The Hudson Wade 5K race will return for its fifth consecutive year.
The founder of the race, Kyle Karni, created it five years ago while he was the president of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee.
“Each year since then, I have played a part in pulling off some of the race operations and help in planning it, and that hasn’t changed this year,” Karni said. “I’m really excited to have had help from Hudson’s parents Kirk and Laura Wade this year, especially since it was their son that the race was established for.”
The 5K began because of fifth-grader Hudson Wade who attended the Abilene Christian School. Hudson was diagnosed with Leukemia in Sept. 2015 and in Feb. 2015 he lost his battle with the illness.
“In light of Hudson’s illness, we started the first Hudson Wade 5K. The first race was in Nov. 2015, but Hudson actually wasn’t at the first 5K since he was still at Cook Children’s Hospital at that time,” Karni said. “One of my favorite pictures is actually him wearing the original Hudson Wade 5K T-shirt.”
Karni said Hudson was someone who ultimately had a large impact on his life. He said that the way Hudson lived and fought his battle is the way he wants to live his life, with trust in God’s plan for the future.
Kirk and Laura Wade said the message they want to get out to people through this race is the way they can honor Hudson.
“We can honor the legacy of a young man who left this earth too early,” the Wades said. “We love when people come up and talk about Hudson because it is honoring a valued friend and a loved child.”
Karni said the money raised is all going to a charity. He said he hopes it will help benefit other families experiencing the horrors of pediatric cancer and hopefully help them through their difficult time.
“All of the money we raise is going to the Play 4 Rex Foundation, which was started by Lance Fleming who was the former Sports Director at ACU,” Karni said. “Fleming’s son Lance passed away a couple of years before Hudson because of a brain tumor. When the Wades were going through their battle, the Play 4 Rex Foundation was there to support them.”
The Hudson Wade 5K will take place on Sept. 19. The Wades encourage everyone to come race, regardless of if they knew Hudson.
