'Run With Maud': Coloradans Run 2.23 Miles To Honor Ahmaud Arbery, Who Was Killed While Jogging In Georgia
(CBS4) -- For Coloradans like Jessica Bart, running is part of their everyday routine.
"We want to do this for our health and our mental well-being," she says.
When she heard about the case of Ahmaud Arbery, a black man who was shot and killed while jogging in his Georgia neighborhood, it hit a little close to home.
"He was just in his running gear. T-shirt, shorts, shoes, just going about his business," says Jessica.
Arbery was killed on Feb. 23 and on May 5, video was released that showed the incident. When she saw the video, she was horrified.
"It was something that got stuck in my head and I couldn't stop thinking about it," she says.
She wanted to do something to speak up for Arbery even though she lives in Colorado.
"(I) signed petitions and emailed the contacts that they had sent out and then made some phone calls and left some voicemails," says Jessica.
Then, she heard about Friday's Run With Maud challenge. May 8 would have been Arbery's 26th birthday, so in his honor runners are running or walking 2.23 miles, symbolizing the day he was killed, to honor him.
RELATED PHOTOS: Coloradans Run 2.23 Miles To Honor Jogger Killed In Georgia
Jessica ran with her teenage son.
"And I said I just want you to think about your freedoms and the way that you run. Because he doesn't run feeling afraid. He's not a black teenager."
When they finished they paused for reflection.
"And I said, 'We're going to say his name,' and he said, 'Are we just going to say it or are we going to yell it?' Then I yelled it and he looked at me like I was crazy," says Jessica.
She just hopes that now, anyone regardless of who they, are can enjoy the sport she loves in peace.
"I just feel like we can do better," says Jessica.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation arrested a father and son on Thursday, charging them with Arbery's murder and aggravated assault.
RELATED: 2 men charged with murder in fatal shooting of black jogger in Georgia
