James Kerstetter Memorial 5K sees younger officers step up, keep promise

ELYRIA — A morning run in honor of one of the Elyria Police Department's own started with a moment of silence for a Cleveland officer. The 14th annual James Kerstetter Memorial 5K honors Sgt. James Kerstetter, a 16-year department veteran killed in the line of duty on March 15, 2010. Kerstetter had responded to a disturbance on 18th Street and ended at a home, where he was shot. He was able to radio for backup, but was later pronounced dead at a hospital. But on Saturday morning, he was not the only officer in the crowd's thoughts. The Elyria Fraternal Order of Police held a moment of silence for Cleveland Officer Jamieson Ritter, whose funeral was later that day. Ritter was shot and killed July 4 while attempting to arrest a wanted man on East 80th Street in Cleveland. He had been with the department for three years. A promise kept For Kerstetter's daughters Shelby Constantino and Bailey Kerstetter, the morning started with stretches and readying Constantino's 8-month-old son, James, for his first official 5K, including taking photos with him atop his grandfather's patrol car. Constantino was pregnant when she clocked in at 24:39.4 last year, her father's badge number 177 as her bib number. This year she ran with her father's badge number on her hip, pushing James' stroller ahead of her. It was Bailey Kerstetter's first time running in the 5K. Currently in graduate school at Bowling Green State University studying for her doctorate in physical therapy, she said this year was probably the best shape she would be in for the annual race. The pair planned to share pushing the stroller between them. Fourteen years after Kerstetter's death and the start of the annual 5K, Constantino said the support their family receives form the community continues to blow their minds. "Everybody made a promise to never forget and they're continuing every year to uphold it," she said. "... This is something that my family has always looked forward to — it's a fun event instead of a very somber event, so we're grateful (for) that." About 30 Elyria police officers running in formation started the race, led by Capt. James Welsh. For Police Chief Bill Pelko, who was hired into the department with Kerstetter in 1994, it was good to see a big turnout for this year's event. "It's good for the camaraderie," he said, "We have 30 guy sin the group, but it's also good (to see) a lot of the younger guys participate. Even though they weren't here when it happened, they show up for all the Kerstetter events." One of those officers showing up year after year was Sgt. Mike Mahony, president of the Elyria Fraternal Order of Police. Mahony, hired in 2012, never worked with Kerstetter, but knew the morning's significance and helped organize the event along with Welsh and several other volunteers. Of Elyria police's 83 officers, 58 were hired after 2010, Mahony said — meaning more than half the department never worked with Kerstetter. Mahony saw this year's race as a changing of the guard, as many of the men and women who served with Kerstetter over the years have moved up in the ranks, or retired — leaving younger officers to carry on the department's commitment to never forget the 43-year-old's sacrifice. "I think we're turning the corner and stepping up to the challenge," Mahony said. This year Shelby Constantino and her husband, Joseph, placed 137 and 138 respectively. Overall winners were Gage Hopkins, 15, in first (20:05.3); Mason Mishak, 15, in second (20:22.6) and Alexander Brunner, 15, in third (20:28.1) according to online results. About 260 runners were registered for the morning's 5K, Mahony said, raising more than $7,800 in registration fees. Money raised from the registration and other donations fund the Elyria Fraternal Order of Police's scholarships and the Lorain County Community College James Kerstetter Memorial Scholarship. For more information about, or to make a donation to the FOP's scholarship fund, contact Mahony. Mahony and Pelko urged anyone interested in signing up for next year's race or 1-mile walk, or working to put the event together, to contact the FOP at mmahony@cityofelyria.org. Contact Carissa Woytach at (440) 329-7245 or cwoytach@chroniclet.com.