At SF Runs we remember Hanako (Hana) Abe, who passed away at age 27 as a result of a hit-and-run that took place on December 31, 2020. Hana loved running and had run with SF Runs previously.

Hana embodied resilience, bravery, and hope. Hana grew up in Fukushima, Japan, where her family survived the Japanese earthquake and nuclear disaster. Despite this tragedy, Hana continued doing her best in pursuit of her dreams. The fruits of her labors were being accepted to the University of Central Arkansas where she developed a passion for computer science.

Upon graduating, Hana moved to San Francisco in 2018 where she started pursuing her dream as a data engineer. She always had the warmest smile and made friends wherever she went.

On top of being far away from her family, Hana shouldered an enormous amount of responsibility with her father having an aortic dissection and mother’s battle with lung cancer. Even in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Hana continued to display resilience and optimism about the future.

To honor Hana’s memory SF Runs organized a virtual Run for Hanako in January 2021 in partnership with some of Hana’s friends, who launched a GoFundMe to assist her family.

Hana's family and friends were moved by people from around the world who shared heartfelt messages and beautiful photos from their Run for Hanako activities. Although the Run for Hanako has concluded we will continue to remember Hana and know that her spirit will be with us always.

#runforhanako