A Grace Filled Journey 5k Run & 1-Mile Walk

In November 2014, three-year-old Grace Herschelman of Hillsboro, IL was diagnosed with an ultra-rare disorder called INAD (infantile neuroaxonal dystrophy). The genetic disorder affects about 100 children worldwide, and steals a child’s ability to walk and talk. Grace was never able to walk independently and over the years has lost any of the words she was able to say, including mama and dada. Most children with INAD don’t live to see their tenth birthday

And while the prognosis for INAD is grim, Grace will celebrate her eighth birthday just a week after this year’s A Grace-Filled Journey 5K and one-mile run. She will be a first grader at Beckemeyer Elementary School, where she loves music, reading books and being around the kids in her class, who always treat her like a princess.

This will be the third A Grace-Filled Journey 5K and one-mile run event, and the previous two events have raised $50,000 in support of INAD research with Dr. Paul Kotzbauer at Washington University in St. Louis, MO. Dr. Kotzbauer will attend the event and provide an update on his research. Proceeds from this year’s event will benefit the INADCure Foundation, which fully supports the work of Dr. Kotzbauer and other endeavors to benefit children with INAD.

We will also once again be offering a virtual option, making the race open to anyone anywhere in the world. The last race had runners from all 50 states and several countries, and we hope to be able to have runners representing all 50 states again this year. We encourage virtual runners/walkers to form groups in their locations for maximum participation and fun. 

Together, we run for those who can’t! When you share photos from this year’s event, be sure to use the hashtags #GraceFilled5K and #BeatINAD. For more information on Grace and her story, visit www.agracefilledjourney.com.