The Story Behind NiteRun

Runners make their way through a NiteRun course in Haleiwa HUGH GENTRY PHOTO The first NiteRun was held in 2013 at Kualoa Ranch TWAIN NEWHART PHOTO

When John Henderson set out to create adventure 5k NiteRun, people asked him again and again why he wanted to do it. Organizing massive events like NiteRun requires a lot of time and effort, and in Henderson’s case, it’s not even something he can participate in: He’s been in a wheelchair since 2009.

Before that, Henderson had been a prolific outdoorsman. He was not just an athlete, but he occupied an elite station of athleticism — he was a triathlete. He had competed in rigorous physical gaunt-lets like Ironman and even 24-hour bike rides. He also was the founder of challenge event Adventure Race Hawaii.

On that day in 2009, Henderson was on a long bike ride, in training for an upcoming race, when he was struck by a tour bus and flung nearly 100 feet.

It was a harrowing ordeal: “I broke almost every bone between my head and my knees, I took 34 units of blood, I had 18 hours of surgery, and I was in the hospital for months,” Henderson recalls.

His chances of survival were pretty dismal — the type of percentage where the zeros appear before the number. He lived, but he was left paralyzed from the belly button down. While he has regained a small range of motion over the years — and can even move his legs and walk a bit — he’s confined to a wheelchair most of the time.

Adjusting to life after the accident was a challenge.

“I literally had to learn how to breathe again, swallow again, talk again — it was like being reborn,” he says. “I had to re-learn everything.”

But he made steady strides — soon, he was participating in adaptive athletics, doing things like swimming and playing basketball. He got back to work, operating a medical device distribution service alongside wife Laurel, as well as managing a construction development company. Eventually, he wanted to get back into producing competitive events, too, and dreamed up the idea for NiteRun. Although he could no longer participate in races, he still wanted to do it for other people.

“The reason I want to do this is not about me — it’s for everybody else,” he explains.

“(Athletics) is a part of me. It was so much of my life before I got hurt that I just refused to give it up,” Henderson continues. “When you love something so much, you can’t just let this wheelchair hold you back from being involved.”

NiteRun launched in 2013, and it’s slowly been building momentum since then. This year, it’s set to host events quarterly, the first of which takes place at 7 p.m. May 23 in Kakaako, with a family fair from 5 to 9 p.m. at the start/

end point. Proceeds benefit JDRF Hawaii, which seeks to find a cure for Type 1 diabetes.

The course starts at Kewalo Basin Harbor, winds through the harbor toward Ala Moana, runs along the waterfront, and then ends back at Kewalo. NiteRun is less of a race than it is a light-hearted event that emphasizes well being, and participants are encouraged to dress in costume. (Think tutus and bright colors.) Meanwhile, the fair features live entertainment, food vendors and keiki activities.

“This is not a race — anybody who can walk three miles is more than welcome to come hang out,” explains Henderson. “Or, if you want to just come to the fair, you can do that, too.”

What really propelled Henderson to create NiteRun was that it provided him an opportunity to benefit local charitable organizations.

“I‘d had the idea for Nite-Run, but really that is what made me pull the trigger,” he says. “One hundred percent of our proceeds go to charity.”

In recent years, fun runs have been trending, but what really sets NiteRun apart in Henderson’s eyes is that it’s locally produced — by Henderson alongside race director Chris Gardner — unlike other, comparable races that produce localized versions of the same event on nationwide tours. Gardner, who has been coordinating races in Hawaii for almost two decades, has crafted each of the courses to include stunning views in picturesque settings.

“We try to focus on the natural beauty of Hawaii,” Henderson says. “So for instance, in Kakaako … it’s a beautiful, beautiful beach view. It’s all right along the ocean.”

The other NiteRuns coming up this year include Ewa Beach, Kailua and Haleiwa in July, October and December, respectively.

In keeping true to its local roots, NiteRun benefits local organizations — something Henderson is particularly adamant about. So far, NiteRun has partnered with Boys & Girls Club of Hawaii in addition to JDRF, to raise awareness and funds. NiteRun also plans to work with Sunset, Waialua and Iroquois Point elementary schools at upcoming runs.

While NiteRun does plan to donate its proceeds to these groups, the benefit of its work so far seems to transcend monetary worth.

As Boys & Girls Club of Hawaii Windward Clubhouse director Maureen Purington sees it, the biggest gain for the group has been Henderson himself.

“(Henderson) has been to the Clubhouse, and he has talked to our kids about overcoming adversity,” Purington explains. “I think it increased their empathy and had them thinking that maybe they can do more than they think they can. You can’t even put a price tag on that.”

“We’re doing a ton with children and schools,” Henderson says. “My wife and I don’t have kids, but all of my friends are having kids, and if I can do something to help them and their families, I am all about it.”

To that end, NiteRun has been increasingly conscious of making its events inclusive of young families. Now, there are stroller divisions for each race, as well as a bounce house, a slide and more. There’s also live entertainment and food vendors throughout the fair.

“I noticed that I would have a NiteRun, and I would want all of my friends to be there, but without the (keiki activities), it was hard for them. Now, every one of my events has kid stuff going on, so it’s really for the whole family,” Henderson says. “People our age are having families, but that doesn’t mean that they’re not super fun, cool people. So we want them to be there, too.”

Henderson also is in the process of launching a nonprofit, Holomua on Wheels, which will offer adaptive athletics, as well as raise awareness about such sports among able-bodied people.

“The more awareness there is, the more help will be created for people with disabilities,” Henderson says. “The hope is that it will help to increase adaptive sports technologies and just general public awareness.”

Although he’s the director of NiteRun, Gardner credits the event’s success to Henderson and his seemingly endless energy: “John is very dynamic, and I have to remind myself that he is actually in a wheelchair because he does a lot. He brings so much to the table. ”

Henderson admits that with everything he has going on, it’s a lot to handle.

“I used to race Ironman and all of these hardcore races, so I would spend hours and hours and hours working out,” Henderson says. “And now I have kind of thrusted all of that energy into my entrepreneurialism.

“I’m insane, I’m totally insane,” he says with a laugh, “but I am doing what I love.”

The registration fee for NiteRun is $39.50, or $25.50 for kids 10-17. Attending the family fair is free. For more information, visit niterun.com.