'Heroes' run in Cary to fight pediatric cancer

Hundreds of runners and walkers, many wearing colorful and decorative socks, took to the paths and streets of Cary on Sunday morning to raise money for families dealing with pediatric cancer.

The Heroes Like Haley 5K Run/Walk was expected to raise as much as $40,000 this year - up from the $30,000 raised in 2016 - in the name of Haley Lichter, a Cary-Grove High School graduate who died in 2015 from a rare and aggressive brain cancer.

"I never expected for it to get this big," Haley's mother, Misty Lichter, said Sunday at Cary-Grove Park, which hosted the event. "To see the community support is amazing."

Misty Lichter launched Heroes Like Haley in 2015 to raise community awareness of pediatric brain tumors, provide an annual college scholarship for a Cary-Grove graduate in Haley's name and support local pediatric cancer patients, survivors and their families.

Cole Overbey, 18, of McHenry won this year's race, which featured runners wearing crazy socks, a favorite of Haley's.

Besides the run, there was a bounce house, inflatable slide and face painting for kids.