SUNRISE, Fla. — More than 1,000 runners gathered at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise on Saturday for the first-ever Service & Sacrifice 5K, a race hosted by the Florida Panthers to celebrate veterans and first responders.
A countdown of 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 roared through the city as the race got underway.
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The 5K is dedicated to celebrating veterans and first responders who protect and serve the local community and highlights one of the four pillars of the Panthers Foundation — supporting the military.
US Marine Gunnery Sergeant Jeffery Schuh was among the honorees who attended and ran the race.
"It's amazing, as soon as I saw that it was an event, I actually reached out to the local coordinator for the wounded warrior project and was like, hey, we got to do this event," Schuh said.
The sold-out event drew runners who stretched and lined up at the starting line before taking off. DJ Genesis set the tone for the crowd.
Cleefol Sanintvaliere won the race with the best time of the day, finishing in just over 18 minutes.
"Just to come out and have fun and run and to exercise like every day," Sanintvaliere said.
"I'm happy, I'm happy to have done it with my brothers and race with everybody," Sanintvaliere said.
Laura Sandoval said she ran to honor first responders by pushing her mind and body to new limits.
"It was like I did this, and I finally accomplished something I wanted to do," Sandoval said.
Schuh said the event's success and early talk of expansion left him encouraged.
"To see that it's sold out and to hear that they're already talking about next and its expansion, that's amazing, it's just growing, growing, and growing," Schuh said.
