Rochester to honor slain 'heroes' with run, celebration

ROCHESTER — On Saturday, thousands of people in Rochester and all over the world will run together in support of conflict journalists and others detained abroad.

The fourth annual James W. Foley Freedom Run will be held Oct. 20. In addition to the 10 a.m. 5K run/walk and post-run celebration at the Rochester Community Center, simultaneous runs will be held in 22 other U.S. cities and in seven other countries.

The event and the James W. Foley Legacy Foundation are dedicated in memory of Jim Foley, a Rochester-born conflict journalist who was kidnapped by ISIS in Syria in 2012 and executed in 2014. The run supports the foundation, which advocates for the safe return of Americans captured overseas, educates conflict journalists so they can report more safely, and educates people about threats to freedom.

Diane Foley, Jim’s mother and the head of the foundation, said she enjoys headquartering the foundation and Freedom Run in the Lilac City because “locals should celebrate our freedom and recognize those who gave their lives to keep us free.”

“They’re our true heroes,” said Diane Foley, a Rochester resident. “This is a celebration of freedom and a remembrance of those who died.”

The 2018 Rochester Freedom Run marks a change in venue, as previous runs were held at the Rochester Fairgrounds. The foundation decided to shift it to the Rochester Community Center and downtown Rochester this year due to uncertainty involving the fairgrounds and its buildings.

The added benefit of this year’s venue change, according to Foley and run committee chair Dr. Walter Hoerman, is that the new route will incorporate more of downtown Rochester. According to Hoerman, holding the Freedom Run in downtown is important because the foundation views it as an event that can highlight and support the Lilac City and its revitalization efforts.

The event has grown in global scope each year. This year, there are 26 teams organizing international runs, including ones in Beirut, Abu Dhabi, Pakistan, London, Paris and Toronto. That’s on top of domestic runs in New York, Washington, San Diego and Minneapolis, plus various partnerships with other groups advocating for press freedoms, according to Foley.

Registration for the 2018 James W. Foley Freedom Run is still open. Visit foleyrun.org for more information about Rochester’s 5K run/walk, the simultaneous children’s walk on the Spaulding High School track, and the post-race celebration, which includes live music, food, vendors and a beer garden.

Foley said it’s important to continue to push globally for the return of captured and detained citizens, as well as unite the many groups attempting to help those individuals. The foundation is currently engaged in various efforts to advance those causes.

Later this year, the foundation will finish its survey of returned individuals and families, which the foundation will use to guide and improve procedures at the national stage, according to Foley.

Meanwhile, the foundation is working to increase the accessibility of its James Foley Safety Guide for Journalists, a training tool available to college students.

Foley said the foundation also worked closely with the producers of the upcoming film “The Viper Club” to change it to ensure its portrayals of fictional freelance conflict journalists don't put real journalists in greater jeopardy. Foley has criticized aspects of the movie. She has claimed a number of its plot points were either directly inspired by or lifted from Jim’s story, which was highlighted in 2016 in the Emmy-winning HBO documentary, “Jim: The James Foley Story.”

In the coming months and years, Foley said she and the foundation hope to do more at the local level in New Hampshire. She said engagement at the local level plays a key role in inspiring “moral courage,” “goodness and hope,” and teaching children and adults to do the right thing in government, journalism and humanity.

More information about the James W. Foley Legacy Foundation is available at jamesfoleyfoundation.org.