RUSSELL COUNTY, Ky. (WKYT) - The senselessness of it is mind boggling. A young mother, who had a thriving career as a pharmacist, out for an early morning jog in June with her sister in a quiet, southern Kentucky town.

Sarah Hart wasn't feeling well so she told her sister to go ahead without her. That was the last time her sister saw Sarah alive. A local man is charged with murdering her. He's plead not guilty. It also turned out Sarah was pregnant with her fourth child. The pain deepened.

Now, enter all of her friends. Sarah Hart's friends wanted to do something to help so they came up with the idea of organizing a run. It would raise money for scholarships for pharmacy and medical students in honor of Sarah. Her father told me they expected no more than 500- tops. As of Thursday night, 2,700 plus are registered for the race and walk. At least $70,000 has been raised for the student fund. Wendell Robert says, "I'm honored, I'm honored, that they would literally hold me up, and that's what they've done, they've held me up through all this."

Roberts says Saturday will be a mixed bag of feelings and emotions. He knows Sarah will be there in spirit. But her death is still very fresh. "We're still in the healing process on all of this. And then this mass of crowd around us again...really don't know how I'm going to handle it."

When racers gather Saturday morning in Russell Springs many of them will be wearing the race shirt with a special image. It's the hand prints of Sarah two daughters, and her son's foot print. Above is a heart symbolizing the Hart family, and a halo above that. Roberts says Sarah was pregnant with her fourth child- a boy named Alexander. He believes the halo represents his grandson never born. Both of them, Roberts believes, will be there at the race in spirit, watching and enjoying the moment.
"What the bible says to be absent from the body is to be present in the Lord. And she lived a life in that way, and so I know she's with the Lord. And I know she's probably going to watch this thing from the Throne Room, and she's going to be laughing. And I think probably she's gonna have Jesus holding us up."