The fourth-annual Wright Run Against Drugs will be held on Saturday, Sept. 3 at Washington Park, which is located off of Eyman Park Drive in Washington Court House.
This 5K color run is organized by Jennifer Huseby to bring awareness and resources to those who suffer from addiction.
A color run is a race where various colored powders, made primarily from cornstarch, are tossed on the runners as they go by.
The event will start at 10 a.m. and is expected to last until 1 p.m.
Schedule of events for Sept. 3 will include Narcan training provided by Pathways 2 Recovery, as well as free Narcan available. This will take place at 9 a.m. Check-in and/or registration will be from 9-10 a.m. At 10 a.m., the color throw and start of run/walk will begin.
There will be music provided by “DJ Age” as well as a raffle of goods and services that have been donated by area businesses, along with private donations. The winners of the raffle items will be announced at 11:30 a.m. At noon, a guest speaker will address those in attendance.
Huseby’s son, Gage Wright, lost his battle to opioid addiction on Feb. 2, 2017.
“At the time, he didn’t want to seek treatment, but I was trying to find treatment for him in case he changed his mind,” explained Huseby. “He was 21 at the time. I couldn’t find anywhere to take him. I could find housing for women only, I could find alcohol treatment, but I couldn’t find anything for heroin, which is what he was using.”
Ten-and-a-half months prior to Gage’s passing, Huseby’s daughter Katie passed away due to a car accident.
“Prior to her passing, she wanted all of us to do color runs. We had never done any. After she passed, myself, Gage, and my husband all started doing color runs together in her memory,” said Huseby.
The first year this event took place was 2019. Huseby noted, “2020 has been our best year so far. We had around 67 participants!”
To encourage community education, Pathways 2 Recovery will include FREE Narcan training and distribution at the event.
“I bring in organizations at the event that specialize in substance use treatment, that way, the information is out there in the community and if people want or need it, it’s accessible.”
All proceeds from this event go to the Fayette County Prevention Coalition.
Huseby said, “The Coalition goes in and educates our kids on drug use and its effects, so I feel like if I’m donating the money to them, then I’m helping them continue what they do. If we can get to these kids before they start using and tell them the truth, other than what their peers tell them, maybe they’ll steer away from it.”
Huseby believes that getting the information for treatment options into our community is the most important aspect of this event, because it wasn’t there when she was desperately searching for it.
For more information on the Wright Run Against Drugs, you can contact Huseby at 740-313-2993 or email [email protected].
Record-Herald reporter Tyler Flora contributed to this article.
