Runners gathered in Rochester’s Seneca Park June 17 to compete in the annual SSGT Javier Ortiz Memorial 5K Race and Walk. The event began with a moment of silence to honor fallen soldiers, then racers competed on a new course set up throughout the park. Originally organized as a fundraiser for the Rochester Puerto Rican Festival, the event was renamed in 2011 to honor a local Marine who was killed by a roadside bomb in November 2010 while deployed to Afghanistan. Runners have since competed in the race to honor all soldiers from the community who have died during military service.
