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After a breezy 5-kilometer run with the Jackson Hole middle and high school cross country teams, Brady McDonald was in trouble.
His hamstring became so tight he was forced to slow to a walk. It was the last feeling he wanted at the start of a 50-kilometer day.
“Those miles from like four to 14 were pretty rough,” McDonald said. “At least we had the view of the Tetons. But I mean, it was a roller coaster.”
After 31 runs of that distance through 31 states over the past month and little time to recover in RV campsites, something was bound to give him trouble.
“There were times where the legs would just literally stop in just so much pain,” he said.
The Florida man pushed through, in part, because he was not just running for himself. The photos of clear-eyed kids flapping on the back of his running vest were a reminder that each set of 50 kilometers brings the Make-A-Wish Foundation closer to granting wishes for critically ill children. His run helps bring donations to the national organization.
“The suffering is in context of like who we’re trying to do this for,” the 41-year-old said.
McDonald is raising money for the Make-A-Wish Foundation, which provides experiences like trips to Disney World to kids with cancer and other life-threatening conditions. His goal is not just to string 50 runs together in as many days, but to use them to raise $1 million.
With over $500,000 raised so far, McDonald still has to hit Alaska — plus 17 other states —before his 50-state finale in Hawaii.
A board member for the Wyoming chapter of the charity joined the student athletes for a 6 a.m. sendoff from Skinny Skis near Town Square. McDonald’s two young daughters joined on bikes for the first five kilometers.
From then on, it was just McDonald and a crew member on a bike, plus a support van. While mostly unsponsored, McDonald received two donated trucks and a pair of RVs for the trek. After grabbing a few chocolate chip cookies at Dornan’s, he looped back toward town.
In each state, he makes a different YouTube video, sometimes with gimmicks to attract more views and donations from the run. That’s when he plays the part of an influencer.
At the Grand Teton National Park sign, he swapped into a full ultrarunning kit made up of cheap items from Temu, a Chinese alternative to Amazon. After he got the shot, he swapped back to the usual fit.
McDonald describes this particular summer mission as a way to make running about more than himself. After a series of ultramarathons including the Arizona Monster 300 trail race, he told the young Jackson runners that racing for a cause affords greater reserves of energy and strength than he thought possible.
“It was exciting to talk to them and just to give them a little bit of the wisdom that I’ve gotten over the years,” McDonald said. “And show them that running can be a lifelong journey and that they can give while they are playing their sport too.”
It took some of that extra motivation to get him through the hamstring pain on Tuesday.
After a triumphant dip in Cache Creek, McDonald headed straight to a physical therapist. Then it was on to Boise, Idaho, to do it all over again the next day.
