Since 2008, hundreds of people gather every October to participate in the annual Warrior Run. The 5K race (3.1 miles) takes place on the streets of Mariemont, Ohio. The run, or walk, was started in memory of Jim Miller, a Mariemont resident, who took his own life in July 2008 when he was 50 years old. Jim ran track and cross country at Mariemont High School and was added to the school’s Hall of Fame in 1980. The Warrior Run, also known as The Jim Miller Memorial Mile, raises awareness for mental health education as it receives attention throughout Ohio. The proceeds from the race and monetary donations support in-school mental health programs.

The start of the race on October 10th, 2015

The Race for Life offers different ways to get involved. One way to support the cause is to donate. The donations go to the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center’s Surviving the Teens program, which informs middle and high school students about mental health and suicide prevention. There is also a college challenge, in which the students are asked to train in preparation for the run, take part in community service, and fundraise.

Schools participating in the college challenge

The same rules apply to the high school challenge as well. For younger children, the event offers a Fun Run, 25-100 yard races, for children under the age of 7. Lastly, there is an opportunity to get involved through the team challenge, which allows groups to compete to raise the most money to support the race. The winning team receives a gift card towards a 50 West party and the team with the most members receives a Pizzelii pizza party gift card.

One team participating in this year’s Warrior Run was Brogan’s Gr8ness. The group was started in honor of Brogan Dulle, 21 year old UC student lost to suicide in May 2014. The team to support Brogan and his family was over 50 people strong and raised $222. Beth Dulle '85, Brogan’s mother and Saint Ursula Academy alumna, says, “It means a lot to know that people support us and want to honor Brogan’s life by doing something that will hopefully save the lives of other kids. The Warrior Run raises funds to help teens struggling with depression and if our participation can prevent just one family from going through what we did then I'd consider it a success.” At the race, the whole team was supporting Brogan’s legacy as they wore their 8 Days of Greatness shirts.

Brogan's Dedication at the Cincinnati Zoo

8 Days of Greatness was created by the Dulle Family in honor of Brogan. “8 Days of Greatness is something we started to honor Brogan's life...how he lived it. We wanted it to be about spreading greatness by reaching inside ourselves and giving and not necessarily about raising money for a specific cause,” says Mrs. Dulle. Each of the 8 days has a different theme inspired by Brogan’s life. The days include kindness, gratitude, generosity, selflessness, love, remembrance, passion, and celebration. The goal of 8 Days of Greatness is to ask the 3,500 and counting participants to embrace a new theme every day to make themselves and their community better. Although the focus of this campaign is not on mental health, she says, “We all have to do a better job of acknowledging that depression is not something to hide. It is okay to seek help just as we would for a toothache, a broken arm, or a sore throat. It is real and there is help out there.”

Brogan Dulle

Mrs. Dulle describes her son’s legacy as how we conduct our lives and act towards others. She continues to say, “Every story we hear from Brogan's friends—swimmers, parents of swimmers, co-workers, and classmates—emphasized how good he made people feel, how open he was to help people, and how much he cared.” Brogan’s legacy will be carried on through Gr8ness as people continue to join the movement. His life is also commemorated through a bench and tree at one of his favorite places, the Cincinnati Zoo. The plaque reads, “True wealth lies in a generous heart, and what endless wealth he possessed.” The dedication was donated by Mrs. Dulle’s Saint Ursula Academy Class of 1985. Brogan’s legacy, as well as the mission of Gr8ness, is “that we all obtain true wealth and that we leave a lasting impression on people by how we make them feel,” Mrs. Dulle concludes.

The Gr8ness Logo

During Brogan’s memorial service at UC, his older brother, Will Dulle, read this quotation that describes Brogan’s spirit: "I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel." – Maya Angelou.

For more information about the Warrior Run visit:

http://www.cincywarriorrun.org/

To register for Gr8ness or donate visit:

http://www.8daysofgreatness.org/

Warrior Run 2015: https://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=ZcmOkDorn8I