Wichita cafe where runner killed by lightning was a customer is paying homage to him
Reverie Coffee Roasters owner Andrew Gough was out of town late last month when he heard that his friend, customer and adviser, Thomas Stanley, 33, had been struck by lightning and killed as he approached the finish line of a 50K race at Elk City State Park.
Gough was devastated and felt helpless, he said, and he wished there was something he could do.
This week, he found something to do and has turned his coffee shop at 2202 E. Douglas into a giant billboard honoring Stanley, who was the director of business initiatives at the Kansas Leadership Center and a big help to Gough as he grew his business.
Earlier this week, Gough filled his shop’s big Douglas-facing windows with letters that read “We Run for Thomas.”
He wants everyone to see the letters, but especially runners participating in Sunday’s Prairie Fire Marathon, who will travel right by Gough’s shop several times during the race’s marathon and half marathon. Prairie Fire organizers also plan to celebrate Stanley’s life during the race, which his wife and family members will run in his honor. Prairie Fire will donate $10 to a fund for Stanley’s three small children every time a runner registers for the race using the code Thomas19.
“His reach in the community was so much deeper and wider than most people will ever know,” Gough said. “This is our little way of shedding a little bit of light on his importance.”
Gough is inviting race spectators to gather at his shop to cheer all Prairie Fire runners on. They’re scheduled to pass by for the first time at 7:38 a.m., he said.
He’s opening Reverie an hour early — at 7 a.m. — and will provide drip coffee for free to people who show up between 7 and 8 a.m. He’ll also be collecting donations for the Thomas Stanley Children’s Fund, which has been set up by the Kansas Leadership Center.
This story was originally published October 9, 2019 at 10:10 AM with the headline "Wichita cafe where runner killed by lightning was a customer is paying homage to him."
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