Alexys Knell was 10 years old when she met Kayden Kauff, then 3.

The two met through Kayden’s sister, Knell’s best friend Caitlin, and formed a strong bond. Knell would babysit her, they would hang out, go to the movies and swim in the pool. Kauff was always along for the ride.

“She’s so energetic, she’s so loving, she’s so kind. She’s just amazing. … She’s somebody that everybody should get to know,” Knell said. “I could go on and on about her, but she’s such a joy and brings great light into this dark world.”

Knell and Kauff have a few states between them now, Knell in Columbus and Kauff in Texas, but Knell has watched Kauff, who is now 18 and a senior in high school, grow up.

Knell is training for a four-day race, spanning 48.6 miles to raise funds for the National Down Syndrome Society in honor of Kauff, who was born with the condition.

She’s running the Dopey Challenge, from Jan. 7-10 at Walt Disney World in Florida. It kicks off with a 5K, with distances building to a 10K, half-marathon and full-marathon each day through the weekend. Knell has to raise $2,500 to run on behalf of the NDSS, as runners are required to raise a minimum amount for certain charities in order to receive a race bib.

As of Monday, she has raised $1,795.

Knell said she hopes the money, and her journey training for and running the race, spreads awareness about inclusivity.

“Their mission at NDSS is to create a world where individuals with down syndrome can thrive. … It’s just so important,” Knell said. “We live in a world where sometimes there just isn’t enough inclusivity. I just hope that this money will go to advocacy, research, education and different events that NDSS can put on.”

Knell’s training regime

Knell hated running growing up but wanted to prove to herself she could.

She signed up for a half-marathon in North Carolina two years ago, but she didn’t follow any sort of strict training plan.

“The most I ran was five miles, and I called it good,” Knell said.

Even with the lack of heavy training, Knell still completed the half-marathon in 2 hours, 26 minutes, four minutes better than her goal. She quit running for a while after that but has started following a strict plan ahead of the Dopey Challenge.

Knell said she is running three to four times a week, slowly increasing her mileage. She started training 20 weeks before the race with the goal of running a full marathon by the time the Dopey Challenge comes.

She’s also signed up for races in the area to give her extra motivation to keep running.

“Instead of just going out and running 20 miles, let me go run a half-marathon, see people, get encouragement from people that are participating in the race,” Knell said. “Just have that community, that running community, and be able to finish it all together.”

The Dopey Challenge will be a four-day slog. Nearly 50 miles across four straight days, all with early morning start times. Knell’s ideal recovery? Walking around the Disney World parks.

She said she doesn’t want to just sit in her hotel room after the long race.

“I definitely want to stick to not going back to the hotel room and sitting down after each race,” Knell said. “If I buy the tickets to go to the different parks, then I’m going to have to walk.”

Jake is the Mississippi State athletics reporter for The Dispatch.