Runners around the world finish slain mother’s last run in show of support to family
Susan Karnatz of Raleigh, North Carolina was shot and killed while on a run on Thursday, Oct. 13, 2022. Her death has sparked a social media movement for runners to finishe the last leg of the 7-mile run she never got to complete.
RALEIGH, N.C. - She had 1.9 miles left of her 7-mile running goal for the day when North Carolina mother of three, Susan Karnatz, was fatally shot. Police said the suspect was a 15-year-old boy whose shooting rampage killed five people, wounded two and frightened hundreds more in surrounding neighborhoods of Raleigh, where she lived.
Now, runners around the globe were honoring the four-time Boston Marathon finisher by completing the final leg of the run she never got to finish.
People were asked to #RunForSue to honor a 49-year-old mother of three who was killed in North Carolina while on a seven-mile run. (#RunForSue / Patrick Fahey)
The teen suspected of killing Karnatz and four others was arrested hours after the shooting, police said. He was hospitalized after his arrest and was listed in critical condition.
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The victims, ranging in age from 16 to their late 50s, died while going about their everyday routines, friends and authorities have said.
Karnatz had just left home for a run down one of her favorite paths, her husband said. She died while "doing something she loved to do," it noted in her obituary.
Her shocking death has sparked a movement to pay tribute to the 49-year-old mother. Under the hashtag #RunforSue, hundreds of runners were taking to social media, sharing photos of their routes — often 1.9 miles to complete her run, 5.1 miles to mark the distance she covered or 7 miles to match her goal.
It's a demonstration and show of support to the Karnatz family to convey that she inspired not only those around her but fellow runners who had never even met her.
Runners as far as Panama, Australia and Ireland have already dedicated their daily runs to her.
Karnatz was a beloved member of several local running groups. She was remembered by her friends and family as "a beacon of strength," the "rock of her family" and "a role model" for fellow moms.
She worked as a school psychologist before pausing to homeschool her three sons, ages 14, 13 and 10. The boys often joined their parents on short runs, which their friends described as a family affair.
"She was a very loving wife and amazing mother to our three sons," her husband Tom Karnatz, told The Associated Press through tears when he answered his door Friday morning. "We’re absolutely heartbroken and miss her dearly."
Under a basketball hoop in the family’s driveway, a silver minivan and a Toyota Camry display matching 26.2 stickers — signifying the mileage of a marathon. The minivan’s license plate reads simply: "RUNNR."
"We had plans together for big adventures," Tom Karnatz wrote in a Facebook post. "And plans together for the mundane days in between... Now those plans are laid to waste."
The #RunforSue posts — some from friends and many more from complete strangers — have offered encouragement and support during this unfathomable time.
"I’m amazed at all the support," Tom Karnatz wrote Sunday on Facebook after running 1.9 miles with his sons, niece and brother.
The Karnatzes met in 2004 at a gathering of the North Carolina Roadrunners Club and stayed involved with the organization for almost 20 years, said Jack Threadgill, the club president.
On Sunday, just before Threadgill pinned on his red and white bib for the Bull City Race Fest, a half-marathon in nearby Durham, he grabbed a black marker and inscribed his bib with "SBK" for Susan Butler Karnatz.
There were countless strangers who also laced up their running shoes for Sue.
From Kildare, Ireland, runner Tom Blennerhassett, who has been training for the upcoming Dublin Marathon, ran a 5.1-mile loop Sunday in Karnatz’s honor.
He said he saw a friend in North Carolina post about the shootings on Instagram and that "it really struck a chord."
Lisa Rosenbush Hendrix wrote on Tom Karnatz's Facebook page, "I’m a Run the Year member. I’m so sorry for your loss. I’m rehabbing so my goal is to do 1.9 miles this week on my knee scooter here in WI. However, my 88 year old father in Chicago did 1.9 today."
Others noted that they felt Sue's presence in the steps they took on their tribute run and said that the heartbreak in her loss reminded them not to take for granted this passion they shared with her.
For Tom Karnatz, he was overwhelmed by the incredible outpouring of support. "I’ll have a big hole in my heart forever," he said, "but this does help."
KTVU contributed to this story.