This Saturday, Marine Staff Sgt. Mike Harris, a former resident of Fayetteville, Ga., will participate in a 10K run fund-raiser.

Harris, who graduated from Sandy Creek High School in 1997, will participate in the 30th annual Cooper River Bridge Run 10K in Charleston, South Carolina on March 31. The event will raise funds for the Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund (IMSFF), a non-profit organization closely associated with the Marine Corp, which provides assistance for injured Marines and Sailors.

Although a 10K course sounds like breeze for a man trained as a Marine, this year’s race will have Harris carrying an extra load. Harris and about 25 other MECEP Marines and Citadel cadets are running this year's Bridge Run in full gear to honor the injured Marines and Sailors and to highlight the great work done by the IMSFF.

Although Harris is an excellent runner and might otherwise have a chance to be out front, he will be slowed dramatically by his combat fatigues and boots, as well as the 55-pound backpack he will be wearing for the entire course of the 6.2 mile run.

Support for this ambitious effort has been both generous and far reaching, going beyond the greater Charleston area to include the Columbia area. The hope is to have a record turnout for this year's race for both runners and spectators. As of March 24, Harris reports that over $46,000 has been donated and he is hoping to bring in even more funds.

Harris stated that his goal is to finish the race in under an hour and that he and the other Marines and cadets are determined to succeed. They have been training in and around downtown Charleston in the weeks leading up to the race and are easy to spot in their red shirts and backpacks filled with 55 pounds of sand.

Harris is married and has two daughters, Savannah and Summer. His wife, Rachel, will also be running the Bridge Run, minus the backpack! Mike's parents, Dave and Glenda Harris, live in Newnan, Ga. and plan to be in Charleston for the event. 

Harris is in his last semester as a MECEP Marine at The Citadel and will graduate on May 5, 2007. His commissioning ceremony will be held the day before, and he will be commissioned as a 2nd Lt. in the Marine Corps. After graduation, he is scheduled to leave for the Basic Officer's Course at The Basic School in Quantico, Va. and subsequently will begin flight training in Pensacola, Fla.

Anyone wishing to make a donation to the IMSFF should make checks payable to IMSFF and send them directly to Mike Harris at 1445 Cooper's Hawk Drive, Goose Creek, South Carolina 29445. Be sure to include on memo line, "Cooper River Bridge Run." Donations can also be made at www.semperfifund.org, where more information on the IMSFF can be found as well.

Watch out for pictures and a follow-up report of the race as well as fund-raising totals in an upcoming edition of The Citizen.

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