"5K Run Keeps Memory, Awareness Alive"

Hundreds of runners from the UB and Buffalo community are gearing up to participate in the Thirteenth Annual Linda Yalem Memorial Run this weekend.

The 5-kilometer run, which begins at 9:30 a.m. Sunday, honors Linda Yalem, a freshman at UB who was raped and murdered while training for the New York City Marathon 14 years ago.

According to Dawn Whited, staff assistant to student affairs, the purpose of the race is three-fold.

"Our mission is to one, to keep Linda's memory alive and the importance of her life; two, show her ambition to run; and three, to remind each other to keep ourselves and others safe, and not allow our lives to be controlled by fear," said Whited.

While police have never apprehended Yalem's assailant, a series by Ron Churchill of the "Buffalo Post" referred to the alleged attacker, who was linked to eight rapes since June of 1986, as the "Bike Path Rapist."

According to Ellen Christensen, director of Health Education and Human Services, when Yalem died, the university wanted to start a scholarship fund in her honor, but when her family declined the offer, UB proposed the annual race in her memory.

"Any profits from the run would be used to educate the university community about rape and sexual assault, and also provide services to students in the areas of sexual violence," said Christensen.

A portion of the profits from the Linda Yalem run are given to the school's Anti-Rape Task Force, said Christensen.

"Every year from the Linda Yalem Run, we receive $2,500 in programming money," she said.

With funds gained from the run, the Anti-Rape Task Service has increased watch services on North Campus, started educational workshops in the residence halls and begun an annual program called "Take Back the Night." "Take Back the Night" promotes sexual violence awareness by hosting guest speakers who share their experience as victims to educate the public.

According to Christensen, the memorial run always takes place on "the date closest to the date Yalem was murdered." This year, the run is scheduled for the exact anniversary of her death.

Every year, over 1,000 students and people from the Western New York community participate in the event, said Jay Friedman, assistant director of

"It's turned into quite a prestigious race, as far as the running community is concerned," said Richard Barry, a retired UB track coach, who will be the honorary race-starter.

Barry was personally acquainted with Yalem and feels privileged to participate in the event.

"I think it's a great honor," Barry said. "When I was coaching (at UB), my teams always participated in the run."

Students are encouraged to get involved, as runners, food servers or part of the race crew. There will be a series of activities following the run, including raffles and prizes for the top finishers in each category, said Friedman.

The race, which takes place on North Campus, begins at the intersection of Coventry and Augspurger Roads and finishes at the Center for the Arts. Participation is open to the public.

For more information, contact the Office of Student Affairs at 645-2982 or visit http://www.student-affairs.buffalo.edu/lyr/index.shtml.