Hendrix runs for Relay, aunt’s memory

By Adam Koob (Contact) | The Natchez Democrat

Published Tuesday, April 22, 2008

NATCHEZ — Brady Hendrix is a man on a mission — a very long mission.

On Friday evening Hendrix will leave from mile zero on the Natchez Trace in an attempt to run 100 miles in 24 hours.

Leaving at 5 p.m., Hendrix plans to run 50 miles out then 50 miles back to his starting point.

And while Hendrix is only allowing himself 24 hours to do the ultra marathon, as it’s called, he’s not sure he’ll even need that much time.

“I think I can do it in 18 or 19 hours,” he said optimistically.

That’s 18 or 19 hours of nonstop running.

While Hendrix said he has a deep love of running, it’s a different kind of love that prompted him to run his one-man race.

Hendrix was living with his aunt in St. Louis in 2005 when she was diagnosed with stage-three colon cancer.

Hendrix’s aunt died earlier this month.

“It was supposed to be run in her honor, now it’s going to be run in her memory,” he said. “It was never intended to be this emotional.”

In his training period Hendrix has raised approximately $3,000 for Relay for Life.

Hendrix first began to plan the run over a year ago but a stress fracture in his foot “blew it all away,” he said.

Hendrix said after his foot healed he had mostly forgotten about the race until his sister reminded him of his previous plans.

So he started training again.

Running with the memory of his aunt Hendrix will also have a five-man crew, comprised of fellow marathoners, to guide him through the night.

“They’ll be aware of the changes my body is going through,” he said.

High on the list of changes Hendrix will be going through — caloric defficency.

“I’ll be burning between 700 and 1,000 an hour,” he said. “It’s tough.”

Hendrix said his support crew will be keeping vigilant and constantly seeing that he is putting calories in his body on a regular schedule.

Hendrix said he originally started running because a girl he had a crush on in grade school was on the track team.

“At first I hated it,” he said of his early experience on the track team. “But it’s something I’ve come to love.”