A marathoner poised to complete 12 years running marathons to memorialize a slain Unity College alumna will talk about his journey in a campus Fishbowl presentation.

Ted Hobart will complete his 50-marathon journey, one in each state, Oct. 16 on Mount Desert Island. His participation in the series of marathons is dedicated in memory of his friend, former Unity College student Lollie Winans.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of Winans’ death in northern Virginia’s Shenandoah National Forest. She and friend Julie Williams were killed while hiking the Appalachian Trail in 1996. At the time, Winans was a Unity College student well known for her kindness, love for life, and appreciation for the outdoors.

The case made national headlines in 2002 when then-Attorney General John Ashcroft prosecuted the killings as the first federal hate crime in U.S. history. The double homicide remains unsolved.

“Our Fishbowl series brings an amazing variety of speakers to campus,” Unity College President Dr. Melik Peter Khoury said. “But this talk is special, since this is a Unity community story. We’re proud of Ted and grateful for his efforts to memorialize our esteemed alumna Ms. Winans.”

Since 2005, Hobart has run in marathons to focus continued national attention on this unsolved homicide and to help bring those responsible to justice.

“It’s going to be an amazing and emotional time,” Hobart said. “Running marathons gives me a sense of peace, that Zen moment to myself. I am not a fast runner, but it’s the courage and determination that I bring to all my marathons that allows me to finish strong and with a smile on my face. I’d like to think courage and determination will help find justice for Lollie and Julie.”

After his 50th U.S. state marathon finish Oct. 16, Hobart will present a talk at Lollie’s alma mater, Unity College, 11 a.m. to noon Tuesday, Oct. 18, in Room 212 of the Student Activities Center Higgins Wing.

Hobart, of Arlington, Va., and a 1988 graduate of Sterling College, is the former AIDS Walk 5K race director and currently serves as a client services representative in the Behavioral Health Department of Whitman-Walker Health.

Tuesday, October 11, 2016