Foundation started by mother of child killed by Sandy Hook Elementary School gunman brings triathlon in Fort Mill

When Rebecca Kowalski sees two little feet cross the finish line, she has a vision.

She remembers her sweet, seven-year-old, blond-headed boy Chase, who from age two, could easily sprint past other kids in a race, but would turn around and run across the finish line holding another child’s hand.

Chase died on Dec. 14, 2012 in Newtown, Conn. after 20-year-old gunman Adam Lanza shot and killed 20 children and six adults at Sandy Hook Elementary School.

Kowalski’s ties with Rock Hill formed days after the shooting and resulted in an unlikely friendship with Winthrop University head basketball coach Pat Kelsey, the father of two little girls at the time.

Kelsey made a passionate plea to the nation’s leaders during an post-game news conference at Ohio State, to help change the climate of violence after the Sandy Hook tragedy. With two little girls sleeping in pink bedrooms with beds full of teddy bears, the tragedy hit home, he said.

“I’m not going to have a microphone like this for the rest of the year, maybe for the rest of my life,” Kelsey said during the news conference.

“I know this country’s got issues,” he said. “Is it a gun issue? Is it a mental illness issue? Or is it a society that has lost the fact, the understanding, that decent human values are important?”

The Kowalski family saw the video, which soon went viral.

“I had a platform that day and it resonated with them,” said Kelsey, who quickly bonded with the Kowalskis.

“His words and thoughts were exactly what we felt at the time,” Rebecca Kowalski said. “We just really hit it off and became good friends.”

In the months after the tragedy, the Kowalskis formed the Chase Michael Anthony Kowalski (CMAK) Sandy Hook Memorial Foundation to “capture Chase’s competitive spirit and vitality” and as a way to cope with his death.

The little boy who was “lightning fast,” had just six months earlier, participated in a triathlon and was looking forward to doing more, according to his mother.

Through the foundation, the Kowalskis wanted other children to experience Chase’s passion for triathlons and to become involved in a sport that would “enable children that need the extra push and encouragement,” like Chase did when he circled back to run with the other children across the finish line.

The foundation raises money to fund programs like the Race4Chase triathlons, a six-week training program for children ages 6 to 12 who cannot swim or ride a bike. The 30 to 35 children participate in a triathlon finale event at the end of the six weeks. The foundation holds 14 Race4Chase triathlons throughout Connecticut.

“It’s given me hope,” Rebecca Kowalski said. “It’s keeping my son’s spirit and legacy alive … it’s not easy some days.

In March of 2014, Coach Kelsey invited the Kowalski’s to Rock Hill to attend a basketball game, where he introduced the family to a standing ovation. Each of the basketball players wore the names of the 20 children who lost their lives that day and the coaches wore lapel pins with the initials of the six adults who died.

During their visit to Rock Hill, the Kowalski’s visited an Upper Palmetto YMCA and were encouraged to bring the Race4Chase triathlon to York County. The Kowalski’s hoped to hold the first event in 2015, but the timing was off because school was resuming.

Meanwhile, Rebecca Kowalski participated in the Fleet Feet Sports Hartford, Conn., “No Boundaries 5K” training program and was nominated to receive the first “Fleet Feet Sports Customer Inspiration Award” sponsored by Mizuno.

The CMAK Foundation received a donation at the annual Fleet Feet Sports Conference in June that the foundation used to help fund the first Race4Chase program through the Upper Palmetto YMCA.

The money helps pay coaches and buy bicycles, Kowalski said. The program costs about $500 per child. In June, Rebecca Kowalski and CMAK Executive Director Kevin Grimes dropped off eight new bikes in York County.

Because of the contacts she has made in York County, Rebecca Kowalski said she wants to expand the program throughout South Carolina and plans to make Rock Hill the “hub” for the state events.

“They wanted to make something unbelievably positive come from something unbelievably tragic,” Kelsey said.

On Tuesday, the Kowalski’s will meet the Kelsey’s again in Fort Mill at the Race4Chase triathlon Tuesday at the Fort Mill YMCA, where the Winthrop basketball team will volunteer. The free event begins at 6 p.m.

“Seeing them cross that finish line does my heart good,” Kowalski said. “The smiles on their faces.”

Chase’s passion is her vision, and her vision is to see other children have Chase’s passion.

“I’m just a grieving mother trying to keep her head above water and honor our son’s spirit,” she said. “If I happen to inspire people along the way, I’m very grateful to God that happens along the path he has chosen for me.”

Kelsey said as tragic as the Sandy Hook shooting was, “what a legacy this little boy leaves.”

This story was originally published July 31, 2016 at 8:31 AM with the headline "Foundation started by mother of child killed by Sandy Hook Elementary School gunman brings triathlon in Fort Mill."