‘Zero to 100 wishes’ | Cape runner on a 50-state, 1,500-mile quest to raise $1 million for Make-A-Wish
Fifty states. Fifty days. More than 1,500 miles. All in the name of granting wishes for 100 children.
That’s the mission Cape Coral resident Brady McDonald is in the midst of.
On July 22, the Cape Coral community gathered for a sunset send-off as McDonald began his mission to run a 50K (31 miles) in all 50 states over 50 consecutive days, aiming to raise $1 million to benefit Make-A-Wish and help grant 100 wishes for children with critical illnesses.
“God asked me to use my legs to help people, instead of running further for ego,” McDonald said.
McDonald’s wife Kristy, their daughters Kylie, 12, and Lexi, 5, and a professional production crew are now on the road with him, documenting the mission as a 50-part YouTube series with one new episode released every day.
The mission, dubbed, “Zero to 100 Wishes,” is something near and dear to the McDonald family’s heart — to have the ability to change 100 lives.
Kristy knows all too well what it means to have a wish granted, as she was in a serious boating incident when she was 15 where she lost her arm.
“She knows what type of experience that was,” McDonald said. “There are 30,000 children that are diagnosed with critical illnesses every year in the U.S. I envision my daughters having a critical illness — going through surgeries and uncertainty — spending every last penny to make sure they have the best chance. I just thought, ‘Wow, if we raise $1 million we can change the lives of 100 children.'”
McDonald, 41, previously ran to benefit Make-A-Wish, having raised more than $300,000 dollars earlier this year.
“That’s what gave us the courage and hope, and the belief system that I could run 50K over all 50 states, and we could do it in 50 days,” McDonald said.
McDonald reached out to Camping World, which sponsored McDonald and provided two RVs. Other sponsors chipped in when it came to travel and keeping McDonald in top physical shape as he took on this journey.
“The people on our trip are mission-focused,” McDonald said. “That’s what we needed. We’re learning a lot along the way. Running is probably the easiest part, to be honest. Trying to raise $1 million is hard — getting the YouTube videos done and raising awareness is really hard.”
McDonald and his family moved to Cape Coral from Canada nearly five years ago.
He only started running a few years back, with his first race being a 50-mile course in the Florida Keys. McDonald said he started running after he quit drinking.
Unbelievably enough, he won that race in the Keys, but it came at a cost. McDonald developed rhabdomyolysis, which causes muscle tissue to break down, along with severe dehydration. He was hospitalized.
“When I did come around, all I could think of was that I’m on the right track,” McDonald said. “I’m becoming the best version of myself, so that I can serve people better. I can be a better dad, a better leader in my business, a better leader in the community.”
McDonald almost never ran again after the experience, but a few months later, he went to Kristy and asked if he could run 100 miles to raise $100,000 for children’s charities. She agreed. They raised $93,000 for Operation Underground Railroad, which is an anti-trafficking nonprofit, as well as money for Easterseals.
McDonald has never looked back on his running journey, and even took on the daunting Moab 240 ultramarathon, one of the toughest races in the world through Utah’s desert canyons, slick rock, and mountain ranges.
As for how he takes on these grueling races and runs, and is able to run more than a marathon each day for 50 straight days, McDonald said it’s a science, as well as a state of mind.
“What happens when you do anything hard? It was hard at one point,” McDonald said. “When you do a 5K, your body goes through pain and suffering and adaptation. The next time you do a 5K, it doesn’t hurt as bad. What also happens is that it changes your belief system. Now that you’ve done a 5K, you can see it’s possible to do a 10K. The first 10K hurts, but the second time it’s not as bad. From a running perspective it happens, but it also happens in life. The hardest is always the first time, and then hopefully you learn from it.”
McDonald said other factors include hydration, nutrition, and durability.
The other major factor? Willpower.
“Probably 50 percent of it is nutrition — and obviously training, but the rest is just not quitting and mental fortitude,” he said. “I’ve wanted to quit a million times, but I’m really cautious of surrounding myself with the right people.”
McDonald recalled his 300-mile race and struggling mightily. He sat with full body cramps from his fingers to his toes, feeling dehydration. He said 30% of the field quit that race — but he didn’t.
“I had a purpose bigger than myself,” McDonald said. “The pain I was feeling is nothing compared to the pain and suffering these children go through. For this cause now — I get to stop in 50 days. The kids we’re raising money for don’t get to stop in 50 days.”
McDonald is hosting a “Wish Run” every morning in each of the 50 states he’s traveling to. He started in Florida and has worked his way up the East Coast, through the Midwest and, as of Aug. 27, is in Eugene Oregon.
“We have anywhere from 10 people, to 1,200 people participating,” McDonald said. “We’re trying to get people to realize that when their purpose is bigger than themselves, they are capable of much more.”
McDonald wakes up at 4 a.m. each day and heads to wherever the route begins, and starts the Wish Run at 6 a.m.
“We go through the purpose, the ‘why,'” he said. “We run either 5K or 10K together as a group. Some people run random distances, and some want to run it all. We have people setting personal records each run.”
McDonald said he enjoys exploring each city and the cultures, spreading the message of his mission. When he went to Maine, he ran part of his 50K on a treadmill on a lobster boat. When they went to Indiana, they visited a small Amish town and experienced what life is like living Amish. He plans to visit Zion National Park and other major National Parks along the way.
In Iowa, the end of his route put him at the Field of Dreams. McDonald’s team is constantly reaching out to local run clubs for participants and making each location known via social media.
McDonald’s last stop is in Hawaii on Sept. 12, where he hopes the goal of $1 million will be completed.
“It’s definitely not about us,” he said. “I’m giving the glory to God. When you do these things and it’s not about you — leading up to the end is the emotional part and it will be hard to believe we pulled this off. I think we’re winning every day. Every $10,000 increment matters, because that means another life is being changed.”
McDonald hopes to have a celebration in Cape Coral when he completes his mission.
He hopes the family of a young Naples boy named Isaac who recently passed away will attend.
“He’s a Make-A-Wish child, and we look forward to getting back and being with their family,” he said. “Those are the moments that bring me to tears. Those are the stories that we need to continue to pass down. That’s how Isaac’s testimony will be able to live on and change lives. We didn’t know him personally, but he’s part of our crew because this happened locally in Southwest Florida.”
McDonald added this trip is also a lesson for his young daughters, to show them the power of making a difference and inspiring others to do good in the world.
As of Thursday, McDonald has raised $542,653 of the $1 million goal.
To follow McDonald’s journey and to donate, visit zeroto100wishes.com.