Kenneth White III wasn’t supposed to walk again. The doctors made that clear after his March 2023 accident left him with a shattered cervical spine. Yet, in a few days, White will not only walk but run 3.1 miles around the Colorado State University Pueblo campus, crossing the finish line of his own creation.

The “Break Your Neck? Walk Run Roll 5K for All Abilities and Disabilities” raised more than $30,000 in its inaugural year and hopes to break that record. This Packfest weekend, September 13, White hopes to surpass that figure as participants gather at the Thunder Bowl for the event’s second iteration.

The real story isn’t about the money or even the miles. It’s about a man who hit absolute rock bottom and found a way to transform his gratitude into something bigger than himself.

Before the Fall

Two years ago, White was drowning. As a marketing director at Southwest Motors, he worked grueling 12-hour days, nearly every day of the week. He had helped build the dealership into one of the nation’s largest independent operations, but success couldn’t mask his spiraling addiction.

“I was 50 pounds overweight and a raging alcoholic with death on the horizon,” White says via Zoom from his home. His mornings began hungover, stumbling out of bed with barely 30 minutes to spare before work. He’d perfected an elaborate routine of steam showers followed by ice-cold rinses, desperate attempts to hide the magnitude of his problem.

The vodka shooters were everywhere. Hidden in his car, stashed around the house, tucked away in bathrooms. He’d stopped buying bottles because he’d finish them. The logic of an addict convinced him that buying six-packs of shooters somehow constituted control.

White suggests that people are primarily focused on themselves. When people start to notice the problems in your life, it’s often because they’ve become aware of your issues. That likely means those problems are substantial.

White says his wife knew something was amiss but stayed in the marriage because their daughters loved him. But White knew the trajectory. “Any rational person’s going to leave you if you don’t try to change.”

The Moment Everything Changed

The accident happened at home during what should have been a precious moment. White had arrived late from work around 8:30 p.m., already several drinks into his evening routine. He was determined to be present for his four-year-old daughter despite everything else falling apart; he turned on music and started a dance party in their living room.

Then he attempted a somersault off the couch.

The details blur after that. Freak accident. Cervical spine fracture. Emergency surgery by Dr. Raul Singh, the neurosurgeon whose name would later grace a scholarship. Transfer to Craig Hospital, the nation’s premier spinal cord rehabilitation facility.

White blocked out much of the trauma that followed. His hands still don’t fully open. Chronic pain remains his constant companion. Something else happened in that Denver hospital room, something that would reshape not just his spine but his entire worldview.

Humble Beginnings

“When you can’t walk and you can’t lift your arms and you can’t eat and you can’t use the bathroom on your own and you can’t brush your own teeth and you can’t put your own clothes on, well there’s no denying that you need a lot of help,” White reflects.

For someone who’d spent years refusing to acknowledge his addiction, this forced vulnerability became unexpectedly liberating. “You have to humble yourself and recognize that. I thought, ‘Well, okay. I mean, there are a lot of things in my life that I need help with that I can’t overcome on my own.’”

The prognosis was grim. Maybe assistive devices. Walkers, wheelchairs, canes at best. White had other plans, mostly fueled by his wife, who believed in him and a faith foundation he’d long neglected.

“I told her I think I want to learn how to run again,” White says. “And everyone was sort of like, yeah, whatever, Kenny, but not her.”

The Unlikely Runner

Here’s the thing about Kenneth White III: he’d never been a runner. Before the accident, he describes himself as “an avid fun haver,” though that fun had devolved into a destructive pattern of work and drink. His fitness routine consisted of stumbling between the dealership and various hiding spots for vodka shooters.

But something about being told he’d never walk sparked a different kind of stubbornness. At Craig Hospital, he convinced his medical team to help him learn to run. The journey began on assisted treadmills where falling was impossible, progressed through hydrotherapy sessions in the pool, and eventually graduated to 30-second semi-jogging sessions across the gym.

The breakthrough came when he ran around the hospital building with his daughter, his physical therapist, and his wife. Four stops to complete one small loop around the building. Yet they did it.

“I was like, I’m going to do this,” White says, “you want to show your kids they’re going to face adversity one day, hopefully nothing like I did. I wouldn’t wish that on anybody.”

Building Something Bigger

The idea for the 5K germinated during lunch with CSU Pueblo’s Todd Kelly, president and CEO of the CSU Pueblo Foundation. White mentioned his running goals, and Kelly offered the Thunder Bowl as a potential venue. “I thought, I’ve got to do this now,” White laughs as he says this.

But why CSU Pueblo? White’s connection to the school runs deep. He’s a longtime supporter of the university through multiple scholarship initiatives. His wife played volleyball there. His sister, Kristyn White Davis, serves as Vice President for Enrollment Management & Extended Studies, strengthening family ties to the institution.

“I know what the university means to this community and want to have a thriving place to show off our town to outsiders and for our own people to come and to get a first-rate education,” White explains.

The scholarship component felt natural. White had previously established the Billy Zercher scholarship, a teen who died in a car accident and contributed to a leadership program through Rotary 43, where he served as foundation president. But naming the new nursing scholarship after Dr. Singh represented something deeper.

“How do you thank someone who saved your life?” White asks. “Through education and having a sense of community at school and everything that comes with a degree and the promise and the hope for the future. That’s why I’m drawn to scholarships.”

The Race Against Expectations

Last year’s inaugural event exceeded all expectations. Over $30,000 was raised, split between the Dr. Raul Singh nursing scholarship at CSU Pueblo and research initiatives at Craig Hospital.

But the real victory was personal. White completed the 5K last year, surrounded by participants walking, running, and rolling alongside him. The event’s tagline captured its inclusive spirit: “for all abilities and disabilities.”

This year brings new challenges and opportunities. Registration opens early at 7:30 a.m., with the race beginning at 8:30 a.m. The course winds around the entire university campus, starting and finishing at the Thunder Bowl.

White’s own running has progressed dramatically. In July, he completed a 5K in 38 minutes. His goal is to break a 10-minute mile pace. For someone who wasn’t expected to walk, these numbers approach the miraculous.

The Gratitude Circuit

“I’m very grateful for what happened to me,” White states without hesitation. “I have no resentment at all.”

It’s a startling admission from someone who went through “absolute hell, pure agony.” But White frames his suffering differently now. His daughters will never know the alcoholic he’d become. His wife got a second chance to see who he really could be. And he discovered an opportunity to do meaningful good.

“We’re all having an appointment with suffering,” White reflects, drawing on renewed faith that helped carry him through recovery. “But I do believe that suffering is a training tool. Through that suffering, that is our privilege to learn and grow.”

The 5K represents White’s attempt to complete what he calls “the gratitude circuit.” How do you thank the neurosurgeon who saved your life? The rehabilitation specialists who taught you to walk again? The researchers working to help others face similar challenges? The family that stood by you and cheered for you?

You create something that honors them all. You build a community event that raises money for future healthcare workers and cutting-edge research. You show other people facing their own impossible odds that recovery takes many forms.

Beyond the Finish Line

Craig Hospital receives a portion of the 5K proceeds to support research initiatives. White participated in two studies there himself, including work with an exoskeleton combined with stem therapy. “I was in a robot,” he says, still amazed by the experience.

The nursing scholarship at CSU Pueblo ensures future healthcare workers receive support in their educational journey. Perhaps most importantly, the event serves as a beacon for anyone facing their own version of rock bottom. White’s message is simple: “It’s never too late to turn things around or get headed in the direction you want to go.”