PINEVILLE, N.C. — Hundreds of people hit the pavement for the annual Richard Sheltra Memorial run Saturday morning.
The run, which started at the Belle Johnson Community Center in Pineville, attracted more than 600 participants and 200 volunteers.
Sheltra, a Pineville firefighter, died two years ago while battling a massive fire in Pineville.
Proceeds from the memorial run will benefit the Richard Sheltra Memorial Foundation, which is designed to purchase new gear and give scholarships to first responders.
Family members told Channel 9 that the run also keep Sheltra's memory alive.
Some firefighters participated wearing their full fire gear.
Sheltra’s father, Mike Sheltra, helped lead the race.
“To see them and to be able to actually start the race and to look at the crowd behind me was phenomenal,” Mike Sheltra said.
Community support has continued to grow since the memorial run and walk started weeks after Sheltra died in 2016.
“It's very significant to us,” Pineville Fire Chief Mike Gerin said. “We think about young Richard every day of our life, but for all these people to come out here and remember him and join us in doing that, that's super special to us."
Many of those participants wore No. 73 to honor Sheltra.
"That was Richard's badge number, but it's not just about Richard's badge,” Mike Sheltra said. “It's about the badge, period. It's about everybody who is in public service that protects, keeps us safe. It takes a special individual to run toward danger when everybody else is running away."
Monday will be the two-year anniversary of when Sheltra died while putting out a fire at a golf store in Pineville.
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