UW-Platteville remembers one of their own

Track and cross country teams host Second Annual Katie Binning Run/Walk

The UW-Platteville Track and Cross Country teams hosted the Katie Binning Memorial 5K Run/2K Walk this past Saturday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The run began on the outdoor track and continued down Greenwood Avenue through Memorial Park and finished inside the fieldhouse. Forty-two people entered the run/walk this year, and the winner in each age group received a stocking hat with one of Binning’s designs.
The run is hosted in remembrance of Katie Binning, a UW-Platteville cross country runner and Art Education major who was killed by a truck driver on May 30, 2012 while turning into the parking lot of Wisconsin Heights High School in Black Earth, Wis., where she was student teaching at the time. The truck driver rear-ended her car. Director of this event, UW-Platteville Track and Field coach Chris Rotzenberg, stated that the reasons for holding this event were “to raise money, because of a scholarship given to art majors, and to bring together Binning’s former teammates to remember her.”

Patrick Klein, a former teammate of Binning’s who majored in Biology, echoed Rotzenberg’s reasons, saying he decided to run this year because he “wants to help remember Binning and honor her and help raise money for her scholarship fund.” Klein ran the first annual Katie Binning 5K last year as well as last Saturday. He is not only a former teammate of Binning’s but also finished second in the NCAA Division 3 indoor mile in 2012. Klein said he “wasn’t too worried about winning or running fast” in the Binning run. “My goal for this race was to run with old teammates and friends, which I achieved, so I’m happy with my finish time.” Rotzenberg said that what made Binning so special was her “very outgoing personality.” He added that her “bubbly, [fun nature] brought life to the team.” He added that, “Binning showed her artistic side by designing the team shirt for Cross Country one year.” The organizers of this event hope to see all of at next year’s run.