Hundreds gather for inaugural 5k in honor of Fischer brothers

Saturday morning, over 800 runners, walkers and supporters gathered for the inaugural Chase & Cole Fischer Memorial 5k. The race was in memory of Cole and Chase Fischer, who died in a jet ski accident on Lake Cumberland in July last year.

The event raised more than $128,000 for the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Cincinnati, where Chase and Cole were active volunteers. Event organizers said their friends wanted to give back to the organization.

The race began and ended at Villa Madonna High School. 

Chase Fischer, 18, was a recent graduate from Villa Madonna Academy. Cole Fischer, 14, had just finished eighth grade at the school and was preparing to go to Elder High School.

Villa Madonna alumni–Tommy Wenning, Adam Kolar and Sydney Short – spearheaded the event.

Wenning, Kolar and Short initially pitched the idea of the race to honor the Fischer brothers at a Villa Hills City Council meeting in January.

“These kids have done a wonderful job of creating and fostering a memory of their friends,” said Villa Hills Chief of Police Matthew Hall at Villa Hill City Council’s monthly meeting in March.

Click through to see photos from the event. All photos were provided by Villa Madonna Academy.