20 Years Running: CHaD HERO’s Road to Healing Kids

For Jeff Hastings, asking people for money didn’t come naturally. But when he was appointed as a board member at the Children’s Hospital at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center (CHaD) in 2004, he recognized that children and families in his community needed support—and began brainstorming how to help.

“[CHaD] needed people who would ask for money,” Hastings says. “So I wondered if there was a way to do it by providing something in return, and raising awareness at the same time.”

That planted the seed for a community-led half marathon, initially called “CHaD Outrun the Sun.” “The idea was to start at 4:00 pm and challenge runners to cross the Dartmouth Green finish line before sunset,” Hastings says.

He took the concept to Sharon Brown, then director of CHaD Community Relations. Nothing like this had ever been done in the Upper Valley but Brown believed it was just crazy enough to work.

“We were hoping to expand our events to invite broad community participation and give people a chance to fundraise for CHaD,” Brown recalls. “I trusted Jeff would do his homework. And he did not disappoint.”

Back then, the event was modest; just 700 runners, a finish line, and the goal to raise critical funds for CHaD’s programs and services. The inaugural event started in Etna, N.H. in 2006 and raised $120,000, thanks in large part to volunteers.

“The event had incredible energy with the founding members,” Hastings says. “Everybody knew we were breaking new ground.”

Twenty years later, that scrappy afternoon race has grown into the CHaD HERO, a full-day celebration of movement, community, and cause. The event has changed course numerous times, moved from summer to fall, and now includes runs of different lengths, walks, virtual events, and a festival on the Dartmouth Green.

What sets the CHaD HERO apart from similar fundraisers is its grassroots, youth-driven spirit—powered by local families, patients, and kids themselves, many of whom are participants. It’s now the largest single community fundraising event supporting a children’s hospital in northern New England.

“It’s so much more than a fundraising event or race for a cause,” says Olive Isaacs, senior director of community fundraising and engagement. “It's a unique opportunity for this community of neighbors and friends, people who have been cared for by CHaD, to come together and celebrate. It’s why the HERO punches above its weight—because it’s rooted in gratitude and love for this incredible hospital.”

A HERO from the start

Few people embody the HERO spirit quite like Joanna Miller, who has run every single CHaD race since it began.

At 16, Miller was hospitalized at CHaD for chronic inflammatory demyelinating neuropathy (CIDP), a rare neurological condition that causes sudden and debilitating muscle weakness.

“I couldn’t peel the top off a yogurt container,” she says. After five days of IVIG therapy at CHaD—“which worked like magic”—she remembers running around her backyard, jumping in the air, which had been impossible before treatment. So when her mother encouraged her to run the inaugural CHaD Half Marathon in 2006, Miller signed up, despite never having run more than a 10K.

“I am very thankful for the treatment that I received,” Miller says. “I’ve been able to live a full life, and I want to be able to give back if I can.”

Miller has raised nearly $75,000 for CHaD, and her whole family always participates. This year, Miller’s 13-year-old daughter began to fundraise, collecting donations from neighbors.

“Everyone shows up in support of these kids and families,” Miller says. “CHaD HERO is such a joyful day. It’s like a big hug from the community,”

Kids helping kids

One of most fervent early members of the organizing team was Nini Meyer, a runner and mother of two. At three weeks old, Meyer’s son was treated at CHaD for meningitis, so when she heard about the race, she “leapt at the opportunity” to volunteer.

Generations of Meyer’s family joined as participants, volunteers, and supporters. “It became this labor of love that was all about play,” she says.

In 2008, Meyer’s sons friend, Cam Marshall, was being treated for leukemia at CHaD. And Meyer wanted to help.

“People were bringing over lasagnas [for Cam and his family], and I do not cook,” Meyer laughs. “We thought we could do something in his honor at the CHaD Half Marathon.”

Within a week, Meyer helped organize a tribute run. “It was all very last-minute, a real mad dash,” she says, adding that a horrible rainstorm threatened participation. “But so many people showed up anyway. Watching those kids take action—soaking wet, proud, and strong—was one of the most powerful things I’d ever seen.”

Today, Cam’s Course, a one-mile fun run, remains a CHaD HERO cornerstone. It also inspired Meyer to launch Positive Tracks, a nonprofit that empowers young people to use athletics to drive change.

“An enormous amount of our [CHaD HERO] participants are kids,” Isaacs says. “Programs like Positive Tracks and Finding Our Stride show them early that activity and movement can be about helping others, not just competing, which teaches gratitude. Kids learn they can give back—to their community and even to strangers. That’s powerful.”

The making of a HERO

As the event evolved over time, so did its identity. Renamed the CHaD HERO in 2009 in a nod to everyday heroes—patients, families, and community members—the event celebrates the resilience and courage of kids receiving care, as well as the spirit of everyone who participates, fundraises, or volunteers.

That year, race organizers took the HERO energy even further.

Thanks to large-scale community mobilization and hundreds of costumes, the CHaD HERO set a Guinness World Record for the most people dressed as superheroes in one place—1,016 in total—and later broke it again.

“Something happens when you put people in a cape,” Meyer says. “They get a little bit wacky. They feel like a hero. They act like a hero. Also, it’s really fun to run in a cape.”

Building on 20 years of impact

Today, the CHaD HERO community is striding into its third decade with an eye toward the future.

“As we look to the next 20 years of the CHaD HERO, we’re committed to deepening the connections between our hospital and the communities we serve,” says Keith Loud, MD, physician-in-chief at Dartmouth Health Children’s. “We’re exploring new ways to bring the HERO spirit to families across New Hampshire and Vermont—whether that’s expanding events, building new partnerships, or making it easier for kids and families to get involved. The heart of the HERO will always be community and compassion, but innovation will help us reach even more children in the future.”

Hastings agrees wholeheartedly. “The possibilities are great,” he says. “We started with a vision that’s now reinventing itself. Everybody loves CHaD. It’s why people keep coming back.”