The 9th Annual Sola Hot Mini 5K will be Sept. 17, starting at the Sola Coffee shop in Raleigh. | Pixabay
The 9th Annual Sola Hot Mini 5K will be Sept. 17, starting at the Sola Coffee shop in Raleigh. | Pixabay
Jeanne Luther suffered through the debilitating effects of ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s Disease, for more than three years before she died in April.
Before her diagnosis, Jeanne and her husband, John Luther, wanted to raise money for ALS research. So, they started the Sola Hot Mini 5K race, which has currently raised more than $300,000. This year’s race is set for Sept. 17 and will be the first since Jeanne’s death.
"I go between gratitude and being lonely," John told WTVD. "We've really tried hard to walk out life and death in front of Raleigh. But also in front of our staff.”
More than 10 years ago, the couple started to build the Sola Coffee Café, a family-owned cafe and espresso bar.
Photos of Jeanne, who was committed to helping find a cure, decorate the shop. Recently, she was at the couple's annual Sola Hot Mini 5K in her wheelchair.
The event has grown in popularity over the years.
"It used to be 300 and 400 (runners), then it got to be 600, 700,” John said. In 2020, when it was a virtual race, 900 runners participated.
"It's very heartwarming to see the community of Raleigh and our SOLA community love on us this way. It's just unbelievable,” Jeanne Luther said in an April 2020 interview with WTVD.
ALS ravages the body, and Jeanne ultimately succumbed to it.
"It was sad, but also very sweet,” John said. “God did a lot of work in our souls during that 3 1/2 years. So when Jeanne died, there was a lot of gratitude."
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