A 5K run and walk event will be held in Tamaqua in memory of a Tamaqua Area High School teacher.

The Supurban Run will be held Saturday, Oct. 17, during Tamaqua's homecoming weekend, at the Tamaqua Area School District Sports Complex. The run is to honor the life of Tamaqua English teacher Thelma Urban, who died in late June at the age of 40 from a heart attack.Held by the Thelma Urban Memorial Fund, the proceeds from the event will go to the college fund for Urban's two children, Violet and Sean Urban, as well as a scholarship fund.The scholarship will go to a graduating Tamaqua student going to college for an English or English-related major.The 5K course is set to start runners at the stadium and then have them run down Broad Street. The race will circle the town from there, returning to the high school after going up Stadium Hill.The course is currently being tweaked and adjusted to make it 3.1 miles. The 5K race is set to begin at 9 a.m.There will also be a one-mile fun run and walk that will start at 9:15 a.m.The theme for the Supurban Run is superheroes."We wanted to show that there's a superhero in all of our lives. Mrs. Urban really was a superhero in the lives of her students," race committee member Kyle Weaver said.Runners and walkers are encouraged to dress as superheroes for the event.Stands will also be placed in the stadium by businesses that donated to the fund. They will be selling goods throughout the day.A committee of teachers, former students, and other members of the community came together and decided to put on the 5K shortly after Urban's death.Since then, they have met weekly to put together an event for the teacher that meant so much to them."I never saw her angry or miserable. I've never met a more positive human being," race director and Tamaqua High School teacher Roseann Weinrich said.The turnout is currently expected to be somewhere around 300 people. Members of the committee hope to see the Supurban Run become an annual event.Monetary, food, and other material donations are being accepted. Donations can be taken to Tamaqua Area High School and delivered with attention to Weinrich. Money can be donated to the Thelma Urban Memorial Fund at the Wells Fargo Bank at 17 W. Broad St., Tamaqua.Registration is $25 if postmarked by Monday, Sept. 14, along with the guarantee of a choice of shirt and size. The cost is $30 for all applications postmarked after Sep. 14. Extra shirts will be given on a first come, first served basis and additional shirts can be bought for $20.Online registration can be found on the Supurban 5K Facebook page or at

www.pretzelcitysports.com and closes at midnight on Wednesday, Oct. 14.Registration and number pickup will open at 8 a.m.For more information, contact Weinrich at rweinrich@tamaqua.k12.pa.us or 570-527-3534.