On a bright September morning, Kevin and Jean Zimmermann stood at the finish line of the race named in honor of their daughter, high-fiving the runners and walkers who filtered through the final stretch in front of the Memorial Union.
Saturday marked the second annual Brittany Zimmermann 5K Run/Walk, held by Madison Area Crime Stoppers. Approximately 300 people registered for the event, according to Race Director and University of Wisconsin Police Officer Erik Pearce.
Brittany Zimmermann was a University of Wisconsin student murdered in her home near campus in 2008.
Her death revealed issues with the Dane County 911 Center after it was found a 911 dispatcher received a call from her phone shortly before her death but never followed up. While the dispatcher claimed the call was silent, tapes released during a court case included screams and other noise indicating a struggle.
The investigation to find her killer is ongoing. “We’re not going to give up, and I’m not going to let them give up,” said Jean Zimmermann at a press conference on the 5K held earlier this month.
Kevin Zimmermann, Brittany’s father, stressed how important the race is to the community.
“It’s about the people in Madison and Dane County that need to take back some of their safety. It keeps Brittany’s name out there,” he said.
While attendance dipped from last year’s turnout, Pearce said he attributed the possible decline to other area 5Ks taking place in the region on Saturday, pulling runners away from the Lakeshore Path track.
Tim Caramore won the race, soundly beating the other racers at 15:35 minutes and rounded the finish line with no other runners in sight.
Caramore is working on his residency in Madison and ran the NCAA regionals in college. The top male and female racers received $50 in prize money.
Other prizes included Badger football tickets, according to a statement from Crime Stoppers.
Regular registration fees were $20, and the money raised went toward the Dane County Crime Stoppers, according to a statement from the group.
Dane County Crime Stoppers uses funds to offer rewards for information leading to wanted criminals, the group’s wesbite said.
“Without them, so many crimes would be unsolved,” Brittany’s mother said at the press conference.
As of Saturday, Pearce said he did not know exactly how much the race raised for Crime Stoppers.
Most of the race’s volunteers were UW students who are a part of Greek life, said accounting graduate student Doug Gschneider, a volunteer and member of Sigma Pi. Gschneider said volunteering was a great way to give back to the campus, and supporting a group like Crime Stoppers was important to those who live on Langdon Street, where safety can be a concern.
The race is especially resonant with older student volunteers, Gschneider said, who were on campus when Zimmermann was murdered.
Dean of Students Lori Berquam has run the 5K both years and said the race is a good way for the campus to keep Brittany’s memory alive.
“[The race is] important to us, and we know it’s important to Brittany,” Kevin Zimmermann said at the press conference. “If it had been someone else, Brittany would’ve been here. Brittany would’ve been running.”
