Tiny Half Marathon raises funds for heart help
Tiny Half Marathon raises funds for heart help
Seven years ago, a sixmonth-old baby boy passed away after his second open heart surgery. Though he was very young, he left a hole in the lives of Rick and Jean Keiser, who had been in the process of adopting him.
“We nicknamed him Tiny,” Rick Keiser said. “He was born with a congenital heart defect.”
To help deal with their grief, the Keiser family founded a nonprofit, tinySmiles, and launched the Tiny Half Marathon in their son’s honor.
Each year, they join organizers in putting on a highquality, professional race — complete with a halfmarathon, 10K, 5K run and walk, and Kids Fun Run — to raise funds for tinySmiles and the Children’s Heart Foundation’s California chapter.
“Roughly half goes directly to patients, and half goes to research,” Keiser said.
Each year, the event raises about $10,000, he said — a number he hopes to top.
“I would always love more,” he said. “I’m glad we’ve been able to raise that, but unfortunately dollars is what really helps the research.”
Through the races, Tiny and his short life have been able to have a big impact. In addition to the halfmarathon and race day, tinySmiles raises awareness about congenital heart defects and offers support to local parents and families going through treatment.
The Tiny Half Marathon and the other races are open to everyone: runners, joggers, walkers, stroller pushers, and anyone else who wants to get outside for a good cause.
The half marathon loop goes through historic Old Town Galt, new developments, and past both of the city’s high schools. The 5K and 10K courses are a fast out-and-back loop — once for the 5K, twice for the 10K. Both courses will have aid stations and bathrooms along the way.
The finish line will be at a spectator-friendly area at the Galt Fairgrounds, which will also host a Health Expo offering free entertainment, health screenings and a blood drive, along with kids’ activities.
Parking is free, and registration includes a race Tshirt. On Your Mark Events will provide chip timing, and food and drinks will be available for purchase.
Tiny Smiles hopes local residents will turn out for a day of community and in support of families struggling with health challenges.
When the Keisers first adopted Tiny, they looked for support from families who had been there; now they offer that support to others.
“We’ve made a lot of good friends through this,” Keiser said.
Most recently, they and their organization offered support to some families who had survived the Camp Fire in Butte County. One family lost their child a couple of months before the fire; others were struggling to juggle with the fire’s aftermath
and a major medical challenge at the same time.
“I just can’t imagine,” Keiser said. “I learned through Tiny’s death never to say it’s the worst thing you could ever go through, because there’s always something worse.”
He asks folks to come out to the Tiny Half Marathon and become part of something bigger than themselves.
“It’s nice to have the ability to reach out to the families, and not just say we want to be there, but to actually be there,” he said.