SAN DIEGO (CNS) - Thousands walkers and runners are expected to flock to Balboa Park this weekend to pay tribute to slain Poway High scholar and track athlete Chelsea King, the victim of a violent sex offender.
The 2nd annual Finish Chelsea's Run 5K Run/Walk is scheduled to start at 7:30 a.m. Saturday on the west side of Balboa Park. Organizers said last year's inaugural 5K race attracted more than 5,400 participants.
In addition to the 5K, there will be activities this year that organizers describe as "Chelsea-esque" set up in the park. Activities will include a yoga booth, organic produce booth, group photo area and sunflower pot painting station for children.
Sunflowers became a symbol for Chelsea when she went missing in early 2010. The annual 5K is the primary fundraiser for the Chelsea's Light
Foundation's Sunflower Scholarship Fund, which rewards "college-bound teens who have embraced Chelsea's service-over-self ethic," according to the foundation's website.
The cost to participate in the run is $40 for adults and $25 for children 12 and younger. Though online registration is closed, same-day registrations will be accepted at Balboa Park starting at 6:30 a.m. Saturday.
Chelsea's last run was on Feb. 25, 2010, along a trail above Rancho Bernardo Community Park. The 17-year-old was grabbed by convicted sex offender John Albert Gardner III, raped and killed. Her body was found on the shore of Lake Hodges several days later at the end of an intensive search by law enforcement personnel and volunteers.
Gardner later admitted that he killed both Chelsea and, a little over a year earlier, 14-year-old Escondido High School freshman Amber DuBois. He was sentenced to life in prison without parole.
