GREENEVILLE – Tie those laces and head to Tusculum University for a great evening of exercise and socializing at the Glow Run 5K and 1-Mile Fun Run, which will also feature an inspiring group that will raise awareness about ALS and living life to the fullest.
Paul Codispoti and some of his friends gather for a photo t the Crazy 8s Race in Kingsport in July.
The event takes place Thursday, Oct. 12, with the one-mile portion starting at 7:30 p.m. and the 5K part beginning at 8 p.m., both at the Indoor Practice Facility. Participants can run or walk the course and receive complimentary photos, post-races snacks and glow sticks. Those who register by Sunday, Oct. 1, will receive a free T-shirt.
In addition, participants will be able to meet Paul Codispoti, who was diagnosed with ALS, otherwise known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease, in 2020. He will ride in a racing wheelchair that several friends and supporters will push as they run in the race. His wife, Betsy will also be present.
“We are thrilled to hold this event as part of our 2023 Homecoming celebration,” said Belle Kemp, Tusculum’s director of alumni and community engagement. “It has been such a joy to organize these races with countless sponsors and supporters who have a love for both exercise and Tusculum, and we look forward to spending the evening with our friends from the community. We are also extraordinarily grateful to Paul for sharing his powerful story and witness with all of us at the event.”
During the event, participants and other guests will be able to visit several local vendors and food trucks. Before and during the races, they will also be able to experience the campus’ beauty and history. In addition to being Tennessee’s first higher education in Tennessee, Tusculum will look even more special in the midst of Homecoming.
A girl has fun as a prior year’s Glow Run.
Glow sticks will be in abundance at the Glow Run 5K and 1-Mile Fun Run.
The theme of the race is “Race to Space,” which ties to into the Homecoming theme, “Out of This World.” Sean Gosewisch, Tusculum’s assistant cross country and track and field coach, developed the routes for the two races.
The top three overall winners for each race and the top two age group finishers for the 5K will receive a medal.
Registration costs $30 and is accessible at bit.ly/3PzZk30. The cost increases to $35 if a person registers the day of the event. Tusculum students can participate for $20 by emailing alumni@tusculum.edu for the discount code.
Among the participants will be Paul Codispoti, a husband and father of two, who worked as a quality manager for Dodge, a bearing manufacturing company in Rogersville, before he had to leave due to his ALS diagnosis. He was also extremely active in assisting youth groups at First Broad Street United Methodist Church in Kingsport and was involved in mission trips for high school students.
Prior to his diagnosis, Paul Codispoti ran with a group of friends in races and in the community. That continues to this day, but the method of his participation has changed from running alongside them to being pushed in a cart. He still has fun. They have run in 24 races, using 53 pushers to complete 103 miles since his diagnosis. They also run on the Greenbelt in Kingsport on Thursdays as his health permits.
“His running group is phenomenal,” Betsy Codispoti said. “They bring light to his life. I don’t know what I would do without them. That’s my husband’s happy place.”
Paul Codispoti has similar thoughts about participating in the races and the weekly runs. He describes them in biblical terms.
Paul Codispoti and a couple of his friends run in the Red, White and Boom race in Kingsport on Independence Day.
“It is truly a blessing,” he said. “It’s the real-life experience of the Gospel story about the friends who lower the paralyzed man through the roof to be healed. I may not be physically healed, but for a short period of time I can forget my illness and enjoy running with my friends again. Being in the cart with my friends is truly a religious experience and a blessing that I do not take for granted.
“My original goal was to simply enjoy those moments, but now it is also to bring awareness to this hideous disease and maybe inspire others.”
Paul Codispoti was inspired by Dr. Josh Wandell, a teacher and administrator in Elizabethton City Schools and a Tusculum alumnus, who died in 2020 from ALS. Like Paul Codispoti, Wandell was a runner who started the Faith Over Fear Road Race after he was diagnosed. He attained a world record as a wheelchair team member. Upon his passing, the cart was donated to Ainsley’s Angels, which helps people with disabilities participate in races.
Paul Codispoti was interested in continuing to run through the chair and was able to ride in Wandell’s chair for a race in Jonesborough in 2021.
Travis Hager and Rick Eldreth, two of his running friends, then spearheaded a fundraising effort to purchase Paul Codispoti his own chair. They and others raised the $6,000 needed in three days the week of Thanksgiving in 2021.
They purchased the chair through Ainsley’s Angels and were off to the races and the weekly Greenbelt runs. The first race with the chair was the AmazinGrace 5K 2022 in Kingsport.
“Paul says he is doing OK, but he is always asking about how you are doing,” Hager said. “He is more of an inspiration to us than he will ever know. Hopefully, people at the Glow Run will see the light of God through Paul.”
Paul Codispoti said one of the nice elements of his experience of running in the cart has been the ability to meet new people. He said Eldreth began inviting friends from his running group. He said he feels overwhelmed and blessed that individuals he might not have known are sacrificing their time and races to assist him.
Betsy Codispoti describes the situation facing her husband and their family in frank but positive terms.
“ALS is a death sentence, but there is also hope you can live your life to the fullest,” she said. “Even though he has ALS and restrictions, he can be an important part of the community and society. We live for today, hope for tomorrow and pray for our future.”
To learn more about the Glow Run 5K and 1-Mile Fun Run, please visit https://site.tusculum.edu/glow-run/. People can also support Paul Codispoti by purchasing racing shirts and gear at bit.ly/3PRKBlq. More information about the fight against ALS in the Tri-Cities are of Tennessee is available at bit.ly/3RA5qmX.