GRAND RAPIDS, Mich — As thousands of runners prepare for the Amway Riverbank Run next month, one Kent County woman remembers the fateful race day in 2011 when her husband didn't make it to the finish line.
In 2011, Kristi Kinzler became a widow after her husband, Jason, ran in the world’s largest 25K.
Jason had been attempting to beat his previous time from the year before and break into the "two-hour club" that Saturday morning.
“It was very sudden, very unexpected," Kristi said. "What we do know is that at mile 14, he had a heart attack and died."
At 37, she suddenly became a single mother with three young children.
"No one is ever prepared for what an experience like that does as a wife but as a mother," she told FOX 17 News. “My kids were the reason I was able to get out of bed.”
Through her grief, Kristi found strength knowing that Jason had gone the distance to protect them in his death.
“Fortunately for our family, he had planned... we had life insurance," she said. "I didn’t have to worry in those very early days, weeks, and months, how we were going to get by.”
Since then, Kristi and Jason's friends worked together to create the Jason Kinzler Family First Foundation to help other families navigating sudden loss.
The foundation provides immediate assistance to alleviate the financial burden faced by grieving families in the weeks and months following a loved one's death.
"Navigating grief is hard enough on its own, but to have to then worry about how you were going to pay your bills or get groceries?", she explained. "It's one less thing that a family has to worry about."
The Kinzler Foundation has given out more than a million dollars, helping over 300 families in West Michigan.
"The Jason Kinzler Family First Foundation was created because he loved us more than anything in the world," she said. "Even though my kids were so young when he passed away, they know that, and they see his love in what we're able to do for all of these families."
Kristi's children are all grown up and actively involved in the foundation's work.
In 2017, their son Jake finished the race his father started by running in Jason's shoes from mile 14.
“He sprinted in his dad’s shoes, it was an incredible moment for all of us,” Kristi recalled.
While life has taken a different course than they had expected, Kristi and her family know they are not alone in their journey.
“Is it a path any of us would have chosen? Of course not. But I know Jason is so proud of us,” she said.
This year, many of the families helped by the Kinzler Foundation will once again participate in the Riverbank Run, honoring the nonprofit's mission.
To learn more, about The Jason Kinzler Family First Foundation, click here.
As the FOX 17 and Lake Michigan Credit Union Pay it Forward Person of the Month, Kinzler receives a $550 prize.
Know someone who should be featured next month? Nominate them here.
Meet Marge Wilson, our March 2025 Pay it Forward Person of the Month.
This story was initially reported by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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