KC bed race event helps provide furniture for families in need
It’s not quite the Kentucky Derby or the Indy 500, the Boston Marathon or those bulls in Pamplona. Not yet anyway.
But the Running of the Beds in Lee’s Summit might be gaining on them.
Now in its second year, the raucous race drew 11 teams to the Summit Church on Chipman Road on Saturday, April 26, to raise funds for a good cause — Flourish, the area’s only furniture bank.
The Grandview-based organization teams up with more than 80 social service agencies to assist people who have been unhoused (due to a variety of circumstances) on their journey toward more stable lives.
In a large parking lot surrounded by tricked-out beds and an array of participants (some in costume) Flourish’s Executive Director, Amy Cox proclaimed it her “favorite day of the year.”
Cox added that “this is a day of true community, where our partner agencies are talking about what they’re doing, kids are having fun, and we’re drawing attention to how many families are living without beds in our community...In a fun way.”
In this case, the “fun” requires constructing a bed on wheels, pushing it and a rider quickly down the course, then pausing midway to perform a “challenge” of some kind.
The Superior Moving Company returned to defend the title they won in 2024. The Builders Association of Greater Kansas City showed up, too, with an entry they called “Lightning McSleep,” in homage to the movie “Cars.”
Other entrants fashioned bed-mobiles powered by Vikings and dinosaurs.
The crew supplying the “muscle” for the Healing House entry were decked out in matching cowboy hats. Its founder and director, Bobbi Jo Reed wore a schoolmarm’s garb as she whooped and hollered from her perch on the quilted bed.
Other non-profits like Sleepyhead Beds were on hand too. Team member Jason Edwards explained that while their vehicle was built to be sturdy, they soon realized “it needed to be lighter. But we still had lots of fun.”
Engineers? Cox said that a few might have been involved in the process, but ultimately, “creativity is the key.”
That and making sure the wheels stay on. One team learned that the hard way last year.
“This is a rough time for a lot of people trying to do a lot of good in our community,” Cox said. “So why not have a day where we come together and celebrate and support each other and just laugh and have fun?”
Of course, as Reed told us in between heats, “winning makes it even more fun.”
But by day’s end, the Running of the Beds had a new champion—the “Snorelords” from The Welcome House, Inc.
Its entry was a family affair, with a helmeted Chance Hurd riding on the winning machine.
Jason Hurd, senior director for Recovery and Support Services, minced few words summing up his team’s straightforward strategy, “We push faster. If it’s heavy, we just push faster.”
Having trouble seeing the video? Watch it here.
This story was originally published April 30, 2025 at 6:00 AM.