Tennessee town hosts memorial run for Sycamore runner's 16th birthday

About a dozen Sycamore High School students gathered around an old painted picnic table in Pleasant View on Friday to celebrate their friend's 16th birthday.

It should have been a cause for celebration. Instead, it was a bittersweet memorial for Tristin Franklin.

The 15-year-old cross-country athlete and sophomore at Sycamore High School died less than two weeks ago, on Aug. 27. He was jogging in his Pleasant View neighborhood, something he often did, according to those who knew him best, when a local resident found him in distress and called an ambulance.

The cause of death in Tristin's case has not yet been determined; the official autopsy results from the Davidson County Coroner's Office are pending.

More:The death of a Sycamore runner at age 15 leaves his family and community shocked and waiting for answers

In the days since his sudden death, the Pleasant View community, including the “11 Extraordinary Men,” has struggled with the loss of 15-year-old Tristin Franklin.

His family and friends hope the results will shed some light on the teenager's sudden death, which has shocked the Cheatham County community where Tristin spent his entire life, including and especially the “11 extraordinary men” who gathered around the picnic table Friday afternoon.

“There's nothing that unites this group of boys,” said parent Holly Randa. “They're not all on the same sports team, they're not all in the same church, they're not all in the same grade in school; they just have similar values and have been connected forever. Some of them went to kindergarten together, some of them moved here in sixth grade, and they're just a really close group. They're a good group of kids.”

It was Pastor Randy Riggs who called them extraordinary men at Tristin's funeral on Thursday, Randa said. The funeral service was held at Austin & Bell Funeral Home in Pleasant View, and the boy's remains were cremated afterward.

More: “So sad”: 15-year-old Tennessee boy on cross-country team collapses during routine run and dies

Initially, Friday's memorial service and run were planned as just an opportunity for the youth to mourn in private, but word of mouth quickly spread, Randa says.

“They organized their friends and then a few neighbors heard about it,” she said. “The neighbors decided to come out on the porch and cheer them on, and then someone called the police, and then the police invited the community … so we weren't sure how many people were going to come, but we decided we needed to organize.”

Finally, dozens of people participated in the 1.2-mile run/march in Tristin's honor at 4 p.m. Friday in Harris Farms, a neighborhood near the boy's home and school.

Pleasant View Police were on site at the event to assist.

Tristin's parents, Patricia and Philip Franklin, walked behind their son's core group of 11 friends. The children all wore navy blue T-shirts with their friends' initials.

More: Sycamore High School cross-country runner died Tuesday; cause of death unknown

After the race, people gathered under a gazebo to drink, eat and share memories.

Organizers and participants alike let out a sigh of satisfaction and sadness at the large turnout for the event. Everyone from school officials and parents to regular community members had different reasons for being there on Friday.

“To support all these kids and their families,” said Edda Watson, assistant principal at Sycamore High School.

“He grew up with my kids and his parents were good friends of ours … the only thing I could do was do something like this,” said volunteer Greg French.

Kevin Hager, one of the parents participating in the race, said his son was a good friend of Tristin.