Running for Sue: Special run for Raleigh shooting victim hopes to raise funds for grieving families
Runologie and Pine State Coffee hosted a special run for Sue Karnatz and the four other shooting victims that were killed on the Neuse River Greenway Trail.
The run kicked off Thursday night at Runologie and Pine State Coffee.
Karnatz was a supporter of the business and the owner wanted to honor her and the victims and offer a safe place for people to start healing.
A week ago, Karnatz was running along the greenway when she was shot and killed.
“That could have easily been me. I run on greenways,” said Rodney Byrd.
The shooting hit local runners hard. Byrd has been running all his life. He ran three miles for Karnatz and all the victims, with one thing on his mind.
“I'm thinking in that moment where they are running for their safety, could they hear the first gun shot?”
He and dozens of others also ran for all the victims. Some ran three miles. Others ran six miles.
The organizer of the event says it was important to give people an emotional and physical outlet.
The runners said the mass shooting is not a reflection of the greenway or the city.
“Ultimately this comes down to fixing how we approach guns as a community and just as a country rather than figuring out what other routes to take on a run,” said Alex Warren, the owner of Runologie.
It’s a day that many are still trying to make sense of.
“What would make someone do something like that, just picking people off,” Byrd said.
But the community is resilient and they will keep running.
“We can’t run in fear, when you run in the streets, when you’re running in traffic, you have a heightened sense because your focus is on what you’re doing for your health so it’s not going to deter anyone,” Byrd said.
Several local businesses partnered up with Pine State and Runologie. For every mile ran, $1 was donated. Funds will go to families affected by the shooting.
