Information
Please join us for the 2nd annual B#4 5K Run/Walk Presented by Commercial Bank!
This event will be a road race through Ithaca, starting and finishing at the High School. We will provide race day chipped bibs, aid stations, post-race refreshment centers, and prizes. Age groups will begin at 10 years old. Please note that children 9 & under are granted FREE entry and strollers are permitted.
Race branded apparel will be available for purchase at the event.
The B#4 Foundation honors the life and achievements of Brady Hessbrook, who tragically took his own life on January 27, 2023. The B#4 Foundation strives to promote mental health awareness and suicide prevention through education, outreach initiatives, advocacy, and community service.
Location
Ithaca Veteran’s Memorial Field
710 N Union
Ithaca, MI 48847 US
Map Location
All racers will recieve a medal upon race completion. Prizes will be awarded to placements of 1st, 2nd, and 3rd male and female racers.
The B#4 Foundation Impact:
Founded in 2023, The B#4 Foundation strives to promote mental health awareness and suicide prevention through education, outreach initiatives, advocacy, and community service.
On January 27, 2023, Braden Scott ("Brady") Hessbrook, age 20, of Ithaca, MI, took his own life.
Brady had an infectious smile and a strong faith in God. He could light up a room. Still – despite all of his success, his popularity, his faith, and his loving family, friends, and girlfriend – Brady struggled with his mental health. A leader and a positive role model for many, Brady was beloved in his community and respected by his peers and adults alike, yet he suffered through his own depression and anxiety in silence. Though he was known for helping others in any way he could, including supporting friends who experienced anxiety and depression, Brady didn’t reach out for help when he needed it most.
Unfortunately, struggles like Brady’s are all too common. In its 2021 Youth Risk Behavior Survey, the CDC reported that 22 percent of high school students had seriously considered suicide in the last year, and 42 percent had experienced persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness. In 2021, suicide was the second leading cause of death for people ages 10-14 and 20-34.
Mental health problems don’t discriminate, and they’re often invisible. We don’t have to accept this – suicide isn’t inevitable. There’s help available, and we need to normalize seeking it out, have honest conversations about mental health, learn to recognize the signs of mental illness, and dismantle the deadly stigma that keeps people silent in their pain and sadness. This is the mission of the B#4 Foundation. We can’t bring Brady back, but we are determined to help prevent others from making the same decision he made.
Our message for anyone struggling with suicidal ideation: It’s okay to not be okay, and no one should be ashamed of mental health struggles. B4 you give up hope, B4 you hurt yourself and those who love you, please reach out and ask for help. The world is better with you in it.
If you are struggling and need help:
2025 Race Participant Count
Participants
Any questions? Contact us today!
If you have any questions about this race, click the button below.
Links