SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — The 437 Project‘s annual run across the entirety of South Dakota from the Wyoming border to the Iowa border is nearing its kickoff. And in 2025, the late Brady Fuchs will inspire the 12 runners crossing the state as they take turns running a leg in their eastward relay.
“Most of the time, kids look up to their father, and they maybe want to be like them, and I looked at Brady in awe and wished I could be like him,” Brady’s father, Tom Fuchs of Byron, Minn., said.
“His legacy would be his kindness in giving to others and helping others unselfishly,” Brady’s mom Patti Fuchs of Byron, Minn., said. “He didn’t even think twice about doing it.”
The 437 Project puts a spotlight on mental health and raises money for the Helpline Center, a Sioux Falls-based nonprofit that connects people with mental health resources. Brady’s family and friends feel joy and gratitude because of him.
“Brady was the best son a guy could ever ask for,” Tom said. “He was loved by so many for so many reasons and meant so much to so many … warm, humble, had an inviting personality.”
And Brady made his mom feel extraordinary.
“Just like the best mom in the world,” Patti said. “I mean, he was always grateful for anything and everything you did.”
“He was also a person that was very into family,” Tom said. “Family meant everything to him.”
“Brady meant the world to his PA class, he meant the world to his family, his three sisters, his mom and dad, his stepmom,” Riley Knutson of Sioux Falls said. “Me specifically, he was a friend that was there through a lot of firsts. With my wife and I, I had known Brady for a full year before I had meant Lexi. And kind of, he was there, right before our first date, it was, ‘Brady, am I wearing the right thing’ or this and that.”
Knutson works as a physician’s assistant, and he studied in PA school with Brady.
“I think they bonded pretty quickly,” Tom said.
“Just a good, solid friend who was in your corner and was always there for you,” Knutson said.
Brady died by suicide in August 2022. He was 28 years old. To the people who knew him, it feels like just a moment or two ago.
“Seems like yesterday the last time I hugged him,” Tom said. “Being a father is such an amazing thing and to have to accept the fact that you’ve lost a son to suicide has been a struggle.”
“He was just such a joy and has left such a hole,” Patti said. “Course as a mom, you miss the, your son’s hugs. You’re never going to have your mother-son dance at a wedding.”
“It’s a hole that can never be replaced in your heart,” Tom said. “He meant everything to me.”
Now, Knutson is running for Brady in The 437 Project.
“He’s going to be out there in the middle of South Dakota,” Knutson said. “No matter the temperature, no matter the hill we’re climbing, no matter the setbacks we may face along the way.”
“I truly believe that as Riley is experiencing those things, I truly believe that Brady is right there with him,” Tom said.
For Brady’s parents and runners like Knutson, The 437 Project is a mission.
“It is so important to get that awareness out there, ’cause we were not prepared in any way, shape or form for this to happen to our family,” Patti said.
“Anything that any of us can do, awareness-wise, will hopefully help other families not have to feel the pain that we feel today without our Brady here,” Tom said.
Everyone is running for someone. It’s a collective motivation, too; since Riley is running for Brady, all 12 are running for Brady.
“Hopefully, these projects like yours can bring out awareness of what to watch for,” Patti said. “Maybe, get people aware that this, if this is happening to you, please call somebody. Just talk about it.”
“The 437 is so important because that’s the challenge, right, to try and get someone to pick up the phone when they’re in crisis,” Tom said.
“You have to get the word out,” Patti said. “That’s the biggest thing, and this is a pretty big way to do it. People are going to go, ‘What are they running for?'”
KELOLAND’s Dan Santella is among the 12 runners on The 437 Project’s 2025 team; he’ll have stories, live reports and social media updates for readers and viewers throughout the effort’s journey. Santella has the first leg; he starts running Thursday morning at 5:30 Mountain time.
