Running Back to the Desert for Connor’s Fight and Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Awareness

In September 2025, I returned to the desert.

Back to the unforgiving terrain.
Back to the brutal miles.
Back to the Grand 2 Grand Ultra Marathon, one of the toughest endurance races in the world.

I made that decision almost immediately after failing to complete G2G in 2023. It was the first time I’d ever failed to achieve what I stated I’d do for Connor. I knew almost immediately that I had to try again, I had to prove to myself that I would do what it took.

It was disappointing.
It was humbling.
It stayed with me.

At that time, Connor’s Fight already existed as the mission behind every mile I ran, a fight rooted in raising awareness for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy and pushing for better treatment options for children and families living with this disease. I was running alongside JAR of Hope, learning what it truly means to turn endurance sports into meaningful fundraising for Duchenne research.

What I wanted most was not redemption from a race. I wanted to show my son, and every family watching, that setbacks do not define you and that failure is never the end of the story.

September is Duchenne Awareness Month. Choosing to return to the G2G Ultra Marathon was about more than physical endurance. It was about purpose. Every mile was run for children who cannot, for parents still searching for hope, and for the therapies and research that could change lives.

We ran through heat, exhaustion, and sleepless nights not for medals, but for progress. For visibility. For the belief that awareness leads to action and action leads to change.

That journey was never mine alone. It belonged to everyone who stood beside it, those who ran, donated, shared our story, and helped amplify the mission of Connor’s Fight.

Because no child should be left without options.
And no parent should have to watch their child fade away.