Photo courtesy of the Sotherland family.
0214 Matt Paul Sotherland
Paul Sotherland, left, celebrates a recent birthday with his son, Matt. Nearly two decades ago father and son inspired the start of what would become the Mercedes Marathon.
Two months after his birth, Matt Sotherland went in for open-heart surgery.
His parents, Paul and Cinna, uncertain of the outcome, stood at the end of the hallway in front of a large window that overlooked the streets downtown at UAB. Runners in the Vulcan Marathon raced by. As he stood there, a promise formed in Paul’s mind.
If Matt pulled through surgery, Paul told him he would run a marathon for him.
At that point in 1992, Paul had only ever run three to four miles at most.
Since then, he has run 19 marathons.
Matt’s heart defect often accompanies a Down syndrome diagnosis, which is a condition Matt also has. He is nonverbal, but he uses sign language and a special board to communicate.
“[Matt has] always been an inspiration to me,” Paul said. “We take for granted everything you and I can do that is very simple like eating, walking and talking. Every day for [Matt] is a challenge, and that inspired for me to push on every day for him.”
Often Paul would pick up Matt at the 26-mile marker of his race, and they would finish the last 0.2 miles together. But Matt inspired much more than his dad’s marathons.
When Paul started training for his first race, he met Valerie McLean, owner of the Trak Shak. The two began to talk about how they could help the Bell Center for Early Intervention, where Matt was receiving therapy, and McLean took off with an idea for a race.
The “Freeze Your Half Off” benefited the center for five years and continued to grow. Then, in 2002, McLean transformed the race into the Mercedes Marathon, which still primarily benefits the Bell Center’s programs for preschool-age children. The event has helped to raise more than $4 million for local charities over the past 12 years.
Today the marathon and the BellRunners program raise about a fifth of the center’s approximate $1 million operating budget, all of which is privately funded. Families pay tuition, but it does not cover the full cost. A number of families receive financial assistance, as the center has a policy to never turn down any student who requests its services from a cross-disciplinary team of therapists.
Jeannie Colquett, executive director of the center, is quick to express how appreciative the center is of everyone who is involved in the race weekend, and especially to those who started the race.
“It’s hard to put the words to [what it’s like] having runners from all over the country and world come,” Paul said. “It makes you feel pretty proud. It’s amazing what a little 21-year-old boy who has never spoken a word can do.”
This year, Matt, a student at Homewood High School, hopes to complete the children’s fun run race on Feb. 15. Like they do every year, his dad will help set up the race course and will be at the Bell Center’s mile marker, and his sister, Katie, a sophomore at the University of Alabama, will man a water station and help with the post-race party.
“Each time we see them run,” Paul said, “I think of how Matt got it all started at that day at the hospital and how grateful I am for all the help the Bell Center gave us.”
To learn more, visit mercedesmarathon.com or thebellcenter.org.
