After an accident left Kenny Herriot paralyzed from the waist down, he discovered hand-cycling and fell in love with it. Kenny took his hobby to the extreme one September, participating in The Million Mile, an annual fundraising challenge held by Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation (ALSF). The Million Mile is all about exercising together each September during Childhood Cancer Awareness Month to collectively move one million miles to raise money and awareness for childhood cancer research. 

The ALSF story — of a little girl inspiring others to make a difference no matter who they are — inspired Kenny as he hand-cycled coast to coast across the United States. Each turn of the wheels generated money for groundbreaking research and treatment for kids with cancer.

Walking, running, and cycling are some of the most popular ways supporters track miles to raise money for childhood cancer research. Because movement and mobility can take many different forms, The Million Mile is designed so that every type of movement counts! 

“The Million Mile invites people of any age, of any ability, to join together to make a difference. Every person’s contribution adds up,” said Marvin Gonzalez, The Million Mile Manager at ALSF. “The strength of The Million Mile is not about the size of individual contributions. It’s about bringing as many people together as possible to affect change, which is why it’s specifically designed for anyone, anywhere, to participate.”

One year, another supporter who was recovering from a childhood cancer diagnosis counted miles from walking to and from her mailbox each day. Her goal was small, but her impact was not. Her daily walk raised money, directly helping kids with cancer, like her. Other supporters count miles from their grocery trips or walks to school. Even if those experiences are still not accessible to everyone, our supporters, past, present, and future show us that adaptability is a part of perseverance — and can be a part of our daily lives.

Interested in participating but can’t figure out how? Try some of these alternatives!

1.    Track the distance you travel all day. 
You can rack up miles just by getting around. Miles are miles, whether on foot or by wheel! For extra exercise, try wheeling or walking around your park or neighborhood. If someone joins you, you can count both of your miles, leading to double the donations!

2.    Count up miles from your sport! 
Whether you are running around a football field or making moves in wheelchair basketball, the distance you go in the sport you love can count towards your mile goal! There are hundreds of innovative ways to get your blood pumping and help us race toward a cure. 

3.    Convert activity into miles.
By logging miles manually, you can come up with your own conversion system. Maybe to you, 15 minutes of movement equals one mile. This opens the door to a world of chair movement, yoga, water aerobics, and even breathing exercises! You decide what you think counts as effort toward finding a cure. 

4.    Embrace the virtual! 
If large gatherings are not your thing or if you are immunocompromised, The Million Mile provides lots of opportunities for virtual movement and fitness. You could try your hand at virtual reality and fitness video games to help us cross the finish line. Or, you could take a free virtual walking tour of some of the most beautiful cities in the world by following this link. You can enhance both your knowledge and your experience by taking virtual tours of famous museums like the Louvre. 

Do YOU want to go the distance for kids with cancer?
Then do it! No matter what your abilities are, there’s always something you can do to help kids with cancer. Register for The Million Mile here. Sign-ups run all through September, but you can jump in at the start to maximize your miles. Your sweet support means the world to us, and remember: every movement matters when you’re joining the fight against childhood cancer.