District 146 Memorial School 'Run for Reilly' Set for May 31

A year later, the community of Memorial School in Tinley Park still feels the loss of one of its own, fifth-grade teacher Mark Reilly who died suddenly in November 2013. 

“Mark is missed daily at Memorial," said teacher Sarah Searcy. "We were all just missing him, tossing around ideas on how we could honor him."

The group came up with "Running for Reilly", a 5k walk/run in memory of their "go-to guy" Reilly, remembered as a "huge part" of the Memorial School family. 

Memorial School will sponsor a 5k run/walk and a one-mile “fun run/walk”, benefiting Reilly's family.

“As our staff and students very well knew, Mark Reilly was an amazing runner," said Memorial School Principal Mike Donovan. "He ran numerous marathons including Chicago and Boston. Memorial School is a close-knit family and Mark’s death has been a difficult one. The Memorial staff was looking for a great idea as a fundraiser for Mark’s family. Our teachers want to honor his memory and running legacy, and I think that creating a 5k in his memory was very appropriate.”

The run/walk will be held on Saturday, May 31 with a start time of 8 a.m.  The cost is $25 per person for the 5K or $40 per family. Each participant will receive a race T-shirt. 

The 5k run/walk route will be held on Central Middle School property. The 5K run/walk begins at 8 a.m., and the 1 mile ‘fun run/walk’ will take place at 10 a.m. Registration for the event has closed.