An annual race in St. Clair County is expected to draw hundreds of participants from across the state, and registration is now open. The 15th annual Baby Steps Memorial 5K and Fun Run is Saturday, Sept. 9 at Homestead Hollow in Springville. Walkers and runners of all ages will strap on their tennis shoes and head to the starting line for the 5K at 8 a.m.
Though the event’s main race is the 5K run, a shorter-distance Fun Run will begin at 8:30 a.m. This run is for participants who might have children or for visitors who want to participate but do not want to commit to the full 3.1 miles. The race will also feature a virtual option for runners who wish to support the cause but cannot attend the event in person. During the race, children can enjoy several amenities at the event’s Kids Zone, including face paint, temporary tattoos, fairy hair, glitter, a bounce house and more. Abby Nicholas is the race’s director and co-founder. Nicholas said the purpose of the run is to give residents and visitors an opportunity to honor their lost loved ones.
“We have participants who register in memory of someone they’ve lost,” said Abby Nicholas, the event’s director and co-founder. “It’s not necessarily geared toward infant loss or child loss. It can be any loss, whether it’s a grandparent, aunt, uncle, friend, just anybody that you’ve lost [who] has passed away. The biggest thing to us is we want to help you remember that person. When [runners] come, they can run in honor of that person.”
Proceeds from this year’s race will benefit The Amelia Center at Children’s of Alabama in Birmingham. The center offers counseling services to parents, grandparents and children who have lost a relative or friend. It also offers individual therapy, group therapy and educational resources to families and professionals such as teachers and first responders. After losing her twin sons in 2008, Nicholas said she created the race a year later to help families receive the support that they deserve, including grief counseling.
“We wanted to do something to give back and to keep the memory of our children alive because it's something that's not talked about often,” she said. “Both of our families have benefited from the services that the Amelia Center provides. So, we wanted to make sure other people were aware of their services. [We also] realized that there wasn't an event that people could go to where they could feel comfortable remembering their loved one.”
However, Nicholas said the event is also one of celebration. She said one way runners celebrate their relatives’ and friends’ lives is by wearing their names on their back.
“Anyone who participates in early registration has the opportunity to include their loved one’s name on the back of our race shirts, and we also have memorial signs [with their name] throughout the run,” she said. “It gives a good touch and a good meaning to the run. We want the families to feel comfortable to talk about their loved one if they want to. We definitely don't want it to be like a sad event. It's more uplifting and encouraging than anything else.”
Event coordinators reported that roughly 500 participants and volunteers attended each year prior to the pandemic, and nearly 200 runners have already registered for next month’s race. Nicholas said she is happy to see the community gather over this event.
“It’s important for families to feel included. Their loved one did exist and that it's OK to talk about it if [they] want to,” she said. “I just feel like [this race] grows throughout Alabama. We have, in the past, had people from Mississippi and Tennessee come. I don't know how they know about our run, but they've come. To me, it's about spreading [awareness] for these families and just providing hope and encouragement to them through our run and [by] giving them that information about the Amelia Center if they need it.”
Above all else, Nicholas said she is happy to give residents a space to support and uplift one another.
“After the run each year, we get a lot of feedback from different families that are like, ‘Thank you so much for having than this. It means a lot to be able to see my child's name on a shirt or my grandchild’s name on a shirt,’” she said. “I know the impact that it has on families. When I see my sons’ name, it warms my heart. As a parent of loss, [grief] is something that people don't really ever want to talk to you about. This is a day where families can come together. They may not have to mention their loss, but it's just the feeling of support from everyone. You don’t feel so isolated.”
Readers interested in participating in the Baby Steps Memorial 5K or Fun Run can register online by visiting www.babystepsal.com. Those who register by Aug. 9 can get their loved one’s name printed on the back of all event t-shirts and memorial signs throughout the run. Registration for the 5K and Fun Run is also currently at a discount price. Registration will be available until the day of the race on Sept. 9.
