PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — After running the race in the past, one family is running the Skyway 10K this year for a loved one they’ve lost.
“Last year, we were running for my brother; he was an Army veteran,” Tammy Nichols said. “He was actually murdered back in 1998.”
All three of Nichols' children lived in different states from one another but made sure in 2023 to lace up and run together as a family. They took a group photo at the top of the bridge.
“That was the very last weekend that we were all together as a family,” Nichols said. “That was our last family picture — at the top, with that sunrise in the background.”
Tragedy struck soon after the race when Nichols' youngest son, Ryan, was killed.
“Three weeks later, April 4th, he was killed on his motorcycle,” she said.
Nichols says just being near the bridge reminds her of Ryan.
“I already have enough trouble going over the Skyway without crying because I just remember all the fun that we had on our motorcycles, and it just doesn’t seem real,” she said.
But this year, Nichols is planning to run through that pain, wearing Ryan’s “Rick and Morty” socks. She had promised him last year that they would run again.
“Pinky promises,” she said. “There will probably be a lot of tears, but I’ll be waving up to him.”