By Joe Wilson, Features Editor
Every year as August draws to a close, hundreds of students arrive at Reynolds for the first time, ready to embark on a four-year journey.
For one 15-year-old boy six years ago, that journey ended before it could begin.
Matthew Gfeller joined the Reynolds football team as a rising sophomore from Summit School. He had made it his goal in middle school to play on the Demon varsity football team, and after achieving this dream, Gfeller took a hard hit and suffered a traumatic brain injury in his first game. He died in the hospital two days later, one day before he was scheduled to begin his academic career at Reynolds.
In the wake of the tragedy, some of Gfeller’s close friends came together to memorialize their would-be classmate as a competitor, as an entertainer and as a friend to all. They came up with the Matt Gfeller Memorial Doughnut run.
One of those friends was Thomas Keshian, a 2012 Reynolds alumnus.
“John (Lineberger), Camden (Francis) and I all grew up with Matt and he always loved to work out, eat and entertain people,” Keshian said. “We were looking for something to honor his memory and then we saw a short news blurb on the doughnut run at N.C. State and realized it was perfect.”
The three of them worked to set up a similar race in memory of Gfeller, and with the help of the community, they succeeded in creating an event that has become an annual staple for the entire community. This year’s event will be held Saturday, Nov. 15, at 9 a.m. The race starts and ends at RJR, with a festive post-race gathering at the Gfeller Stage keeping the fun going long after the 5K ends.
FIND A LINK TO THE RACE SIGNUP PAGE AT THE END OF THIS STORY.
Sophomore Emma Radulovic will race for the second time and is ready for another good time.
“I’m excited to challenge myself and see what my limit is,” Radulovic said. “I like seeing people try to squash a mass of doughnuts in their mouth all at once.”
The race will have a new attraction this year for competitive runners and doughnut-eaters. Chip timing will be used for the first time, allowing runners to see their time more accurately.
The race receives strong support from Reynolds: Musical groups, service clubs and teachers all help to set up and perform throughout the day. Among those service groups is the Key Club, led by adviser John Clevenger, who anticipates a busy day of volunteering.
“We help direct traffic,” Clevenger said. “We set up and take down, we help at the finish line, we help organize the doughnuts and the parking.”
Extensive volunteer work has become a necessity at the Gfeller Run. Thanks to numerous local sponsors and strong community involvement, the race has grown over the years. According to the Matthew Gfeller Foundation website, more than 900 runners took on the challenge last year and more than $40,000 was raised for traumatic brain injury research.
“It’s been cool to see how the community has really rallied around the event, and the local sponsors have been really generous,” Keshian said.