They were there to honor a friend. Their friend who couldn’t be there but loved track, softball and other sports.
It was a night for Teri Leiker.
“She would be right in the middle all of this, said Margie Whittington, Leiker’s mom. “She did Special Olympics forever. This is a real honor. We are just so appreciative of everyone that came out.”
About 12 athletes with intellectual disabilities participated in the Memorial Mile, an event put together in honor of Leiker, who was one of 10 people fatally shot March 22 at King Soopers in South Boulder. She was diagnosed with mild cognitive difficulties at a young age and spent 31 years working at King Soopers as a courtesy clerk.
King Soopers store manager Sheri Bosman said she and Leiker both had matching 30-year rings they wore to symbolize their many decades working at the store together. Bosman wore hers Thursday.
“What (tonight) means to me is just a way to remember all of the special people lost that day,” Bosman said.
Brendan Reilly, a local runner, and the event’s organizer said he wanted to find a way to honor individual victims of the shooting.
“I had heard that some of the families were hoping that some of the events (in the city) would speak more to the individuals and the victims’ interests and what they were all about,” he said.
Reilly said he learned Leiker was a fan of track and field and had competed in several Special Olympic events.
“I think other athletes will be enthused watching these runners and these runners are a part of an environment of a whole community.”
Leiker’s boyfriend, Clint Ponsford, walked the mile Thursday and said Leiker would have loved the event.
“She loved to be around people and the energy and all kinds of things like that,” he said.
Photos Dave Albo laneonephotos.com
Jayne Wever stood on the sidelines during the event and watched her son, Ian Wever, during the run. He and Leiker had bonded during their many years they worked at King Soopers together.
“It brings back a lot of emotions from the day of the shooting, but it’s great to see everybody and continue to rally around her and document her memories,” Jayne Weaver said.
After the shooting at King Soopers, a group of Japanese athletes Reilly helps manage raised $20,000 for the victims’ families. The athletes — before the pandemic — came to Boulder every summer. With help from Boulder Road Runners, Reilly used a portion of that money to put the event together.
“Boulder Road Runners is just so involved in the community, they’re just kind of our go-to on events like this,” he said.
Todd Straka, a Boulder Road Runners member who also helped organize the race, said the Memorial Mile was placed toward the end of the organization’s “All-Comers” track meet Thursday at Potts Field.
“They had this idea about doing this mile a ways back, and they didn’t have a venue and because we have this track meet, it was really easy for us to slate this into our schedule,” he said.
Reilly said he plans to continue the Memorial Mile for years to come and hopes to tack on a few other events as well in honor of Leiker and the others who died in the King Soopers shooting.
“It’s not just something that is going to just come and go after the tragedy but become a larger part of the community,” he said. “It’s a way to keep the memory out there and turn it into something positive where we are remembering Teri, (and) we are remembering the other victims, but it also brings something new to these special needs runners,” he said.