Shrewsbury parkrun plans tribute to much-missed club member who 'made the world a better place'
Tributes have poured in for a much-loved figure in Shrewsbury's running community.
Rick Garcia, a familiar face in the running circles of Shropshire, died just before Christmas aged 62 after a period of illness.
Rick, who worked in the military before retirement, joined running group Shropshire Shufflers around eight years ago, and it wasn't long before he began volunteering to help out.
During his time with the Shufflers, he looked after the club's 700 members as membership secretary, and directed countless parkruns for both adults and juniors in Shrewsbury.
Nick Pollock, Shropshire Shufflers club chair, said: "There are very few people on the running scene in Shrewsbury that wouldn't have known who Rick was. He meant a lot to a lot of people, he had such a generous character.
"He did so, so much for the running community. He encouraged so many people to take it up and to keep going and improve. He'll be very much missed.
"Our thoughts are very much with his wife Sharon and the rest of his family at this sad time."
Following his death, social media has been flooded with hundreds of tributes to Rick, with mourners noting his generosity, kindness and enthusiasm for running.
One wrote: "Rick was such a lovely man. It was a pleasure to have been coached, encouraged and welcomed by him and Sharon. Rick was a person who made the world a better place."
Another added: "Rick was a true gentleman. He was always kind and supportive and will be greatly missed."
Organisers at Shrewsbury parkrun will be paying tribute to Rick at this Saturday's run (9am at December 31) with a minute's round of applause. Runners are encouraged to wear red, white or blue for the event - they are the colours of the Shropshire Shufflers.
On January 14, Shrewsbury parkrun will be holding a pacer event in Rick's honour, to mark eight years since he first paced for the run on January 17, 2015.
