the 58 that we lost on the night of October 1, 2017. I knew this would provide me with much needed motivation as the miles added up.

I recorded this short video for social media as the event approached:

An event like this requires quite a bit of planning. The first thing I did was ask my good friend, Crystal Martinez, if she would be willing to crew me for this run. This would entail driving around the Las Vegas Valley and meeting me at designated points every 3-5 miles with all the supplies I needed in the back of her car: Gatorade and water, food, change of clothes, sunscreen, etc. Thankfully, she agreed and requested the day off of work. There is no way I could have done this without her, especially given that the weather was 12 degrees above normal, with projected high temperatures of 98 degrees. In addition to doing excellent crew work, she took many of the photos and videos from the day of the event.

Tennille Pereira and Christine Miller from the Vegas Strong Resiliency Center were crucial in the planning as well. They provided endless encouragement and helped me come up with a route, as well as connected me with key people to interview. Jared Golub from the Legal Aid Center Of Southern Nevada provided social media support and Venicia Considine from Legal Aid helped coordinate the fundraising link to make it easier for folks to donate. 

For my part, I began to work on compiling pre-run photos of the areas I would visit, as well as recording short Zoom interviews with people involved in the response to October 1, 2017. James Zygadlo worked really hard to produce the videos and graphics. I was then able to take that content and preload it onto my Twitter account so that it would be easier to post updates along the way. What follows is breakdown of the stops I made and the social media content that we pushed out at those stops, as well as some of the photos/videos we took that day. Enjoy!

The Start (My House) {8:00am}

I woke up at around 6:15am. I was excited about the day ahead, but my ankle was sore. I have no idea why. I think it might have been my mind's attempt to get me out of running a 58k. But I was determined to just ignore it and push through. Crystal and Jared arrived at my house at 7:30am and we took a few photos and videos at the start:

And we were off right as the clock struck 8am:

Stop 1 (Five Mile Mark) [8 kilometers/5 miles] {8:52am}

The run from my house to the Route 91 concert site on the strip would be the longest stretch without a point of interest to stop at, so we decided to create our own stop at the 5 mile mark. Crystal captured this photo and video as I arrived at the designated meeting place (a strip mall on the corner of Russell Road and Jones Blvd):

All downhill from my house to the Strip.

​When I arrived at the first stop, I tweeted a video about one of the youngest people who perished on October 1, 2017, Quinton Robbins. Watch it here:

Stop 2 (Route 91 Concert Site) [14.5 kilometers/9 miles] {9:29am}

The next stop was the Route 91 concert site. It obviously looks very different today than it did the night of October 1, 2017. It was very emotional to run up the Strip, past Mandalay Bay, and to the site. My mind immediately thought of the chaos of that night and the sheer terror and evil of what took place. It was a somber reminder of why I was doing this 58k run. Here is the site then and now:

Stop 3 (Shrine of the Most Holy Redeemer Roman Catholic Church) {9:36am}

Our next stop was the shrine that is right next to the Route 91 concert site. They played a huge role in sheltering those fleeing the concert and acting as a headquarters for the police investigation that followed.

I had the pleasure of interviewing Father Bob Stoeckig about the church's role in responding to the events of October 1, 2017:

Stop 4 (Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas Sign) [16.9 kilometers/10.5 miles] {9:56am}

Our next stop was the Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas Sign, where Greg Zanis installed memorial crosses on 3 different occasions. Although Mr. Zanis recently passed away, his friend and publicist, Pat John Lamparelli, told me that he was an all-around great guy who cared a lot about people and that he was determined to help people. The crosses were not there anymore when I arrived, but here are some photos of the crosses and my arrival:

Here is a video about the crosses:

Stop 5 (Clark County Fire Station #11) {9:59am}

Our next stop was Clark County Fire Station #11, which is adjacent to the concert site. Some photos of the run there and the fire station itself:

I feel fortunate to have interviewed Brian Emery, who was working out of Station #11 the night of October 1, 2017. He and the other first responders were real heroes that night:

Stop 5 (LVMPD South Central Area Command) {10:08am}

We didn't have to go too far for our next stop. Metro's South Central Area Command is only a block or two north of Fire Station #11. 

