Run to honor slain corrections officer 5 years after her death

MONROE — Five years have come and gone since Jayme Biendl was killed at the Monroe Correctional Complex near the end of her shift.

On Sunday, friends, family and strangers once again will lace up their sneakers for a run — or, in many cases, a walk — in her memory.

Biendl, 34, died in the line of duty Jan. 29, 2011. She was found strangled at her post in the prison chapel. Inmate Byron Scherf was convicted of aggravated first-degree murder and sentenced to death.

The run is meant to celebrate the friend and co-worker Biendl was to many people, as well as her public service.

Registered for the run are corrections officers from as far east as Walla Walla and Spokane and as far west as Clallam Bay. Many participants are from Snohomish County.

“The community comes out year after year,” said Susan Biller, a spokeswoman for the Monroe Correctional Complex. “We love that.”

The run draws some serious runners who head out first, and others who might run with a dog on a leash or push a baby stroller.

Monroe detective Barry Hatch, part of the team of officers who investigated Biendl’s death, will take part in Sunday’s event just as he has done every year.

“After the trial, it’s the only time we get to see the family,” Hatch said. “When we have a long drawn out trial like that, you get close.”

Hatch said he enjoys watching the family walk the course together each year.

The Jayme Biendl memorial run also is a chance “to remember her and what she stood for,” he said.

The run is set for 10 a.m. Sunday at Sky River Park, 818 Village Way, in Monroe. Registration opens at 9 a.m. and will cost $30. There is no guarantee of a T-shirt for everyone registering the day of event.

More than 300 people registered and event organizers are expecting another 100 or more on the day of the event, which is put on by the Monroe Correctional Complex, the City of Monroe and the Behind the Badge Foundation.

Eric Stevick: stevick@heraldnet.com; 425-339-3446.