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Heritage Sunday 20020915
INSIDE
Run commemorates high school
senior
By Beth Oates, Heritage Newspapers
FLAT ROCK — Runners gathered for a competition Sept. 7 in
memory of a fellow racer and athlete.
The eight-kilometer and mile runs honored Ryan Sergent, a
high school senior who collapsed and died in 1997 while practicing with the Flat
Rock Community High School cross country team.
The fifth annual Run for Ryan was fantastic, said Thomas
Clark, co-chairman of the race and friend of Sergent.
He said there were about 300 runners, more than last year’s
total.
"Everything was perfect," he said. "I think
(this race) is going to continue to grow and grow."
Besides a change in the 8-K course, there was a
carnival-style party after the races, with clowns and a concert where Trilogy, a
live band, played.
Clark said he already has received positive feedback about
the event.
He received a thank you note from Jim Zink of Toledo, who
happened to be the oldest runner in the 8-K this year.
Zink, 77, thanked Clark for a great race, noting that it was
his third year running it and it keeps getting better every year.
"Lord willing, I’ll be back next year and will bring
back some Toledo Road Runners with me," he said.
The Toledo Road Runners are a group that runs throughout the
year for fun.
Clark said the race couldn’t run as smoothly without the
help he gets from the community as a whole.
"The Flat Rock community comes out and goes above and
beyond," he said. "And the city helpers, the city of Flat Rock, the
police force, the Recreation Department and the (Department of Public Works),
they just bend over backward.
"They don’t leave a detail out."
He said the Ram Boosters also played a role in the success of
the race, as did the high school football team and band.
The band kicked off the race with what had been Sergent’s
favorite song, "Go the Distance." The song by Michael Bolton was in
the Disney movie "Hercules."
Sergent’s mother, Evelyn Sergent-Kosowski, said not only
did the band that her son played in perform his favorite song, but it did so on
the spot where he collapsed.
"For the fifth anniversary (of the race), it was the
best yet," she said.
The Rev. David Gohm of Community Lutheran Church was a friend
of Sergent and his family and talked to the crowd before the race.
"(The race) has become a very special thing for our
entire community," Gohm said. "Even people that didn’t know (Sergent)
have come to the point of rallying together to not only remember him, but
remember his values for life."
Gohm said Sergent had an impact on a lot of people.
"He saw it as his job to bring joy to other
people," he said. "He was a really neat kid.
"It’s kind of neat to be able to take a time every
year to remember him."
Gohm said the race has helped Sergent’s family, friends and
neighbors recover from the grief of losing him.
"It’s a really neat event," he said. "It’s
kind of a way to celebrate life, not just simply remember death."
Staff Writer Beth Oates can be reached at 1-734-246-0832 or boates@heritage.com.
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Run for Ryan 2008
