Max's Race Returns June 27th

 Max's Race is back this year with the continued purpose of honoring the memory of Maxwell Matthews and helping families with sick children. This year’s Race Day events include an 8:30AM 5K Run/Walk, a 9:30AM Kids' 1 Mile Run and 9:45-10:00AM Kids Fun Runs.

Max, son of Natalie and Jim Matthews, contracted bacterial meningitis in 1998 when he was only 7 months old. He was almost 7 years old when he died in 2005 due to complications from the disease.

Max

Natalie Matthews and the other race directors overcame significant odds to establish Max’s Race during the first year following Max's death. “At that time, when you have a loss like that, you're barely even coming out of bed so to be able to pull it off that first year and keep it going like this is amazing” Matthews explained.

The loss of Max led to the decision to start the Maxwell Matthews Foundation, a non-profit corporation created to raise money for Sparrow Pediatrics. The Foundation conducts two main fundraising events each year, Max's Race and Max's Bowl-a-Thon. Sparrow has benefitted significantly from these fundraising efforts, having received close to $180,000 in donations to date.

This year, half of the profits from Max's race will be given to Sparrow Pediatrics, while the other half will go to The Davies Project.  This is a collaborative effort between Michigan State University and Sparrow that helps sick kids attend the multitude of necessary specialty clinic appointments. The program pairs volunteers with families to provide rides to these appointments.

The Race is also part of the Playmakers Race Series. Matthews explained what it means to be included in this series: “It's a pretty big deal because those are really established races in our community and I just don't think we could do it without the support of Playmakers. They are the premier running and sports store in the area and they just have so much reach. There are people who will do that entire race series.”

The contribution that the funds from Max's Race make to Sparrow Pediatrics and The Davies Project are extremely important to the community, according to Matthews: “I can tell you that when Max was sick, the last thing you want to have to do is travel, so having all the special care doctors right here at this hospital is a really big deal. Having to travel is frustrating because it takes a lot out of the entire family so the fact that we are able to keep these specialists right here, so that kids don't have to travel far in addition to their illness, is really remarkable.”

The ability of this event to sustain the memory of Max is equally significant. Matthews shared the following reflection on the race: “The most emotional part of that day for me is that all those people there are thinking about my son on that same day.”

There are several ways to register for Max’s Race (and there’s still plenty of time!). You may visit maxsrace.com and register online, or print out the registration form and drop it at Playmakers, located at 2299 West Grand River, in Okemos. You may also register on site the day of the Race from 6:30-8:00AM.

The Race begins at the MSU Auditorium, at the corner of Farm Lane and Auditorium Drive.