Sacrifice.

It's a virtue that we should all hold dear.

The willingness to give up something of high value for the greater good is a rare trait indeed.

David L. Grove, according to those who knew him, possessed that trait. He made the ultimate sacrifice. He gave up his life in the line of duty.

Grove, for those who don't remember, was the wildlife conservation officer (WCO) who was killed in Adams County while attempting to apprehend two deer-poaching suspects on Nov. 11, 2010.

His tragic death was a great loss to the local outdoors community.

Something had to be done to make sure that Grove would never be forgotten. That's where Chad Eyler and Jason Raup stepped in.

Eyler and Raup, like Grove, love the outdoors. Eyler is currently a chief for the Pennsylvania Game Commission's Bureau of Wildlife Protection. Raup is a staff attorney for that same organization.

They decided to start a five-kilometer run to honor Grove's memory. The first WCO David L. Grove Memorial Run is set for 9 a.m. Saturday at John Rudy County Park. Registration starts at 7:30 a.m. and the cost to enter is $25.

That seems like a small price to pay, especially when you consider the man who is being remembered and the sacrifice that he made. Proceeds from the event will go to a scholarship fund that will aid deserving students who are pursuing wildlife careers at Penn State.

It's a great cause in memory of a great man, according to Eyler.

"We wanted to keep Dave's memory alive and what he stood for," Eyler said. "He was a fantastic person, and a very solid individual, both personally and professionally. He was a great conservation officer. I don't know if you could find a person who would say a bad word about Dave."

Eyler said the response to the race has been has been "heartwarming."

"We didn't know what to expect," he said. "We were told if we got 100 runners for a first-time race we'd be doing pretty well. We registered our 329th person (on Monday)."

Eyler said the race wouldn't have been possible without seed money from local outdoors groups -- especially the York County Federation of Sportmen's Clubs.

"We wouldn't have gotten anywhere without them," Eyler said.

Thankfully, with the help of countless individuals, Saturday's race looks like it will be a smashing success. That's a wonderful thing. David Grove, a man who made the ultimate sacrifice, deserved nothing less.

Steve Heiser is sports editor of The York Dis patch. He can be reached at sheiser@yorkdis patch.com or at 854-1575, ext. 455. For information on the race, visit paw co.org.