Meet Ben Homan.
He is one week away from completing one of his biggest challenges, an ultra marathon.
As Homan explained, "At the beginning of the year, I kind of had this idea that I wanted to commit to the idea of completing an ultra marathon, physically and I thought to make it more meaningful. I would like to do it as an opportunity to fundraise for a group of individuals that love to run but cannot. So I'm going to run this marathon as a challenge and as a benefit to gain support for those who love to run but are unable to, due to a physical disability."
An ultra marathon is anything over the standard marathon of 26.2 miles, next Saturday, he will be running 31 miles. To make sure he completes all 31 miles, he plans to hit the trails at Presque Isle multiple times to make sure he hits every single mile.
According to Homan, "So I'm doing a six mile loop, five times. So it starts at 8 am, every hour, on the hour, I'll be circling back to the Perry Monument."
Homan plans to run alone, but with supporters joining him for some of the miles and he's doing it with a bigger purpose in mind.
As Homan explained, "So I'm a physical therapist by trade, and one population of patients that inspire me are ones with spinal cord injuries. Generally, there's a big accident that happens and their life gets flipped upside down and their mindset with your recovery and rehab is always inspiring to me and they always come in with a great attitude."
He has been raising money for the Ryan Shazier Foundation, an organization close to his heart. "I was actually at the game when Ryan Shazier got hurt a few years, that was before I became a physical therapist. I read the book that he wrote and I use his mantras through his book, patience on a daily basis, so it's a very cool, full circle moment. I'm glad I was able to partner with the fund."
What comes next for this runner? According to Homan, "I ran the Pittsburgh Marathon on a whim two years ago and it was one of those things where I said I did this, I'm never doing that again and here I am two years later and I'm someone who loves to challenge themselves and so I did a marathon and the next step is an ultra and after this who knows."
If you want to support Homan, there's a fundraiser happening Saturday night at Cellars 54 in Harborcreek from 5:00 until 8:00.
You can also donate by clicking here. You can also cheer him on Saturday, September 21 starting at 8:00 at the Perry Monument, where he will be racing.