A 4.9-kilometer race gives runners a way to help.
Jose Martinez had only been living in Orlando for two years, but he already considered Pulse nightclub a kind of home.
So when news spread that gunman Omar Mateen had killed 49 people there on June 12, 2016, Martinez felt personally affected.
Participating in a 4.9-kilometer race, which raised money for the onePULSE Foundation, was the least he could do, he said.
“This is one of the few things we can do to celebrate those people,” said Martinez, 26. “It’s a shame and it’s something we will struggle with but the celebration is something we can do for those 49.”
More than 2,100 runners ran in the Community Rainbow run on Saturday, which started and ended at Wadeview Park, taking runners past the location of the nightclub.
The turnout surpassed the 850 people who ran during last year’s inaugural event, said Nikole Parker, the event and community events coordinator for onePULSE.
The race keeps the memory of those who died foremost in the minds of the community, she said.
“It’s important to think about years from now, when we are not here,” she said. “Creating these events is very important. We want the Pulse story to never be forgotten.”
The race serves as a fundraiser for the onePULSE Foundation, which last month unveiled an interim memorial for the victims at the Pulse nightclub, 1912 S. Orange Ave.
The memorial included a collage of photos and art, a guestbook and photos of vigils that happened after the 2016 massa-
More than 2,100 runners ran in the Community Rainbow run on Saturday, which started and ended at Wadeview Park, taking runners past the location of the nightclub.