A mile-long run around downtown Greeneville is being organized for a good cause.
The Main Street Mile will kick off Oct. 17’s BBQ & Bluegrass Festival at 9 a.m.
In years past, the race was run on the Fourth of July, but it hasn’t been held in more than two decades.
This year, it returns to benefit the Greene County chapter of the National Alliance for Mental Illness after being organized by Leah Keicher-Thwing in memory of her father, Brian Keicher.
The late, popular Greeneville High School athletic trainer had been diagnosed with depression. In 1997, he died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound at the age of 37.
Now, Keicher’s family members aim to honor him by building support for an organization that, they say, can help others battling mental illness.
FOR A GOOD CAUSE
Keicher-Thwing was just 2 years old when her father died. Now, at age 20, she shares his love of running.
“He was an every day runner,” she said, adding that she wanted to revive the Main Street Mile because it was important to her late father.
“My dad still has the record — 4 minutes, 54 seconds,” she said. “He died from his mental illness. The Main Street Mile was something he was involved in, so I brought it back for a good cause.”
Keicher-Thwing is active in advocating for mental illness support and awareness, particularly through groups like NAMI and the student organization To Write Love On Her Arms.
“For people who don’t have all of that, it’s OK to ask for help,” she said. “I want people to know that it’s OK to not be OK.”
Keicher-Thwing explained that her father was the first athletic trainer hired full-time at a Tennessee school, and worked with GHS athletes on and off the field.
When GHS scores at Burley Stadium, the “boom” familiar to fans today is a volley from “Keicher’s Kannon,” named in his honor.
“He was beloved at GHS. He was very much loved,” recalled LeAnne Thwing, Keicher’s wife, who has, in the years since his death, married Dr. Philip Thwing.
She said she’s often thought of ways to honor Keicher’s memory.
“I don’t want him to be forgotten,” she said. “But, when he died, our kids were 1 and 2, and I thought, ‘What can I do?'”
She found an answer to that question by working with NAMI, where she now serves on the board of directors.
“There is help. There is hope. We want to end the stigma,” Thwing said of the group. “If someone has diabetes or cancer, it’s ‘Oh, you poor thing,’ but if people have depression, they’re told to ‘snap out of it.’
“You can’t just ‘get over’ cancer, and you can’t get over mental illness just like that.”
According to Thwing, an organization like NAMI could have helped Keicher cope after his depression diagnosis.
“Had he had an organization like NAMI that he could have leaned on, I think it might have made a difference,” she said.
Even with advances in diagnosis and treatment, those who suffer from mental illnesses face many challenges in finding proper care, Thwing added.
“When he was diagnosed with depression, it was a different world. There was a big stigma,” she said. “You didn’t talk about it. It was embarassing. Medications were not what they are now, but it’s still hard to find a doctor or to find a therapist.”
At NAMI meetings, people battling mental illness and those who love and care for them can find those resources and support, she said.
The group meets the first Tuesday of each month at 7 p.m. at First Baptist Church.
“We bring mental illness into the main stream, set up at events, talk to people and raise awareness,” Thwing said. “I try to cheerlead. That’s what we all do. We’re cheerleaders. We will be at the race cheerleading.”
RUNNERS/WALKERS WANTED
Keicher’s family and others supporting NAMI are actively seeking more runners to cheer on during the Main Street Mile.
Participants of all levels of physical ability are being sought. Most participants choose to walk, rather than run, Thwing said.
The run/walk, at 9 a.m., kicks off the first annual BBQ & Bluegrass Festival, organized by the Town of Greeneville and The Capitol Theatre.
It will start at The Capitol Theatre and head down Main Street, turning right onto Tusculum Boulevard, right on College Street and right on McKee Street before turning right back to Main Street.
The finish line will be at The Capitol Theatre.
Medals will be awarded to the top overall finisher and top finishers in various age divisions.
The $20 entry fee for each runner/walker in the Main Street Mile will be donated to NAMI to continue supporting those battling mental illness and their caregivers.
Organizers are asking that participants pre-register to ensure enough T-shirts are available.
Registration forms are available at The Capitol Theatre, Richland Creek Gifts, the Greene County YMCA and Dr. Philip Thwing’s Office at 400 Y Street.
Participants can also register online at www.runtricities.org orregister.chronotrack.com/r/16162.
For more information, search Facebook for “Main Street Mile” or contact Keicher-Thwing at thwing@goldmail.etsu.edu.
ORIGINAL ARTICLE:
http://www.greenevillesun.com/news/local_news/main-street-mile-returns-to-downtown/article_881cd84f-c992-5b8b-b87c-cf4b1566b2df.html