Hustling to find a cure for muscular dystrophy: Local race raises money in honor of one young boy

LAKE IN THE HILLS – Residents interested in raising money to benefit a good cause need to look no further than participating in the ninth annual Henry’s Thanksgiving Day Hustle 5K race and Kids Dash.

Presented by local resident Karen Kopf’s company, Kopf Running, Henry’s Hustle will be held on Nov. 25 starting at 8:15 a.m. at Huntley Community School District 158’s Marlowe Middle School (9625 Haligus Road, Lake in the Hills).

According to Kopf, Henry’s Hustle was started to honor one of their family friend’s children Henry Betts, who was diagnosed with Merosin Deficient Congenital Muscular Dystrophy, an autosomal recessive form of muscular dystrophy characterized by muscle weakness apparent at birth or in the first six months of life.

Since that time, Henry’s Hustle went from hosting 81 people in their first race to now having over 500 participants yearly. In 2020, Henry’s Hustle raised over $10,000 for the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA), despite being held virtually.

“That was actually our highest total…we had like one donor come in at like $3,000 and we’re hoping maybe he’ll do another donation like [that] after the race,” said Kopf. “[We average] between $7-9,000 somewhere in there, each year. This year our goal is $15,000…We might be more around $10-12,000 again…After we reconcile everything, we write a nice big check to MDA and call it a day. That’s what we plan to donate again this year so it’s a great amount. We’re actually a line item on their budget now so it’s kind of cool. [MDA knows] we’re going to do it every year so it’s neat.”

Registration for the in-person 5K is $25 until Nov. 24. The price for registration increases to $30 on race day. Participants can also opt to do the race virtually which will cost $20 and will be open for registration until Nov. 22.

However, for individuals who would like to assist in ways other than through monetary donations, Kopf says she is always looking for volunteers to assist with the race.

“You just sign up on our site. If you’re under 18—we have some high school volunteers—we require that the parents sign them up, but other than that, usually we do a training that morning…This year it’s a little bit different with that. We will have a training the week of the race.” said Kopf.

The biggest obstacle in hosting Henry’s Hustle, according to Kopf, is trying to capture the spirit of the young boy from which the race takes its namesake.

“I mean he tells us all the time how much it means to him and he’s only nine. Each year he says it. He’s also kind of been used as a national spokesperson for MDA as well in different races and different little initiatives they have, so it’s really cool,” said Kopf.

She continued, “These kids are kids too. They deserve to go to summer camp and be able to be in their wheelchair with other kids that are like that and do all these fun activities. Their parents have to pay like $40,000 for wheelchairs, well MDA can help with that. So, it’s just so important for people to understand he’s a fully functional child, he just can’t walk. He can’t move his muscles like the rest of us. So, if we can give them every opportunity to enjoy life and to have as many opportunities as possible, that’s great.”

With Betts turning 10-years-old next year, Kopf has been trying to come up with ideas to make the 10th annual Henry’s Hustle race, their biggest yet.

“We want to really blow it out of the water. Like we want 1,000 runners next year. We want to raise like $20,000…I think that number is definitely achievable. I really do. Our short-term goal for next year is really killing it on the sponsorships,” said Kopf. “Our shirts are going to be awesome. They’re going to be totally different than they usually are. They’re going to be like full color and possibly a long-sleeve option. It’s going to be really cool and then we’re going to do some additional swag. Maybe a sweatshirt if you donate like an additional $100 or like maybe a water bottle. Just something with all the branding on it. We’re going to just do more of that giveaway stuff next year.”

Kopf says this year’s race is expecting to see over 600 people, also explaining that her long-term goal is to see Henry’s Hustle be an event that everyone in the community knows about.

“Long-term, I mean my kids talk about it. They want to own this race. This is something [they see] as their future. They want to do this every year. This is something they want to work towards making a huge deal,” said Kopf. “That would be our long-term [goal] is just making it this thing that kind of everybody in the community knows is happening and they want to be a part of it.”

To find out more about Henry’s Hustle 5K and Kids Dash, individuals can visit, henryshustle.com/race-information.

Residents who do not wish to participate in the race but simply want to make a donation can visit, runsignup.com/henryshustle and click on the “Donate” button at the top of the webpage.