Months ago when planning, we all thought it would be a fitting gesture – a send-off event to celebrate Ryan and the Big Bear Community that supported him. We had no clue how many people would show up, and when it started raining, I feared folks would stay home. But in true Big Bear fashion (we seem to have a way with the weather up here and can even summon snow to put out fires), the skies cleared and gave way to a remarkable event.

Thousands showed up on August 5th to wish Ryan Hall good luck. Hundreds of children ran around the Middle School track, the same track where Ryan first discovered running, to celebrate their participation in the Move A Million Miles for Ryan Hall Campaign. Major media covered the event and the emotion. Many tears were shed, including some from Ryan. “I’m glad I am wearing my Oakleys so you can’t see me crying,” he said. As Ryan ran around the track, arm after arm reached out to him in support.

And to top it all off, we actually surpassed our goal of a million miles, and did so a few weeks early. Back in December when we began work on the Move A Million Miles Campaign, we really didn’t know if we would make it. A million was a big number, and we didn’t have very much time to pursue it. How do we motivate thousands of people to move and log a million miles? But through the hard work and support of a dedicated community, we did it. We presented Ryan a banner with 1,203,556 miles on it. Right here in little ‘ol Big Bear.