by Cate Miller
Beth Ruggles is one eager runner who was looking for 5ks when she “ran” into Five Fifty Fifty Run/Walk for Mental Health.
“I was looking up 5ks to do with my husband and I came across the website for the Five Fifty Fifty and it pulled at my heart strings until I decided to dive in and do it. I actually made t-shirts to fundraise for my registration cost because I couldn’t afford to pay for it but I knew I needed to,” said Beth.The 23-year old Pella, Iowan has been running for half her life. She signed on for our Virtual 5k Run/Walk in all 50 states. “Virtual” runners can do their 5k runs anywhere between May 5 and June 23. She will be doing a 5k distance run on all 50 of the days of the physical runs.
There’s nothing “virtual” about Beth’s energy. As a mom/wife/CNA/biotechnology student, she is an ingenious juggler keeping her busy family on track. Her daughter, Peyton is 4, and her stepchildren, Isabella and Hunter, are 17 and 19 respectively. Beth’s husband, Larry, is a HVAC tech.
“I am doing all 50,” said Beth, “to help raise awareness for mental health because I know how many people it affects and how little funding there is for it. I hope to help with raising the awareness for mental health and to contribute as much as I can to help make a difference. I hope to continue doing 5ks as long as my body will let me and hopefully continue to run for Five Fifty Fifty in the process.”
With people like Beth on our team, we’re all winners!