LVMPD Deputy Chief McMahill joined me to talk about Metro's response that evening and beyond. It is worth your time to watch this interview and appreciate what our first responders went through that night and the days that followed:

Stop 6 (Sunrise Hospital) [25.7 kilometers/16 miles] {11:33am}

Our next stop was Sunrise Hospital.

I took the opportunity to record a video thanking all of our first responders, including the medical professionals at Sunrise, who worked tirelessly to treat those who were transported there:

Stop 7 (Heartfullness Sculpture at Fashion Show Mall) [30.6 kilometers/19 miles] {12:39pm}

It was starting to get very hot out and there was no shade to be found along the course, so I was glad to arrive at our next stop on the Strip, at the Heartfullness Sculpture at the Fashion Show Mall. If you have been to Fashion Show mall, you have probably seen this sculpture and not realized it was inspired by the tragedy of 10/1/17.

You can learn more about the sculpture here: ​https://www.reviewjournal.com/videos/artist-dedicates-heart-sculpture-on-las-vegas-strip-video/

Stop 8 (25 Mile Mark) [40 kilometers/25 miles] {2:08pm}

Because we  had a ways to go before our next point of interest, we stopped at Journey Education on Rainbow, just south of Sahara, for our designated 25 mile stop. I was delighted to see Bita at this stop as well. She cheered me on as I arrived and that lifted my spirits and took my mind off the heat for a moment. At this stop, I chose to highlight a memorial bench that was installed in North Las Vegas, at Craig Ranch Regional Park. You can learn more about the bench here: ​https://www.8newsnow.com/news/north-las-vegas/tribute-to-victims-of-1-october-is-unveiled-in-north-las-vegas/

Stop 9 (Painted Heart Memorial Mural) [44.6 kilometers/27.7 miles] {2:58pm}

The Painted Heart Memorial Mural is located at Antelope Way and Westcliff. It is very impressive and requires 4 photos just to capture the whole thing.

It took 5 graffiti artists 17 straight hours and over 100 cans of spray paint to complete it. You can learn more about it here: https://www.reviewjournal.com/crime/shootings/mural-pays-tribute-to-victims-of-las-vegas-shooting/

I shot this video of the entire 200 foot long mural:

As I was now beyond the marathon mark, the heat and mileage were really starting to get to me. I needed a lift and I got just that when my good friend, Brittany Shipp Walker, joined me at the mural to run the next 5 miles with me!

My friend, Richard Carreon, also joined us here, bringing his camera and drone to capture footage from here to the end of the run. It was great to see him and really cool to hear the drone randomly pop up overhead as we ran. It felt like we were leading the pack in the Olympics.

Brittany really helped me get through the next five mile stretch. It was hot and we did a lot of waiting at traffic lights as we took Alta towards downtown. I am sure it would have taken me much longer had I still been running solo. Thank you, Brittany!

Stop 10 (Vegas Strong Resiliency Center) [52.5 kilometers/32.6 miles] {4:27pm}

This stop had a lot of meaning for me because fundraising for them was the reason I had embarked on this journey in the first place. The Vegas Strong Resiliency Center has done incredible work over the years.

You can hear more about what the Resiliency Center does by watching my video interview with Tennille below. And, again, if you are inspired, you can contribute to them at this link: vegasstrongrc.org/FUND

I was greeted by a number of great people at the Resiliency Center. Bita and Crystal  cheered me as I arrived. Tennille and Jared were waiting for me too. My friends, John & Kristina Mehaffey, who had just donated blood, showed up with a dozen Krispy Kreme donuts - how cool is that! I savored one and saved the other 11 for later:

Donuts!

As I said goodbye to Brittany, I was delighted that my friend and legislative colleague, Sandra Jauregui, joined me for the last few miles of the run. This was especially meaningful because she was at the Route 91 concert. Thankfully, she made it out, but I imagine that the psychological scars never really heal. She was unable to talk about what had happened for quite some time, but has made it her mission to tell her story and turn her experience into action. I immediately handed her the baton and we took off down Charleston. 

Sandra!

Stop 11 (University Medical Center) {4:43pm}

UMC is right down the street. Much like Sunrise Hospital, the frontline workers there worked day and night to treat those who needed urgent medical attention. We cannot thank them enough for all they did.

