Miranda Lambert Marks the 5th Anniversary of Route 91 Shooting With the Vegas Strong 5K [Picture]
Saturday (Oct. 1) marked the fifth anniversary of the 2017 Route 91 Harvest Festival mass shooting, and Miranda Lambert remembered the tragedy by participating in the 2022 Vegas Strong 5k/1M running event.
"Band and crew up early this morning," the singer commented on social media, posting several shots of herself and her team showing up in support of those who were affected by the massacre. "...Sending love and light to all the victims, survivors, first responders, our Live Nation family and all those affected."
Lambert's husband, Brendan McLoughlin, was on hand to be a part of the cause: One video in the singer's post shows her walking the race and high-fiving her husband as he runs past her. McLoughlin is a former first responder himself -- when he and Lambert met, he was an NYPD officer.
Lambert is currently in the city for her Velvet Rodeo Las Vegas residency, which kicked off in late September. It's no surprise that McLoughlin also happened to be in Vegas with her for the race: He previously said he planned to be at every single show of his wife's residency, and Lambert has hinted that he'll probably jump on stage with her at some poiont, too.
The race, which is an annual event, took place at Craig Ranch Regional Park in North Las Vegas. Each year, runners show up to the race to remember those who lost their lives during the shooting and to raise money for victim funds and local community needs. Among the beneficiaries of the event are the Vegas Strong Compassion Scholarship, which provides scholarships to the children of victims, and the Vegas Strong Resiliency Center, which offers resources and support to those affected by the shooting.
The Route 91 Harvest Festival shooting remains the deadliest non-war mass shooting committed by an individual in U.S. history. The massacre began when lone gunman Stephen Paddock opened fire on the packed crowd from the window of his 32-floor suite in the Mandalay Bay hotel. He fired over 1,000 bullets, killing 58 people, and two more ultimately succumbed to the injuries -- bringing the death toll to 60. Additionally, about 867 people were injured in the shooting.
The shooting broke out during a headlining set from Jason Aldean. Aldean posts a remembrance of the tragedy every year on his social media; in 2022, he posted a snapshot of himself with those who were at the festival with him the day of the tragedy, celebrating "My Route 91 family" in the caption.
The mass shooting at the Route 91 Harvest Festival is the subject of a new four-part documentary series titled 11 Minutes, which premiered on Paramount+ on Sept. 27. Jason Aldean is among the those who participated in the docuseries, sharing his recollections of the tragedy.