Ken Nwadike’s life has been anything but normal.
After his father was arrested and jailed by a Seattle SWAT team, the man now immortalized as the "Free Hugs Guy" and his four siblings were raised by their single mother in California. Often, homeless shelters were their only refuge.
Before a sparse but spirited crowd in the Russell House Theater Wednesday evening, Nwadike spoke of the importance of emotional refuge and of the race that changed his life.
A benchwarmer on his high school football and basketball teams, Nwadike was introduced to track by a coach who believed the young athlete’s muscles were better suited for mid-distance running. In his first competitive mile race for Chula Vista High School in California, Nwadike's personal best time clocked in at four minutes and 17 seconds, only 34 seconds off the world record of three minutes and 43 seconds. A scholarship to California State University San Marcos and a stint with the Nike Farm Olympic Development Racing Team based at Stanford University followed.
Later, Nwadike founded Superhero Events, LLC, and today organizes run and walk events and races in San Diego, Los Angeles, and the Bay Area. But his work as a race organizer is far from being the main source of his internet celebrity.
On April 15, 2013, two pressure cooker bombs exploded at the finish line of the Boston Marathon, killing three spectators and injuring more than 260. Nwadike was devastated. Had the Tsarnaevs targeted the Superhero Events-run Hollywood Half-Marathon, Nwadike’s own family and friends could have been killed.
“I needed to figure out a way to pour more love into the world,” Nwadike said Wednesday. “That was the birth of the Free Hugs Project.”
Nwadike’s solution was simple: he printed a T-shirt and sign with the words “Free Hugs” and set off to meet runners along the 26-mile trail at the 2014 Boston Marathon. He expected a lukewarm response. He was wrong.
Not only was Nwadike swarmed with open arms, but for weeks after, he received emails from runners who said his simple act of kindness helped them finish the race.
Since that day, Nwadike has appeared at races and political events nationwide, offering free hugs to all takers. The Cleveland chief of police thanked him personally for pacifying a belligerent protester at the Republican National Convention in July. To date, his videos have received over 100 million views on Facebook and YouTube.
Nwadike lectured USC students on the physical benefits that hugs and other acts of physical contact can provide, a topic he has researched extensively in his time with the Free Hugs Project. Among the examples Nwadike provided were the brain’s increased production of serotonin and oxytocin, which he nicknamed the “Happy” and “Love” hormones, respectively.
But Nwadike’s work with the Free Hugs Project is hardly an endless string of happiness and love.
He told the crowd that he occasionally wears a bulletproof vest to events he believes could pose a serious threat to his life. On May 27, Nwadike was pepper-sprayed by San Diego police and punched by brawling spectators while trying to break up a fight at a Donald Trump rally. He never dropped his sign.
“I definitely encourage you guys to step out of your comfort zone,” Nwadike urged the crowd, before yielding to audience questions and more than a few requests for hugs.
Brandon Lynch, a first-year student with a father in law enforcement, commended Nwadike for his unorthodox method of crowd control.
“I think what he’s doing is very effective and something that everyone should definitely check out,” Lynch said. “Basically what he’s doing is trying to spread a message of peace, not to any particular group … I think that’s a really powerful message, especially during these times.”