Raleigh man running 150 miles across state to support firefighters
For Jalen Snipes, it’s the end of a trip not for the faint of heart: Starting a race at Raleigh’s Central Fire Station, he plans to travel 150 miles to Charlotte in just two days.
“Once it became a passion, I couldn’t take my shoes off,” he said.
He trains every day and runs 10 to 12 miles at Lassiter Mill Park in Raleigh.
It is a passion born from pain. When Jalen was just 11 years old, his family’s home in Greensboro was burned down.
“The house was engulfed in flames, it was struck by lightning, two inches from the gas line,” he said. “It was a difficult thing to see family memories reduced to ashes, but at the same time, those ashes made me the man I am today.
The only memory he had was of the firefighters rushing toward the flames as he fled.
Jalen Snipes’ childhood home in Greensboro burned when he was 11, sparking in him an appreciation for firefighters.
“Once they saved the house, it kind of lit a fire in me to put my feet to the sidewalk for them, and what this cause is all about,” he said.
He decided to pay it forward by raising money for the North Carolina Firefighters Fund. His goal is to travel more than 150 miles on North Carolina’s back roads, from Raleigh to Charlotte, in two days.
He has already raised more than $5,000. His company, The Coley Group, matched the $10,000 raised and counting.
I am happy to see a young person like him making an effort to support the firefighters. We need more supporters like him.
His proud uncle, Kenneth Nixon Sr., a veteran and now a fire captain in Raeford, said he never realized how much firefighters meant to Snipes after what happened to him as a child.
“When he told me that, I was honored that he was pursuing something that I’m a part of,” Nixon said.
Jalen Snipes runs between 10 and 12 miles a day to prepare for his big event.
The money goes directly to firefighter training and education programs across the state.
“We’re just happy to see, I’m happy to see a young guy like this making an effort to support the fire service. We need more supporters like him,” said Raeford Fire Chief Donnie Smith.
You can read more about Snipes’ cause here. It will depart on its 150-mile journey Friday at 8 a.m. from Raleigh Central Fire Station No. 1 in downtown Raleigh.
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