SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — For the fourth year in a row, family, friends and loved ones of Rachel Ortman are gathering to honor her with a race.
“We’re doing a race because Rachel was an avid runner,” said Derrick Ortman, Rachel’s husband. “And so, it was just fitting to do that. But the biggest side of it is, you know, bringing people together. Rachel was the glue that brought a lot of people together.”
This year, the event included three races, a food truck, bouncy houses, raffle prizes and, most importantly, Rachel’s Legacy gift.
“We’re able to give five families the Rachel’s Legacy gift, which is a monetary gift just to kind of help families who have lost a parent get a little bit of a boost,” said Ortman.
The five families who received the gift all lost someone in 2025. Jordyn Hofer lost her husband, Troy, in February.
“We started dating in 2011 in high school. He went to USD for kinesiology, but found a love for carpentry at that time. And so that’s kind of where he went with his career,” said Jordyn Hofer, Troy’s wife and a Rachel’s Legacy gift recipient.
The couple has two boys together, Cutler and Briggs. Hofer and her family didn’t know they were being nominated for Rachel’s Legacy gift.
“Not that we don’t feel the support from everyone still, but it was kind of nice to be reminded that we are still remembered. People do know that we are still dealing with that day-to-day kind of still in survival mode,” said Hofer.
And despite all the hurt that is felt by the families, today’s event reminds them all why life is so precious.
“One of the things we associate with Rachel, a saying, is ‘love better.’ And we just want to show that today, that there’s a lot of love out here, and we need to see more and more of that,” said Ortman.
