'I need to do something,' says organizer of Vanessa Marcotte memorial 5K

WESTMINSTER, Mass. — A friend and classmate of a woman killed while out on a jog is working to honor the woman’s memory.

Justine Popik thinks back to happier times, when she and her high school classmate Vanessa Marcotte would share rides to school together.

“She was a great person,” Popik told FOX25. “She always had a presence, very fun loving, very caring.”

The news of Marcotte's murder shook Popik to the core.

“Something I never imagined would happen here, or to her, or to anybody I knew,” she said.

Police say Marcotte was in Princeton from New York visiting her mother for the weekend when she went out for a jog and never returned.

The shock of her passing, and the search for her killer, has weighed heavily on her family and friends.

“There was fear, there was shock, there was sadness. It was really difficult to process. I think it's still taking me some time to process it,” Marcotte said.

That journey through their grief has brought them to a new place, the finish line in Westminster to a road race they're organizing in Marcotte's honor.

“I just said, I need to do something for Vanessa, I want this race to be for Vanessa,” Popik explained.

She organized the 5K to benefit one of Marcotte’s favorite charities, Tutoring Plus in Cambridge.

“It just brings a lot deeper meaning to it, going toward a charity that Vanessa was passionate about,” said Popik.

So far, nearly 200 runners have signed up -- not only friends and family, but also those who didn't know Marcotte.

“Just the act of running, getting us all together, I think it's going to be a beautiful time for all of us,” Popik said.

To learn more about the Spring Into Action 5K in honor of Vanessa Marcotte or sign up, click here.

Cox Media Group