Thursday's murder of 22-year-old Laken Hope Riley has devastated many communities, including the University of Georgia, Augusta University, the city of Athens and the city's running community.
Riley, a nursing student from Athens who previously attended UGA, is known to her friends as an avid runner and tested herself at the 14th World Championships last fall.thThe annual AthHalf half marathon. Several Athens runners recently spoke about the sadness they've felt over the past few days.
“My reaction, like almost everyone's, is heartbreaking,” said Carol Black, owner of Classic Lace Services and race director for AssHalf. “My heart breaks for the running community, the university, and of course this young woman's family and friends.
“So my next reaction is, how do we move forward as a running community? Will anything we do change?”
Others struggle with such questions, too.
“Normally, especially in the Herrick Lake area, we think of things like weather and footing (as dangerous), so this is a shock and we don't know what that means,” said Steve Fallin, president of the Athens Road Runners. We need to understand that.” “People will be more careful and concerned about riding in that area. It's a shame because it's a great course.”
Riley's body was discovered in a wooded area near Herrick Lake in UGA's intramural field off College Station Road. UGA police arrested and charged Jose Antonio Ibarra, 26, a Venezuelan immigrant, with murder on Friday.
Emily Noble, director of the Classic City Marathon and member of competitive racing teams based in Athens, is a member of several Athens-based competitive racing teams, including Slow Girl Run Club, Healthy Celebrations, Athens Road Runners and other Athens groups. , noted that there are many opportunities for runners to run together. Move the company and fleet legs.
“[The running community in Athens]is really inclusive and very welcoming,” Noble said. “For people who don't want to run alone or don't feel safe, there are plenty of groups in town.”
And before Thursday's tragedy, runners generally agreed that Athens had turned out to be safe for them.
“I completely believe that Athens is a safe running community, and I believe that the intramural fields are also safe areas to run,” Black said. “This was random, and many things can happen randomly, and this was one of them.”
After Ybarra's arrest, UGA Police Chief Jeff Clark said in a press conference that he believed Riley's attack was a crime of opportunity. That she wasn't targeted.
Vicki Michaelis, director of the John Hewland Carmical Sports and Media Institute in UGA's Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication, said she has been running at Herrick Lake three or four times a week for seven years, and there are plenty of He added that he felt safe. Sanctuary. ”
“Running can be a way for women to make themselves strong against their weaknesses. When something like this happens to a woman while running, it causes anxiety on a very deep level,” she said. .
Michaelis said she doesn't know if she'll be able to go back to her morning runs at Herrick Lake.
“I can't imagine going out there at this point. A lot of it is out of respect for (Riley) and his family and what they're going through and what that place means to them right now. ” she said. She added that over the weekend she bought pepper spray in preparation for her upcoming run.
“(The murder) is definitely random and we certainly hope it's a once-in-a-lifetime event,” she said. “But I thought maybe I should have carried pepper spray with me at all times, just to keep my peace of mind. And I wondered, 'Why did I feel so safe?' .”
No memorial race or trip has been planned yet, but Riley will be remembered by the Athens running community, Black and Noble said.
“I'm the race director for AthHalf. The course doesn't cover Herrick Lake, but it runs through a good portion of campus. I wanted to do something to remember her and honor her memory. ,” Black said.
“The Classic City Marathon will be dedicating one mile of the marathon to Riley this year, and we are also making a donation to Project Safe in her honor,” Noble said. “That mile would probably be on East Campus Road, and we would designate it to Laken.”
