The fourth annual Race for Campus Safety took place Saturday morning at the University of Utah, drawing hundreds of participants to honor the memory of Lauren McCluskey, a 21-year-old student-athlete who was killed on campus in 2018.
McCluskey, a state champion high jumper from Pullman, Washington, was shot and killed in October 2018 by a man she knew and had reported to campus police multiple times before the tragic incident occurred.
"It's so special to us," said Jill McCluskey, Lauren's mother, who attended Saturday's event.
The McCluskey family reached a multimillion-dollar settlement with the university two years after Lauren's death, using those funds to help create the Lauren McCluskey Foundation.
"We really want to change the culture that responds poorly to relationship violence and stalking," Jill McCluskey said.
Students say they've noticed improvements in campus safety protocols since Lauren's death.
"I feel like during my time here at the U, there's always been like trainings on places you can go if you need anything," said Lucy Hammer, a senior from Holladay. "I hope that when the time comes, when someone is in danger, there is a good and quick response."
Through policy changes and new leadership, Jill McCluskey says her family is grateful for the current direction of the campus's Department of Public Safety under Keith Squires, who has been credited with overhauling the university's safety operations since Lauren's death.
"There was a lack of trust, and he has worked to rebuild that trust and just to adopt best practices and hire some of the best people and invest in public safety," Jill McCluskey said.
The foundation promotes what they call "Lauren's Promise" — a commitment to listen and believe students who report threats.
"[It means] 'I will listen and believe you if someone is threatening you,' and I think that makes all the difference," Jill McCluskey said.
For some students, the race served as an introduction to Lauren's story.
"I actually just learned about Lauren this week, like I didn't even know about her story," said Ben Hansen, a University of Utah student. "I learned about it through this race. I think [the race] is cool, what it stands for and what the foundation's all about."
The event featured memorial 1K, 5K and 10K races, along with informational booths and activities for families.
"It touches our hearts that we have so much support from the community and that people have volunteered — so many volunteers, showing up to run the race, and it's fun to see the kids playing on the obstacle courses and that it's really turned into this fantastic event," Jill McCluskey said.
The race takes place on the same track where Lauren once competed as a student-athlete.
"And on the track where Lauren ran, it's really meaningful to us and means the world to us," Jill McCluskey said.
