- 3rd annual Surviving the Rip 5k and 10k run and walk on North Beach
- All proceeds go to the Je'Sani Smith Foundation
- Held in honor of Je'Sani Smith who died from getting swept away by a rip current 5 years ago
The third annual Surviving the Rip 5k and 10k run and walk was held to honor the memory of King High School student Je’sani Smith, who died in 2019 from being swept away by a rip current on Whitecap Beach.
Dozens of people woke up early and ran down North Beach in the morning on Sat. April 6 in honor of Je'Sani and to raise awareness about beach safety and rip currents.
“Of course, you know, it’s an overwhelming feeling to know that the city and the community comes out and supports beach safety and rip current awareness," Kiwana Denson, mother of Je'Sani Smith, said. "Our son, it’ll be 5 years of his tragedy on April the 11th. And in that same year, 2019, we had multiple fatalities. So this endeavor is not only to honor him, but it’s also to honor others who have lost their family members to rip currents.”
The Denson's started the Je'Sani Smith Foundation after Je'Sani died to provide education, awareness, water skills training, on beach safety to others. They host fundraisers and provide scholarships to students.
"April is beach safety and rip current awareness month...We hope the community will take it upon themselves to educate the next person about beach safety and rip currents. More so, the flag system. If you want to go to the beach, know what the flag color is and take those precautions," Kiwana said.
The Je'Sani Smith Foundation also offers a free online course about beach and rip current safety.
"It's imperative that our community, beachgoers, understand how important it is to educate one another about the hidden dangers on the beach," Terrance Denson, father of Je'Sani, said.
The fourth annual Surviving the Rip 5k and 10k race will be held on April 5, 2025.
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