RANCHO BERNARDO, Calif. -- Thousands of people, many dressed in blue or orange, headed out on a run/walk along the shores of Lake Hodges Saturday to symbolically complete the final act that slain Poway High School senior Chelsea King set out to do -- take a jog in the scenic park.

"Finish Chelsea's Run" was intended as a show of devotion to the memory of the 17-year-old straight-A student, and as a way for the community to "take back" the open-space area where she was allegedly raped and killed, organizers said.

Participants began gathering at 7 a.m. near the lake at Rancho Bernardo Community Park, where a band played on a stage flanked by giant posters of King.

Many people caught shuttles from a nearby mall to the site of the 3-mile run/walk, which began at 9 a.m. Pets on leashes and children were welcome, according to organizers.

About 3,000 people participated in Saturday's event, 10News learned.

Searchers found King's body in a shallow grave along an arroyo above Lake Hodges on March 2, five days after the cross-country running team member went missing.

A registered sex offender has been charged with raping and murdering her and could face the death penalty if convicted. John Albert Gardner III, 30, also stands accused of attacking another young jogger in the same park in late December, where the 22-year-old victim escaped after elbowing her attacker in the face.

Investigators have described Gardner as a "focal point" of their investigation of the apparent murder of 14-year-old Amber Dubois of Escondido, who vanished while walking to school in February 2009.

The high school freshman's skeletal remains were found on a hillside in the Pala area four days after King's body was found.