Running for Rick: Cross-country team plans race to honor coach dealing with Parkinson's disease

Mar. 29—After watching their cross-country coach deal with the effects of Parkinson's disease since his diagnosis two years ago, Decatur High students Sam Hellebrand and Wyatt Jones hit the ground running with ideas to honor his legacy.

The cross-country runners arrived at the idea for "Running for Rick: a 5K to Fund the Fight Against Parkinson's Disease" to celebrate the community contributions of their coach, Rick Doke, and to raise money for the Michael J. Fox Foundation. The 5-kilometer (3.1-mile) race will begin at 8 a.m. May 20 at Point Mallard Park, and they expect 200 to 300 runners and 50-60 volunteers.

"We hope to have an annual run to show that (Coach Doke) has an everlasting impact on Decatur High, on all of us on cross-country, and everyone at Decatur High," said Jones, a Decatur High senior and cross-country runner. "We're trying to get the community to give back to a man who's done so much for (us) — especially in the running community."

Doke, who has worked at Decatur City Schools for 24 years, serves as Decatur High's cross-country coach and assistant track coach, and he teaches special education at Decatur Middle School.

He knew something was wrong 3 1/2 years ago when he struggled on a hike. First, doctors thought he had a heart issue, but after a year-and-a-half of testing, his neurologist diagnosed him with Parkinson's disease.

"Since the diagnosis, slowly but surely, it's like having a third of a tank of gas," Doke said. "I have to be very careful. I have to manage my energy, realize I can't do things that I used to do and that it's OK to ask for help. "

Doke said his faith in God comforts him, and, as a lifelong distance runner, the pain doesn't bother him too much.

"I'm used to pain," Doke said. "I wake up in the morning, and I hurt all over. That hasn't changed."

Parkinson's disease affects approximately 1 million people in the United States, according to the Parkinson's Foundation. When Doke told his runners about the diagnosis, they immediately wanted to help.

Hellebrand, the senior co-captain of the cross-country team, said he was "heartbroken" when Doke told him about his diagnosis. The team first honored Doke with a plaque at Delano Park, the place where the team practices after school.

"The devotion to his family, his faith and his students is just evident in everything that he does," Hellebrand said. "He's really a great role model for me personally, and I think to every student he interacts with."

Hellebrand was in seventh grade when he met Doke. The student decided to run cross-country in hopes of making the soccer team. In eighth grade, Hellebrand struggled to keep up.

"I remember Coach Doke took a look at me and said, 'If you keep up that effort, you'll be a superstar,'" Hellebrand said. "It became a joke, and some of the upperclassmen teased me with it out of fun. That nickname became a driver for me to push myself to excel."

Jones started running as a freshman after time playing baseball. Before running for Doke, he had little guidance on what he wanted out of life and lacked discipline.

"Coach Doke could push us through anything," Jones said. "He could help us through anything. All we had to do was ask. For the past four years of high school, he's been there whenever I need to ask for anything."

Most recently, Doke helped Jones navigate the college application process and help him choose to run in college. The running coach believes cross-country teaches discipline that translates well into education, and that cross-country scholarships can pay for a college education.

In the fall, Jones will attend Birmingham-Southern College and Hellebrand will attend Auburn University.

"In running, you're not going to meet too many people paid to be a pro athlete," Doke said. "But all of them are going to use an education for a job, learn how to set goals, learn how to stick with it and put up with the ups and the downs, deal with adversity and make plans for their life."

— audrey.johnson@decaturdaily.com or 256-340-2437.