Kara Torres, center, widow of Westfield police officer Jose Torres, is presented a special laminated collage of Run Westfield 5K Walk memorabilia from race organizers Michael Tierney, left, and Michael McCabe, during a small ceremony at the Tierney Insurance Group office in Westfield. Organizers also presented a check for $6,500 which will be applied to the Jose Torres Memorial Fund. (Photo by Frederick Gore)
WESTFIELD – In the conference room of the Tierney Insurance Group’s Elm Street office yesterday afternoon, owner Mike Tierney, the director and founder of the Run Westfield 5K Roadrace, presented a check for $6,500 to Kara Torres, the widow of former Westfield Police Officer Jose Torres, who was killed while working a construction detail in July 2012.
The money will be donated to the Jose Torres Memorial Fund to help fund local youth sports and scholarships.
“It’s overwhelming how the community has come out to support our family. It’s left me speechless,” said Kara Torres. “It means so much to continue to have that support.”
A devoted family man and active member of the community, Jose Torres served the city he loved as an officer of the law for 27 years and, according to those who knew him, he left Westfield a far better place than he found it.
While he did not know Torres very well personally, Tierney understood his importance to the community and of keeping his memory alive.
“I met him once at the racetrack in Northampton,” said Tierney. “But the stories I’ve heard about him… we wanted to recognize his life and honor his legacy.”
Run Westfield received over 2,000 entries to the March 30 event, raising $6,500 through entry fees and sponsorships.
The event’s organizers believe that the event has the potential to be even bigger and better this coming spring.
“It’s been recognized as ‘America’s Fastest 5K'”, said Tierney, who has trademarked the phrase in the time since his event has supplanted races in California and New Hampshire for the title. “We have the platform to build this race into a world-class event. We want no less than 3,500 participants next year.”
Tierney, who served as the chairman for the St. Patrick’s Day Road Race in Holyoke for 37 years, has taken cues from the World’s Best 10K, an annual race held in San Juan, Puerto Rico, which he has attended for the past eighteen years, and serves as the blueprint for the future of the Run Westfield 5K.
“I feel that we can do what we did with Holyoke, that we can bring this event up another level,” said Tierney, who still runs road races himself. “We want to show off the rebirth of Westfield, to bring people and business to the downtown.”
Tierney also enlisted the help of Westfield Police Captain and fellow runner Michael McCabe, who had previously organized the Westfield Boys and Girl’s Club’s half marathon and the Noble Hospital 5K, to assist in organizing the event, an event which proved to be beyond even his expectations.
“We goofed around with the idea of getting 2,000 participants initially,” said McCabe. “But once we got 400, 500 people registered with a month to go, we knew it was going to be big.”
“Originally, we were hoping to get around $1,800, $20 per participant, but we raised ($6,500), which is infinitely more than if we had had 900 walkers,” Tierney said, before going on to praise McCabe’s efforts.
“(Mike) has helped a lot, from A to Z. He set the tone for a lot of aspects of the race and has had an endless role in it.”
When asked of the future of the event, Tierney and McCabe both believe the event is headed for the big time.
“People who understand running say that it can be a monster event,” Tierney said. “I hope to get 10,000 participants for one event within the next three or four years.”
“It’s a win for everyone,” said McCabe. “The Torres Fund, the Tierney Group, but most of all, the city of Westfield benefits. We’re looking to fine tune it and make it into a world class event.”
An expanded event will continue to donate portions of it’s revenue to the Jose Torres Memorial Fund to continue the life’s work of one of the Whip City’s favorite sons.
“The feedback I’ve gotten from last year’s event has been all positive,” said Kara Torres. “Jose will never be forgotten.”
On September 21 starting at 7 a.m., 200 New England police officers and firefighters will ride their bikes from Springfield to Boston in memory of officer Torres and slain Springfield officer Kevin Ambrose.
When they arrive in Boston, the names of Ambrose and Torres will be added to the Massachusetts Law Enforcement Memorial in front of the State House.
