Nebraska Football Road Race cancelled for first time; players still met fans

LINCOLN, Neb. (KMTV) — The Nebraska football team was all set to participate in the annual Nebraska Football Road Race on Sunday, but Mother Nature quickly struck down those plans.

Lightning in the area forced race officials to cancel the one-mile fun run and 5K for the first time since the event’s inaugural year in 2013.

The road race raises money for pediatric brain cancer research at the University of Nebraska Medical Center.

It’s held in honor of Jack Hoffman, who, at 7 years old in 2013, ran a 69-yard touchdown during the Spring Game while being treated for brain cancer.

Sunday’s races were set to start and end on the 31-yard line so runners could mimic Jack’s touchdown run.

After officials canceled the race, participants went inside the Hawks Championship Center to meet the football players.

Junior linebacker Nick Henrich was disappointed the running portion was canceled, but was more than happy to stick around.

“Just being able to talk to the families and walk around with no barriers,” he said. “It’s not like it’s an autograph signing. It’s just an unfiltered family atmosphere which is a lot of fun.”

Junior offensive lineman Ethan Piper agreed, adding that it’s always fun to see familiar faces.

“There’s families you get to know through these events and they come back every year, just being able to see them and interact with them in a setting like this is awesome,” he said.

The Huskers are gearing up for fall camp which starts on July 31.