This morning bright and early kicked off the second annual Heather L. Hurd 5K Walk/Run. It was started and is run by the Hurd family and as a personal family friend of the Hurds, they have asked me to photograph it for the second year running.
Heather Hurd was the daughter of Russ and Kim Hurd. On January 3, 2008 she was killed in a tragic car accident caused by a tractor-trailer driver who was texting while driving. Ever since that day, Russ and Kim and their son Drew have lobbied, rallied, and petitioned to make texting while driving illegal in Maryland. They succeeded last year in 2009 and kicked off the first annual Heather Hurd 5K a few months later. Many other states have now followed suit with the law. Last year's run was so successful that the Hurds did it again this year and intend to keep it going as long as possible. All of the money raised by the run goes to scholarships for HCC. Last year's total was over $14,000, and this year's total is rumored to have surpassed that.
Following are just a few of the hundreds of photos I took today. These are straight off the camera, totally untouched. (That will come later.)
The run took place at Harford Community College. Runners registered in the Susquehanna Center gymnasium.
Division winners were awarded medals and trophies at the awards ceremony.
...with an extremely impressive time of 17'54"!
The mayor of Aberdeen officially declared November 20 as "Heather Hurd Day."
Senator Barry Glassman not only made an appearance, but ran the marathon as well!
The Hurd's son, Drew, ran a table with a pledge for people to sign to promise to not text and drive.
