On Aug. 31, 2013, I was ready to kickoff my sophomore season on the Franklin College cross country team.

As I went through my pre-race routine along the starting line with my teammates, I noticed a commotion about 50 meters behind us. A runner had gone down near the finish.

That runner was Jenna Parlette.

In the days that followed, I was part of the group that visited Jenna's mother, Lisa Parlette, in the hospital. None of us had ever talked to Jenna, but there was a instantaneous bond formed by our love of running. We hugged. We laughed. We shared our thoughts on running and life.

Jenna died the next day.

We got the news as we drove back to Franklin from an off-campus practice. I have never heard our vans that quiet.

The first JennaStrong Fall Classic was an emotional experience for all of us. Green ribbons with "JP" inscribed on them adorned each of our uniforms. Many other teams followed suit.

After the race awards were presented, each member of them team received a hug from Lisa. As we all posed for photos (I'm in the back row, 5th from the L), we couldn't surpress our smiles. We knew running was an incredible privilege and that the times we had together mattered so much more than the times we ran.

-Deron Molen