PARKLAND, Fla. _ As thousands of runners congregated in the center of Pine Trails Park, members of the Stoneman Douglas cross country team made their way to the microphone one-by-one, giving tributes to their fallen coach, while also demanding change in the wake of last Wednesday's Parkland shooting that claimed the lives of 17 people � including cross country coach Scott Beigel.
Just over a mile from the terror that took place at Stoneman Douglas High School, a sea of runners hit the spacious Pine Trails fields in T-shirts and running shorts for a run around the park to honor the victims from the shooting.
Some moms pushed strollers, some ran with dogs and some law enforcement officers jogged in full tactical gear as they made their way around the nearly three-quarter-mile facility 17 times � in honor of the victims. The latter part of the course circled around 17 makeshift crosses on the West side of the amphitheater.
Regardless of the manner they ran, everyone was there to pay their respects to the victims of the attack.
"(Scott Beigel was) a man who showed up at the very beginning of the school year without a single clue about cross country and made a huge impact on our team," said sophomore Annagrace Myers, who was holding back tears as she addressed the crowd. "He never taught us anything technical about running or training � he taught us how to run with our hearts.
"He was an amazing coach, a hilarious teacher and a genuine hero."
On the day of the attack, Beigel, a geography teacher, unlocked his door to let in students who were fleeing from the shooter. He was shot and killed as he tried to re-lock the door.
Beigel's mother, Linda Schulman, addressed the crowd, giving a passionate plea to help put an end to gun violence.
"I promise that we are going to fix this, no matter what it takes," Schulman said. "This is never going to go unfixed. No matter where you see me and no matter what I'm doing � follow me. We are going to make sure this happens as few times as we can. I would like to say never, but we all know this is going to happen until we fix this.
"I am behind you. I am behind my son and I will do everything in my power to make sure we fix this."
Beigel's runners remembered him as a funny, passionate coach who � despite his lack of training � left a lasting memory on the team. Brett Lickerman, 14, said his favorite memory was near the end of a race when Beigel sprinted near the freshman to shout out encouragement.
"He yelled at the top of his lungs, 'Don't give up! Don't give up!' and it just made me smile."
