Dr. Erik Heine, professor of music theory, completed a 24 hour run this October. The 24 the Hard Way race raised money for the Special Friends Foundation, an organization dedicated to providing information and resources for families with children suffering from Rubinstein-Taybi Syndrome.
Dr. Heine’s son Stephen was diagnosed with the condition in 2008. The Heine family received a grant from the Special Friends Foundation to equip Stephen with a specially designed tricycle. Since that time, Dr. Heine has been considering ways in which to give back to the organization.
Heine said he was inspired to run the race after hearing about other parents of children with RTS running philanthropic races. He decided to pursue the 24 the Hard Way race, a national race which features only one runner running a one-mile loop for 24 hours.
Dr. Heine began taking pledges for his run over the summer, when he started to train for the race. An anonymous donor agreed to match any funds raised by Heine. OCU students and faculty contributed to the fund, along with many members of the Oklahoma City running community.
Dr. Heine began his race at Bluff Creek Park in Oklahoma City at 9 a.m. on October 25th. Heine’s family was present to cheer him on during the race, and members of the community turned out to run some of the length with him.
Heine said he relied on the supply tent run by his family and friends during the race.
“The volunteers were great and the supply tent had everything we could hope for in terms of food and liquid,” Heine said. “I met some of the most wonderful people I’ve ever encountered on this one-mile loop. Everyone was kind, generous, supportive, and encouraging.”
The day’s temperatures soared to record-high numbers, reaching 92 degrees around midday. Heine said that this was one of the most difficult parts of the race.
“Unfortunately, it made everyone’s distance shorter than it could have been, and made several people drop out far earlier than they were expecting,” Heine said. “I had to really slow down between noon and 6 p.m.m or else I wouldn’t have made it the entire time.”
Despite the punishing conditions, Heine did complete the entire 24 hour race. He attributed his success to simply continuing to move forward.
“After a while, running became similar to Newton’s First Law of Motion: a body in motion tends to stay in motion,” Heine said. “Moving, even walking, was easier to do than stopping and resting. Even walking was making progress to the next mile.”
As the race came to a close at 9 a.m. on October 26, the results of the race were tabulated. Heine completed 85 miles on his 24 hour run, and came in first in his age group for all 24 the Hard Way races. He came in 9th overall.
At press time, Heine and his family have raised $9,425 for the Special Friends Foundation. With the matching gift, $18,850 have been raised.
Heine said that the race is not the end of the family’s dedication to this cause.
“Because of this race and the people we met and connections we made, we’ll be trying to push my son in a racing wheelchair in a 10K in December, with the assistance of the Oklahoma City Landrunners, a local running club,” Heine said.
For official results from the race, and a letter from Dr. Heine himself, visit his 24 the Hard Way fundraising website here. Donations are still being accepted.
For more information about Dr. Heine and his race, read past MediaOCU articles here.
Leave a Reply