In a world full of adventure races, marathons and 5K events, many exercise enthusiasts find themselves asking, “What’s the point?”
Kelly Nesvold, 39, was one of those people. Nesvold and a group of friends got together and started competing in different events like the Tough Mudder, a half marathon and even a 50 kilometer trail run.
While Nesvold enjoyed spending time with his friends and getting in shape, he found himself asking that very question — “What’s the point?” Other than personal gain, there was really nothing inspiring him to compete.
Early in 2014, Nesvold got the idea to run 100 miles — with a purpose. He decided to raise money for kids all over the world and set a hefty goal of $25,000, which would feed 100,000 children in Convoy of Hope’s Children’s Feeding initiative for a week.
He trained for months. The event took place on October 11 when he left St. Paul, Minnesota, around 6 a.m. and was prepared to run for the next 24-plus hours.
Along the route, friends, family members and even strangers joined in on his mission to end world hunger. “It gets pretty emotional when you run for so long,” recalls Nesvold. “It made a huge difference to have that support.”
Nesvold crossed the finish line on Sunday, October 12, in Austin, Minnesota — 27 hours after he started the race — and was greeted with cheers of support. Nesvold ended up crushing his fundraising goal and brought in over $33,000 to feed kids around the world.
“Raising money for the kids has been phenomenal,” says Nesvold.
He hopes his mission to help others will encourage people everywhere to do the same. He also hopes to set an example for his children that there are no limitations to what you can do when helping others.
While Nesvold will be taking it easy for a while, he reflects on his experience, “It’s made me a much stronger person. I’m glad I could step up and do my part.”
