Amy King, left, and her sister, Debbie Lloyd, near the finish line at the Firecracker 10K in Lakewood in July 2001. Photo courtesy of Tom Anderson

It’s July 4, 2001.

The Firecracker 10K and 2-mile run/walk complete, race director Tom Anderson has just handed out the awards to the top overall and age-group finishers.

Except one participant isn’t happy.

At all.

So down the hill at Lakewood Beach he comes. When he reaches Anderson, he complains that he had been cut off during the walk, would have otherwise finished among the top three in his age group and demands that he receive a trophy.

Above is a photo of the 1988 Southwestern girls cross country team, which was presented to their coach, Tom Priester. Kneeling, from the left, are Andrea Park, Amy King and Allison Reed. Standing are Cesca Lyons, Danine Mitchell, Renee Schifano, Jenny Dickinson and Trisa Mitchell. Photo courtesy of Tom Priester

Not wanting to create a scene, Anderson finds some hardware and hands it to the guy who “proudly” walks away.

Not long after that contentious give-and-take, Anderson sees two women approach, except with a decidedly different countenance. One of the young ladies is holding a trophy similar to the one Anderson had just given to the man moments before.

“I shouldn’t have been awarded a trophy,” says the smiling woman, who is in her late 20s. “I was literally in last place.”

She isn’t kidding.

The only thing trailing her was an ambulance. All the runners and walkers, numbering in the hundreds, had passed her by, including her older sister, who circled back to help encourage her to the finish line. Anderson gently reminds her that there weren’t any other entrants in her classification, and that she is entitled to the recognition.

Amy King left, shares a light moment with Cesca Lyons. Photo courtesy of Tom Priester

Fast forward 18 years.

Debbie Lloyd remembers that day with her younger sister, Amy King.

It makes her chuckle at the memory.

Of course, anyone who knew Amy always seems to smile when her name is mentioned

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On Saturday, hundreds of runners/walkers will toe the start line in Celoron to begin the 19th annual Amy King 5K, known simply as “Amy’s Run.” Proceeds from the event benefit the Amy King Kids’ YMCA Summer Camp and Southwestern Central School scholarships.

See AMY’S RUN, Page B3

From Page B1

Begun in November 2001, the run/walk is an effort by Amy’s family, friends and the running community to remember the Southwestern Central School graduate and flight attendant, who was among those killed when the United Airlines plane she was riding in was flown into the World Trade Center on 9/11.

From 2001 through 2017, the race/walk found its way through the streets of Lakewood, only to be moved to Amy’s native Celoron in 2018. Among those who helped organize the run was Jackson Rohm, now a popular recording artist who first came to know Amy when they attended Celoron Elementary School together in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

“She and her best friend, Jennifer Ventura, both had homes right next to the school, so we spent a lot of time hanging out at the playground after school and playing kickball,” Rohm said in an email earlier this week from his home in northern California. “Amy was one of those unique kids that was friends with most everyone, not just within a certain clique, like many of us. This was true of her through middle school, high school and beyond. She really was the sweetest girl, and most boys had a crush on her back then, as much due to her personality as her pretty face, not to mention her roller skating prowess. She dominated Evans Skateland in the early ’80s. I vividly remember the nervousness I felt when I had my first little, innocent kiss with Amy in fifth grade. I sure was a lucky guy.

“That was the extent of our romance, but we remained close friends.”

They also shared an interest in running, so Rohm, Anderson and former Southwestern cross country coach Tom Priester believed it was only natural to have a race in Amy’s memory. In less than three months after 9/11, the first Amy’s Run 5K race/walk was held.

“It was one of those rare 72-degree, late-November days and people came out in force to run or walk in Amy’s memory,” Rohm recalled. “It was moving to see how our community came together in memory of Amy. I was invited to sing my song, “To Amy, With Love,” after the race, and I struggled to keep it together. I still cannot look in her mother’s or father’s eyes while I sing that song.”

Rohm said that first race day was a “perfect tribute” to his childhood friend.

“It welcomed runners and walkers of all abilities to come together in the town we grew up in and compete, or just enjoy jogging or walking,” he said. “Amy loved to run, but she was not as fierce a competitor as some. However, she was the heart and soul of our track and cross country teams, always cheering the loudest for others and rallying behind any who were struggling. She had a way of keeping the mood light for those of us who would get more than a little stressed as race time neared. And let’s face it, running until you throw up or collapse is not exactly “fun,” but with a teammate like Amy, you are motivated to push on … and the bus ride back to (Southwestern) was always full of laughs.”

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Debbie Lloyd, who now lives in northern California, is the oldest of three girls born to Stub and Sue King. She said in a phone interview earlier this month that Priester reached out to her in late September 2001 to see if the family thought a race in Amy’s memory would be the appropriate thing to do.

“For us … it was something to focus on that was positive,” Debbie said. “If you have something to kind of focus your energy on and it would help other people, you grab on. It was something that many people wanted to do. We were all over that.”

She added: “Being that it was September 11, it belonged to everyone. That was a very private loss made public, and it was a little cumbersome to deal with at first, but we could tell everybody wanted to do something. (The race) seemed like a perfect thing, to try and make something good out of something that no one could conceive of.

“It saved us. Otherwise, you didn’t want to turn on the TV. … This gave us something good to (look forward to).”

Noted Priester, who has been the official starter of Amy’s Run, helped pass out sweatshirts and announced the winners in all but one year: “I just knew the kind of person (Amy) was and I just wanted to help.

“She was special. … it’s clear. There is no fogginess in my memories of her. … Amy could be a little bit of a clown in a way. Even if I was in a bad mood, she would come over to me and tell me that everything was going to be OK.”

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Rohm was not only an accomplished runner in high school, but he also took those talents to Miami (Ohio) University where he was a member of the track and field team. For the first 11 or 12 years of Amy’s Run, Rohm was a fixture. Only since moving with his family to California seven years ago has he not been able to return home for Thanksgiving.

That doesn’t mean he won’t be thinking about his special friend on Saturday.

“I’ll be lacing up the running shoes this weekend while we are vacationing in Hawaii and will be thinking of my friend, especially when I feel like I might want to walk. I hope that some competitors will also be channeling their inner “Amy King” on the 5K course this weekend when they feel exhaustion set in. But, most of all, I hope everyone has a great time coming together to honor one of the most special people many of us have ever known.”

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Amy’s Run, which Anderson said has raised about $200,000 through the years, will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday at Celoron Park. Registrations are still being accepted at the Lakewood YMCA through Friday. Participants may also register the day of the race.