Thousands of people from all over the world gathered in groups to #finishlizasrun on the one year anniversary of her abduction.
On September 2, 2022, Eliza Fletcher, a junior kindergarten teacher at St. Mary’s Episcopal School, was kidnapped and brutally killed while on her morning run. She left behind her husband Richard Fletcher and her two sons to mourn her absence.
She was an active member of the Memphis community who left a large impact on those around her. Eliza, referred to as Liza by her friends, often shared her favorite song “This Little Light of Mine” with her kindergarten students and friends around her. She is remembered as a light, so this song is a constant reminder of who she was.
#Number5
Liza Fletcher graduated from Hutchison in 2006 and was an active athlete who wore the number five throughout her high school sports career.
In remembrance of her, the Hutchison athletic department dedicated the Liza Wellford Fletcher Number Five award in her honor. This award goes to a junior to be worn during the fall sports season of their senior year.
The recipient must be someone who embodies who Liza was: a hard worker, a compassionate player, and a athlete that displayed the highest sportsmanship.
The athlete chosen to wear the Liza Fletcher jersey for the 2023-2024 season is Meriel Rowland. Upon receiving this award, Meriel Rowland states, “This is really special, and it’ll motivate me. Sometimes in races, I just want to stop because it gets so hard. I’m doing it for Eliza and all that she had done. Even when it’s hard in a race or even in life, just keep going.”
From Sadie’s POV
Last year after the tragedy, hundreds met in Midtown to finish her 8 mile run that was cut short. Now a year later, hundreds more met again to run her same unfinished route. Seeing so many people participating in the event as runners and supporters was inspiring. People who have never run before got up and decided to do this for Liza. The commitment to run at 4:20 a.m. and run 8 miles and then continue the rest of the day is remarkable.
At the beginning of the run, Charlie Hayden said, “These miles matter. Let’s finish what she started.” And that’s exactly what Memphis did. As someone who has never run 8 miles consecutively before, this task was intimidating. However, knowing that this run was for something bigger than myself and the people cheering us on for a stretch of the run allowed me to get through it.
Four miles in at the turn around point, there was a memorial for Liza. A large group of people stopped to light a candle and take a moment for her. The minute of silence where everyone was thinking about the life and who they were doing this for was beautiful.
As I looked around, I saw tears, laughs, and hugs being exchanged by loved ones. The candles were placed at the tribute to represent Liza’s light. I ran alongside Sarah Grace Taylor (11) who had the same bittersweet experience.
Sarah Grace describes, “Seeing so many people gather together to celebrate and remember Liza and her light was so sweet and surreal, but at the same time it was difficult to complete her run knowing that she didn’t get the chance.” She goes on to say, “The immense sense of community was overwhelming in the best way possible.”
From ages 6 to 60, everyone came out to support Liza and her family. Liza represents hope as an entire country can come together to support her family and community by #finishlizasrun.
