Running For Gracie

BETHANY RUNNERS UNITE 4 GRACIE

By Tanya Corkum

We all have a race to run in this life. Sometimes we need to get out there and go it alone, to set a goal and push ourselves to prove we can do it. Sometimes we need go our own pace, to listen to our heart and body, because to try and run someone else’s race might lead to injury or disappointment. But more often than not, we need to run our race with friends.

Friends help to motivate and inspire us. Friends give us support and encouragement. Friends tell us what we are capable of, hold us accountable, and also remind us when we should hold back and rest. Friends are there to carry some of our load or just run along in silence so we know we are not alone.

In our running community we have one such group called Bethany Runners Unite (BRU). BRU has met every Saturday since its inception in September of 2016. BRU was started by friends Jamie Williams and Paul Enriquez whose goal was to unite runners in the Bethany area of Portland, Oregon to support each other in their running pursuits.

BRU is a publicly posted group on Facebook, open to anyone who wants to join, that welcomes runners of all abilities at 8am on Saturdays to run at their own pace and self-selected distance along the same predetermined route each week. The faster runners are encouraged to wait for the slower runners to catch up at specific sections before continuing on. BRU always ends where it begins, at Bethany Starbucks, where runners are invited to stay for coffee and socialize. 

BRU currently has 245 members online and has anywhere from 10-25 runners who show up every Saturday. BRU is also occasionally joined by other area running groups such as the Sunstone Running Club creating a wider range of support and friendships. 

Little did we know how important our community would become. In December of 2017 founder Jamie William’s 5-year-old daughter Gracie was diagnosed with DIPG a rare form of brain cancer. As Jamie, his wife Emily, and their son Liam tried to comprehend, process and take on all that was happening to Gracie, they began to reach out to their community and share openly on their Facebook page called Amazing Gracie about their experience.

The Williams invited us to be a part of their journey. They openly and honestly shared all of their experiences good and bad. They opened their hearts and lives to the support their community could offer. The Williams were surrounded by love and support from near and far. All over their neighborhood; school, work, church, and running club rallied around to do what we could to support them.

Jamie and his family did all they could to find help and support for Gracie, while doing all they could to keep themselves and their family healthy and connected. In between work, research, doctors’ visits, treatments, travel, and making wonderful family memories, Jamie would come back to run with BRU on Saturdays, most of the time running a 13-mile half marathon distance to keep his body and mind healthy. Through it all Jamie was always hopeful, positive and encouraging.

When American Cancer Society Community Development Manager, Shiela Peralta reached out to BRU to ask if we’d be interested in creating a Hood to Coast Pacific City team to raise funds to support those affected by cancer, we knew we had to get involved. In fact, we had so many members who wanted to participate that we created three BRU4GRACIE teams and got to work raising money to support the Society by running as charity runners for the Hood to Coast Pacific City relay on May 4, 2019.

As word of Gracie’s story spread, our village got even bigger. Shiela from the American Cancer Society and her boyfriend, Brandon started running with BRU and have become part of our running community. Family, friends and neighbors have reached out to ask how they can support Gracie and her family. Money was donated, and events were put on spreading love in Gracie’s honor bringing together strangers who became friends, connected by the desire to help support the Williams family and eliminate cancer.

Sweet little Gracie Williams finished her race peacefully in her sleep surrounded by family and friends on February 18, 2019. She and her family have taught us how to love and be loved well. They have shown us what perseverance, hope and strength are all about. They have also shown us the beauty of being honest, raw and vulnerable.

The Williams have taught us that life is precious and that not even one moment should be wasted. They reminded us of the power of community and the importance of caring for one another. They have proven that regardless of our differences we are more alike in our humanity; and that we can, and should, all do what we can to make the world a better place for everyone.

Gracie Williams is a light that has reminded us how to live and love well. It is our privilege to run in honor of Amazing Gracie and carry her light in our hearts shining bright.