4.9K Community Rainbow Run held in Miami Beach honors lives lost in Orlando nightclub massacre

MIAMI BEACH, Fla. – To celebrate Pride Month and commemorate five years since the Pulse Nightclub tragedy in Orlando, a special event was put together Saturday morning in Miami Beach.

It’s called the 4.9K Community Rainbow Run.

The reason for the 4.9K instead of the traditional 5K is to honor the 49 people killed in the mass shooting at Pulse Nightclub.

A group of about 40 people began their run on the beach right off Collins Avenue and 13th Street around 8 a.m. Saturday.

Participants gather on South Beach for the 4.9K Community Rainbow Run. (WPLG)

Members of the group Miami Beach Pride were on hand, passing out water and other items for the participants.

“We’re here to support them,” said Rich Walczak, executive director of Miami Beach Pride. “They’ve supported us at Miami Pride for so many years, so we’re here to support their run.”

The event was put together by French Consul General Laurent Gallissot.

“We’re going to run north, 4.9 kilometers,” he said. “At the same time in Orlando, they’re going to be running as well, so it’s a good sign that both in Miami and Orlando we’ll be running.”

This is the first time that the event has been held.


About the Author:

Annaliese Garcia joined Local 10 News in January 2020. Born and raised in Miami, she graduated from the University of Miami, where she studied broadcast journalism. She began her career at Univision. Before arriving at Local 10, she was with NBC2 (WBBH-TV) covering Southwest Florida. She's glad to be back in Miami!