Drew Kostic Memorial 5K Tough Run

Our Purpose

The Drew Kostic Memorial 5K Tough Run (DK5K) was put together to not only honor and remember Drew Kostic, but to take up his torch to continue raising awareness about veteran suicide. On average, 22 veterans take their own lives every day - that adds up to over 8,000 per year. By raising awareness in the community, we can better the lives of our veterans and reduce the stressors that can sometimes be too much to bear.

This event is for veterans and community members to attend and gain more information and knowledge on how they can help and support veterans in their communities.

Funds raised support our transitional housing project (Belay My Last Barracks), the Staff Sergeant Drew Kostic Veterans’ Scholarship at Northwestern Michigan College, and everyday needs we address on an ongoing basis for our local veterans.

About Drew

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Drew Kostic was a U.S. Marine veteran who attended Northwestern Michigan College. He was a part of the Student Veterans of America (SVA) and was active in the community by performing outreach missions to raise awareness about veteran suicide. Even though he was aware of how and where to get help, Drew took his own life on December 18, 2016.

You can read more about Drew and learn more about veteran suicide here in our DK5K INFORMATIONAL BROCHURE.

About the Run

This is a 5K obstacle style tough run for everyone! Challenge yourself by running or simply walk or crawl the course. We see all ages from 5 years to 65 years. Everyone is welcome, and everyone can do this!

Why a Tough Run?

We created this as a challenge on purpose to remind us all about life and the many obstacles we may face at any given time. Alone, the obstacles on the course as well as in life may seem insurmountable and you may need a hand to help you through. We encourage everyone to ask for help and to offer help to others. It’s okay to reach out.

This day is to not only honor Drew and to carry on his torch of advocacy and awareness, but to create community. We hope this leads to a family and friend day that grows and everyone looks forward to each year. We also hope you gain new friends and bond over the experience of helping one another through many obstacles.

Event Details

Registration & Volunteering

For information about the event and how to register or volunteer, please follow this link to our RUNSIGNUP EVENT PAGE. Here you will learn about information for running as an individual, team categories, how and when to register, and information on how to volunteer.

Sponsors

If you would like to be a sponsor for the DK5K you can reach out to us via email at rundk5k@gmail.com. Our needs range from in-kind services and materials to monetary support. Check out our SPONSOR LEVELS FOR 2024 and see if you’d like to become a community partner with us.

Vendors

If you are a veteran owned business or service geared to veterans and would like to join us by setting up a booth onsite we'd like to hear from you! For more information take a look at our VENDOR INVITE LETTER or reach out to us rundk5k@gmail.com.