Florida runner Brady McDonald has completed 50 consecutive 50-kilometre runs in all 50 US states, raising $1 million for Make-A-Wish and helping fund wishes for children with critical illnesses.
McDonald began the challenge in central Florida on July 25 and crossed the finish line in Honolulu, Hawaii, on September 12. Over 50 days, he covered 1,553 miles without a rest day.
50K challenge completed for Make-A-Wish
The endurance test, known as Zero to 100 Wishes, was designed to raise enough money to help grant 100 wishes. McDonald’s campaign website says the $1 million target was reached, with donations coming from 1,566 individual gifts and 75 fundraising teams.
At each stop, local runners were invited to join one of his Sunrise Wish Runs. Participants could complete any distance, from a mile to the full 50K, as McDonald travelled between states with his family in an RV.
The family drove about 13,000 miles during the journey, which was documented in a 50-part video series. The route included Alaska before the final run in Hawaii.
McDonald said the purpose behind the challenge helped him continue through the physical and mental strain of running more than 31 miles every day.
“Just tell myself like, listen, we’re doing this for kids that are in hospital beds that don’t get to choose their pain,” he said. “They don’t get to choose the end date to it. They didn’t choose their suffering. I do get to choose it.”
During the campaign, McDonald ran alongside several children supported by Make-A-Wish, including Ryder, whose wish he said had helped restore his joy. He also carried the story of Isaak, a child whose wish had been granted but who died while the challenge was under way.
“Let’s tell Isaak’s story from the mountaintops and from Mount Rushmore and from the deserts,” McDonald said.
A mission beyond the miles
McDonald has said the challenge was not intended simply as a personal endurance record. Make-A-Wish grants wishes to children facing critical illnesses, with the campaign aiming to give families moments of hope during treatment.
“God asked me to use my legs to help people instead of running further for myself,” he said.
He added that setting a purpose centred on other people could allow individuals to achieve more than they might while pursuing a goal solely for themselves.
With the 50-state run now complete, the Zero to 100 Wishes campaign says each additional $10,000 raised will help fund another wish beyond the original target.