Stop 12 (Clark County Coroner's Office) {4:54pm}

Our next stop was the Clark County Coroner's Office. It isn't something pleasant to talk about, but the folks there had a lot to deal with in the aftermath of October 1, 2017. There were numerous autopsies to be performed and next of kin to notify. They worked tirelessly and nobly, with compassion and empathy.

I had a chance to interview John Fudenberg, who is now retired but was the Clark County Coroner on October 1, 2017. Watch here:

Stop 13 (Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Headquarters) {5:07pm}

LVMPD headquarters was our next stop. As noted, law enforcement rose to the moment in responding to October 1 and conducting the thorough investigation that followed. 

I took an opportunity at this stop to honor and remember Officer Charleston Hartfield, who was at the Route 91 concert as an off-duty citizen the night of October 1. He did what his instincts told him to do and tried to help others as the chaos unfolded. Unfortunately, he was killed. A few days later, they held a candlelight vigil for him at Police Memorial Park. Bita and I attended to honor him.

In 2018, I participated in the Nevada Law Enforcement Officers Memorial relay, which transports a baton from Las Vegas to the Memorial in Carson City. I ran a 10 mile leg with Bita and Officer A.J. Delap. That year, we ran in honor and memory of Officer Hartfield, whose name would be added to the memorial. Rest in Peace, Officer. 

Stop 14  (Angel Display at Clark County Government Center) [56.6 kilometers/35.2 miles] {5:22pm}

Our second to last stop was at the Clark County Government Center to see the Angel Display. This display is inside the building, in the rotunda, and was crafted by the Angels of Love Organization (Angelsoflove.org). Zoom in on the last photo for information about the significance of the glass angels.

Stop 15 (Healing Garden) [58.2 kilometers/36.15 miles] {5:50pm}

Just one mile later, Sandra and I arrived at our final stop, the Healing Garden in downtown Las Vegas. Video:

And photos:

I became pretty emotional as we arrived at the Healing Garden. It was busy there on the anniversary, as folks paid their respects. It is such a beautiful place but also one of profound sadness. 794 volunteers have collectively contributed more than 16,500 hours working on the Healing Garden. That amounts to a value of more than $449,500 and it shows. 

Get Outdoors Nevada partners with the City of Las Vegas to manage the Healing Garden. I had a chance to speak with Mauricia and Aaron about the Healing Garden. See what they had to say here:

The Conclusion

​​Our journey had come to an end nearly 10 hours after it began. I felt a tremendous sense of relief to have finished this 58k and I also felt extraordinarily thankful to all who donated to the cause and provided encouragement leading up to the event and along the way. 

Here are the final screenshots from Strava & Garmin for each of the three legs. I did not intend to break this into three legs, but I hit the wrong button on my watch a couple of times so this is how it came out. The first part was the fastest because I was fresh, the weather was nice and it was mostly downhill from my house to the Strip. 

Total time in motion was 6 hours, 7 minutes, 5 seconds. Total distance was 36.15 miles for an average pace of just over 10 minutes per mile. Total elapsed time was 9 hours and 50 minutes, which gives you a sense of how much time was spent stopping to drink, eat, change clothes, reapply sunscreen, and work on social media posts.

We loaded all of my gear into Bita's car and headed home. Bita asked me where I wanted to eat. Easy answer: Bonchon (Korean fried chicken wings). This is the look of somebody who is about to devour a LOT of chicken wings!

Wings!!

Here is a really cool video that my friend, Richard made. Enjoy!

This effort has raised over $2,500, but you can still donate at this link:: vegasstrongrc.org/FUND

A sincere thank you to those who have donated already: Sally Yeager, Bobby Ellis, Ted Olivas, Henry Sotelo, John Mehaffey, Chad & Christine Miller, Alredo Alonso, Deborah Westbrook, Brittany Walker, Andy Weil, Cahterine Chrobak, Andy Pasternak, Lesley Cohen, Jim Ferrence, Shiela Leslie, Teresa Crawford, Carrie Morean, Maggie Carlton, Mark Sutfflebeam, Sandra Jauregui, Lorne Malkiewich, Frieda Freeman, Eliza Lantrip, Doug Merenda, Allie Elwell, and Micahel Korn. 

​Thanks for reading. #VegasStrong