Heroes run for Harbor

BIG SKY – On May 24, the Big Sky community rallied for one of its own.

Six-year-old Harbor DeWaard died this January, and in a fundraising effort the Lone Peak High School National Honor Society held the first annual Harbor’s Hero Run. Proceeds will benefit Eagle Mount-Bozeman, a nonprofit that provides therapeutic recreation for people with disabilities and youth with cancer.

More than 200 residents and visitors signed up for the 5K, a “color run” where LPHS students tossed colored cornstarch powder on competitors throughout the course and at the finish line. While the high school National Honor Society members expected a large turnout, the size of the crowd on a Memorial Day weekend surprised event organizers.

“We ordered 200 name cards and ran out,” said Gabby Michel, President of the LPHS National Honor Society.

Another theme carried over from a celebration of life held at the Gallatin Riverhouse Grill on Jan. 18, where many attendees at the jam-packed event wore superhero costumes in DeWaard’s honor.

“We wanted to do this [run] to celebrate Harbor’s life,” said Michel, who added that the Honor Society hopes to make Harbor’s Hero Run an annual event. “We decided to have everyone be heroes for Harbor.” – Joseph T. O’Connor