Herbie's Home "Town Loop" is a 4-mile run/walk held in honor of Jeremy Herbstritt, a Bellefonte local and Penn State alum killed in the Virginia Tech school shootings in 2007. Funds raised from Herbie's Hometown Loop will stay in the community and be used to help a recent Bellefonte graduate, Hunter Henney in his battle with thyroid cancer. Hunter was recently diagnosed with what was initially thyroid cancer, requiring surgery and other medical treatments, which has since spread to other areas of his body. Payment for things such as medication, medical care, transportation, in addition to regular costs of daily life, has had an impact on the family. All funds raised will benefit Hunter Henney and his battle with thyroid cancer

COURSE: The 4 mile course is wheel measured, and begins at the intersection of High and Spring Streets in downtown Bellefonte.  The 4-mile loop traverses around the perimeter of downtown Bellefonte (i.e. "TOWN LOOP").  It finishes on High Street in front of URBN Express.

ENTRY FEES: $25 registration fee plus you are encouraged to bring a canned good donation for the local food bank for the 4-mile run/walk by Wednesday, August 17th. Race day: $30 registration. Additional donations for Hunter Henney will gladly be accepted.

T-SHIRTS TO FIRST 50!

REGISTRATION & PACKET PICK-UP will take place on RACE DAY beginning @7:30AM on High Street near the start/finish area. 

PARKING is available downtown, at the Match Factory, and in the surrounding area.  

UNIQUE RUN AWARDS will be given to the overall top male and female participants.  Awards will also be given to the top three individuals in the following male and female age groups: 13 and under, 14-19, 20-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, 60 and up. A Nittany Lion statue award will go to the top 20-29 year old (corresponding with Jeremy's age group).

AMENITIES: Refreshments, time clock at finish, mile splits; fun, family-oriented event.

About Jeremy

Jeremy Herbstritt was a 1998 Bellefonte Area High School graduate and subsequent Penn State alum who was killed in 2007 while pursuing a Master's degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering at Virginia Tech.

He was a witty guy with a candid sense of humor. He enjoyed physical labor, cutting firewood and working on his family's farm. His outlook on life was optimistic; he wasn't afraid to live, spent his days busy, mostly outside, surrounded by friends and beautiful nature, hiking in Rothrock and kayaking down Spring Creek, running the streets of Bellefonte, filling up on good food afterward, and really, just drinking up this life.

Jeremy Herbstritt was a 1998 Bellefonte Area High School graduate and subsequent Penn State alum who was killed in 2007 while pursuing a Master's degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering at Virginia Tech.

He was a witty guy with a candid sense of humor. He enjoyed physical labor, cutting firewood and working on his family's farm. His outlook on life was optimistic; he wasn't afraid to live, spent his days busy, mostly outside, surrounded by friends and beautiful nature, hiking in Rothrock and kayaking down Spring Creek, running the streets of Bellefonte, filling up on good food afterward, and really, just drinking up this life.

From his mother…

Jeremy grew up in Bellefonte where he enjoyed spending time outside on our family's farm year-round.  In the winters, he cut firewood.  I can still picture him by the log pile splitting logs with that ax.  In the summers, he'd harvest his tomato and pepper crops and can sauces with me at the kitchen table with the windows propped open wide.  He was a hard worker, always seemed to live enthusiastically for today, was a good kid, was kind to anyone he met, made good conversation, and helped out with anything that he could.  He attended high school at Bellefonte Area High where he ran Track and Cross Country.  That's where he found his self-esteem and confidence.  He had a great set of coaches who instilled in him an even harder work ethic than he had before.  He graduated high school in 1998 and his father and I pushed him to go on to college at Penn State.  Jeremy wanted to farm but we thought a secondary education would serve him well.  So, he followed our instructions and applied to Penn State.  He graduated from there five years later with a Bachelor's of Science degree in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and a minor in Chemistry.  Two years later, he earned a second Bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering also from Penn State.  He formed lifelong friendships in college and for that alone, he was glad we pushed him to further his education.  By the time he finished his second degree at Penn State he actually liked school, and decided he wanted to go on to graduate school.  By then, we missed having him at home and would have been happy if he re-entered our empty nest and helped us rebuild the farm.  But Virginia Tech was on his radar and that's where he went in the summer of 2006 in pursuit of a Master's degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering.  Unfortunately, not even a year later Jeremy was gone.  All of that life and energy was swiped away from us in a split second on April 16, 2007.  Jeremy was right where he was supposed to be that morning, attending class in Norris Hall, when another student gunned him down. We were devastated, of course.  All of our lives changed drastically that day.