Grueling 22-hour march to Omaha raises $250,000 for veterans in need

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – Some gritty community members embarked on one of the most physically intense fundraisers Lincoln has to offer.

the 50 Mile March kicked off at the steps of the capital building and will last 22 hours as they trek to Omaha.

“There is a huge problem right now that veterans are facing, but more specifically homelessness as well as PTSD and mental illness,” said Jay Miralles, co-founder of the event. “There’s a lot of organizations that are here to help, and what our job is, we’re here to symbolically march for them, raise awareness and then field the organizations who do the most work.”

The event has grown exponentially in the three years since it was founded, going from just 9 marchers that first year, to almost 60 marchers doing the long hike this year.

Many people participating are veterans themselves, and have their own stories of facing difficult times after they came home from war.

“I know what it’s like to shower at the YMCA because you don’t have a place to call your own, and I know that there are many like that right now,” said Miralles. “I, fortunately, got help and people really took me under their wing. Because I have the ability to do this now, I want to really call attention to it, and I want to serve those. If we can help one more veteran, that’s enough for me.”

This also isn’t some marchers’ first go-around at the massive trek either, and one said she couldn’t do it without the support of those around her.

“I definitely had moments where that became harder and harder, and I thought about it. I was like, how do I have miles to go when each step is hard?” said walker Jessica Glas. “I had a few moments when I was starting to get a little weak, but I was so gung-ho, and if I was surrounded by these amazing people, then I couldn’t give up.”

The marchers were still in high spirits after the 9-mile mark just outside of Lincoln, but they still had 40 miles to get through overnight.