HomeCommunity News15th Annual Blecksmith Run Is July 4

15th Annual Blecksmith Run Is July 4

READY TO ROLL: Walkers and runners assemble at the starting line before a recent edition of the San Marino Tribune’s annual J.P. Blecksmith Memorial 5K Walk & Run. This year’s event will be held on Thursday, July 4 beginning at 8:00 a.m. Photo courtesy of Richard George

The San Marino Tribune will again proudly co-sponsor the 15th annual J.P. Blecksmith Memorial 5K Walk & Run on Thursday, July 4. An Independence Day tradition, the event will begin at 8:00 a.m. in the northwest corner of San Marino Avenue and Huntington Drive.

The race honors the memory of United States Marine Corps 2nd Lieutenant J.P. Blecksmith, who gave his life during the war in Iraq.

A San Marino resident, Blecksmith received an appointment to the United States Naval Academy, where he was a four-year member of the Midshipmen football team. After graduation from the Naval Academy in May 2003, he accepted a commission as a 2nd Lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps, completing The Basic School and the Infantry Officer’s Course at Quantico, Virginia. In April 2004, he was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment of the 1st Marine Division and commanded the 3rd Platoon of India Company. The Battalion was deployed to Iraq on September 10, 2004. On November 11 of that same year, Blecksmith was killed while leading his platoon on a house-to-house campaign during Operation Phantom Fury.

The J.P. Blecksmith Memorial 5K Walk & Run supports several charities, including the J.P. Blecksmith Leadership Foundation at Flintridge Prep, where J.P. graduated high school in 1999. A scholarship is awarded annually in his name to a deserving senior.

The event also benefits the USC Marshall School of Business Masters of Business for Veterans program, a fully accredited 1-year graduate degree created specifically for military veterans, those on active duty and reserve personnel.

The cost of the event is $25, which includes an official race t-shirt and commemorative finisher’s medallion. Registration is available at jpblecksmith.org or on race day beginning at 6:45 a.m. and closing at 7:45 a.m.

For more information or to learn about sponsorship opportunities, please email mitchlehman@sanmarinotribune.com

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