'Run for the End Zone' raises nearly $10,000

About 1,300 runners and walkers participated in the Jill Behrman Run for the End Zone Saturday morning at Mellencamp Pavilion. The event raised almost $10,000 for the Jill Behrman Emerging Leader Scholarship and Jill's House.\nThe Run for the End Zone 5K run and walk was started in 1996 by the Division of Recreational Sports. The event is now held in honor of Jill Behrman, former IU student and RecSports employee. Behrman disappeared while on a morning bike ride in May 2000. Her remains were found near Martinsville this past March.\nParticipants in Run for the End Zone had a choice of entering in three divisions: competitive 5K, non-competitive 5K and non-competitive one-mile.\nAwards were given to the winners of the competitive division. The overall winner in the men's division was Will Haffner, age 25, who completed the race in 17:07. The overall winner in the women's division was Lisa Riggins, 20, who completed the race in 20:35.\nJunior Kyle Rzepka, who was second in males age 18 to 23 and tenth overall, said he enjoys participating in the event every year. His freshman year, he finished second and last year he finished third. This year, he'd hoped to place high, but his time was not all he was worried about.\n"I just kind of love to do these kind of runs," he said. "Plus, it's for a good cause."\nSenior Brooke Pletcher said she has participated in other 5K runs and was happy to participate in Run for the End Zone for the first time.\n"It's been a really big deal since I was a freshman, so I'm glad I finally got to do it," she said.\nIn addition to the race, the event included a free Wellness Fair with activities ranging from free massages to personal training consultations. Children's activities were provided by WonderLab. Following the race and the Wellness Fair, the Bloomington Board of Realtors presented an auction benefiting Jill's House. The auction included the sale of 2004 Harley-Davidson motorcycle, a hot air balloon ride, an autographed IU basketball and gift certificates.\nJill's House will be a home-like residence for patients undergoing outpatient therapy at the IU Proton Therapy facility. More funding is still needed before construction can begin on the $5 million project.