CONWAY — Six years ago on March 12 was one of the worst days of Don Potter’s life. His beloved 13-year-old son, Chase, committed suicide.
Saturday, on the sixth anniversary of Chase’s death, his father will again put on a benefit event combining two things his son loved — animals and running.
An avid runner, Potter founded the Chase Race and Paws — a two-mile race for runners and a separate one-mile fun event with leashed pets — in 2006. This year’s race will begin at 8 a.m. Saturday in the PetSmart parking lot at the Conway Commons Shopping Center, 650 Elsinger Blvd.
“It’s the first time it’s occurred on the exact date he left this life,”
Potter said of the race. “It’s a happy and special time, but it’s also a sad time. It brings back the point of loss. But, my goodness, I’m just thrilled and so excited that [the event is] still ongoing.”
Potter, 73, said former PetSmart manager Karl Justice of Conway nudged him to start the event, which helped Potter work through his grief.
Registration for the two-mile or pet race is $25 on race day, $20 prior to Saturday; or $30 for both.
“We’re looking for 500 runners; that’s what we’re banking on,” he said.
Proceeds will be donated to Arkansas Children’s Hospital and Friends of the Conway Animal Shelter. To date, approximately $60,000 has been raised, divided evenly between the two beneficiaries.
“It just fits [Chase] perfectly, those two agencies,” Potter said.
One of Potter’s favorite memories is running with Chase in the Big Dam Night 5K in Arkadelphia.
“You never know about a kid, how they want to perform. I’ve taken him to a race, and he got a stick and flipped rocks,” Potter said, laughing.
The 5K, which they ran in 25 minutes, was different.
“That was even a good time for me, and his little old face was so red, and he was just panting, and he gave it all he had,” Potter recalled. “He wasn’t but about 9 or 10.”
Chase was “a pet nut,” too, Potter said. When Chase died, he had three dogs, rabbits, a lizard, a fish and an iguana.
Potter said Chase had suffered two traumatic brain injuries, one from a fall onto concrete from a bluff he was climbing, and one in a freak accident when a student dropped a barbell on Chase’s head during a physical-education class.
The injuries affected Chase’s ability to learn, as well as his behavior, his father said. Even though he seemed to be improving, Chase committed suicide in a facility for children with brain injuries.
Potter suffered another devastating blow. His wife, Cheryl, committed suicide five months after their son did. She had battled depression and was on medication, Potter said, and then was dealing with her son’s death.
She made her own impact on the running world, founding Women Run Arkansas Training Clinics.
He said the Cheryl Potter Achievement Award is given annually at the Women Can Run 5K in May, so he wanted this race to be dedicated to Chase.
Claudia Courtway of Conway, a member of the Chase Race Board, said she and Don Potter are in a running club together.
“We just became buddies,” said Courtway, who has helped with the race since its beginning.
“I really like that it truly is a community event,” Courtway said. “It’s for runners, but then families come with them, and it’s just very inclusive. There are other things to do.”
There will be a bounce castle and free hot dogs, Potter said.
In addition to the one-mile Paws event in which participants can walk or run with their leashed pets, there will be a pet-costume contest.
Potter said 100 dogs — and one raccoon — participated in the Paws event last year.
The raccoon had fallen out of a tree and is paralyzed, so its owner pushes the animal in a baby carriage, he said.
“The one-mile leashed dog [event[ is worth the price of admission,” he said with a laugh.
“Some want to fight, some want to mess, and then some want to run, and some of the people they’re running with, they get tripped with the leashes of other dogs.
“It’s confusing, but so entertaining.”
He said parents and children, no matter how young, walk together with their pets in the event.
“That makes me very happy to see that,” he said.
New this year are “technical” T-shirts for runners, provided as part of registration, Potter said.
They are made of breathable
polyester, he said. They cost more than the 50-50 blend T-shirts given in the past, but Potter said he wanted to do something more for the participants.
The Chase Race, for runners without their pets, is the Grand Prix championship’s two-mile race for the 2011 season.
Another new addition this year is $50 cash awards, Potter said.
If the overall winners set a course record, they will receive $50 cash prizes, plus a plaque.
Four random-order finishers will also receive $50 cash awards. For example, Potter said, if the number 123 is picked, the runner that finishes in that place will win. At the end of the race, two randomly drawn runners will win $50 cash awards, based on their bib numbers.
Registration forms are available online at www.chaserace.info.
“I don’t know whether we will grow or not, but we’ve grown in sponsorship, and we’ve grown in community friendship,” he said.
Potter said the race is a fun event — not a somber one — even though it is in memory of his son.
Potter has a bigger vision, though.
“I would love to see it be a national event,” he said of the Chase Race and Paws.
Potter’s idea is to have PetSmart stores throughout the country host similar events.
“I tried to talk [PetSmart officials] into letting me contact a running person in, say, Texarkana, and show them how [to conduct the race].”
“They would have it as close as possible to the March 12 date. The only thing I would ask is for them to call it Chase Race, ... and I would bow out of it.”
“I never give up — I’m gonna walk out of here one of these days, and I would like his little legend to carry on,” Potter said.