The HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology and Huntsville Track Club (HTC) will host the first Virtual Double Helix Dash 5K. The health crisis stemming from COVID-19 coronavirus continues taking its toll, but we found a way to keep the race alive. Here’s how it works:

Violet Monson, of Montgomery, AL, is this year’s Childhood Champion. (Photo: HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology)

• Registrants can run the 5K anywhere and anytime between March 31 and April 14.
• Simply log your time via HTC’s online form and send a photo to back it up (screenshot of fitness app, or time on Garmin, etc). We are encouraging runners to wear their Double Helix Dash shirts from previous years in their photos.
• HTC will track and post results. Participants must log their times by Tuesday, April 14, at 11:59 pm. Please note that while we will publish full results, due to the nature of the event, there will be no formal awards for top finishers.
• There will still be swag bags, but likely not until a later date. Participants will be notified of packet pick-up dates and times when current restrictions are lifted.

The Double Helix Dash supports childhood genetic disorders research at HudsonAlpha, which is providing answers – and hope – to families across Alabama, like Violet Monson of Montgomery, AL. Violet is this year’s Childhood Champion.

The Monson family, of Montgomery, AL (Photo Courtesy: HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology)

She was diagnosed with Rett syndrome through HudsonAlpha’s Clinical Sequencing and Exploratory Research (CSER) project, which works to diagnose children with unexplained developmental delays through the use of genomic sequencing.

“D-Day” (Diagnosis Day) for Violet was May 12, 2016. After months of waiting in between doctors appointments – sometimes six months – it was on this day that her parents Matt and Mandy finally learned a name for their daughter’s condition, Rett syndrome. Rett syndrome is a rare neurological disorder affecting 1 in 10,000 girls across the globe.