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Guns N' Hoses 5K Run/Walk Held In Honor Of Late Firefighter From Beverly

 The second annual Guns N' Hoses 5k Run/Walk will be held at 7:30 a.m. Saturday. The race honoring the late Lt. Patrick Hannon begins and ends at Christ the King Parish in Beverly.
The second annual Guns N' Hoses 5k Run/Walk will be held at 7:30 a.m. Saturday. The race honoring the late Lt. Patrick Hannon begins and ends at Christ the King Parish in Beverly.
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BEVERLY — The second annual Guns N' Hoses 5K Run/Walk will return at 7:30 a.m. Saturday to the hilly streets of Beverly.

The race that begins and ends at Christ the King Parish, 9235 S. Hamilton Ave., is being held in honor of the late Lt. Partrick Hannon of Beverly. The 23-year veteran of the Chicago Fire Department died Jan. 15, 2011.

Hannon, 51, died from a heart attack. He was found unresponsive in a firehouse in Bridgeport. He left behind his wife, Michelle, whom he met on the job, and their two daughters — Katie and Bridget.

"He came back from a run. He wasn't feeling well, and he laid down. And he just never woke up," said Michelle Hannon, who has since retired from the fire department.

The 5K honoring her husband follows the same route as the annual Beverly Hills Turkey Trot. Last year, the race was held in honor of the late Michael Flisk, an evidence technician for the Chicago Police Department.

Flisk, 46, was shot and killed Nov. 26, 2010. Also a Beverly resident, Flisk was killed by an armed man while he was collecting evidence from a vehicle that had its stereo equipment stolen. He left behind his wife, Nora, and four children — Michael John, Timothy Joseph, Margaret and Brian Patrick.

Mary Agnes Zellmer, Flisk's cousin, coordinated the first race and said the second event will again benefit the 100 Club of Chicago. This charity pays college or technical school tuition for the children of first responders who die in the line of duty, she said.

Hannon said before the 100 Club stepped in, she was having nightmares about how she was going to pay for her daughters' college tuition. And she's forever grateful to the charity for quelling her fears.

In fact, Bridget Hannon, 19, is studying criminal justice at Illinois State University and hopes to someday become a police officer. Katie Hannon, 22, attended Concordia University and hopes to join the Chicago Fire Department — like both of her parents.

"Service is very big in our family," Hannon said Monday.

It costs $40 for adults to run the race and $35 for students younger than 18. Registration can be completed on the day of the race for an extra $5 for adults. The student cost will remain the same on race day, Zellmer said.

All finishers will receive a medal and participants will also be given a ¼-zip jacket. The race is timed with special computer chips, and a breakfast will be held at the parish following the run. Already some 200 people have registered for the race that drew 232 runners last year, Zellmer said.

She also said the forecast as of Monday called for cool, cloudy skies that are clear of any rain on Saturday morning.

"That's three Cs of good running," Zellmer said. "This is one of the most beautiful 5K races in the city of Chicago. It's tree-lined and so scenic."

Hannon said that her husband wasn't much of a runner. Pat Hannon much preferred to "smoke a stinky cigar" and play a round of golf. That said, Michelle Hannon envisions her husband walking the course, as she plans to do Saturday.

"We want runners, but we will take walkers too," she said.