SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — The 437 Project set and achieved an ambitious goal in 2024: 12 runners crossing South Dakota in a relay from the Wyoming border to the Iowa border. The effort highlighted the importance of mental health and resources available for anyone who might be struggling while raising more than $315,000 for the Sioux Falls-based Helpline Center.
But it’s a state-wide endeavor. A South Dakota sunrise on Sept. 19 greeted runner Marty Wennblom of Rapid City who launched the journey eastward from the Wyoming border near Spearfish.
“I got so many people, the wind at my back, right, a great team,” Wennblom said.
KELOLAND’s Dan Santella was among the dozen runners. The Black Hills in western South Dakota might offer a runner more literal ups and downs when compared with the eastern half of the state, but the views are exceptional. On the mind of runner Mark Scharnberg of Sioux Falls was his late cousin Troy who lost his life to mental illness two decades ago.
“I was thinking about Troy, and I was thinking about a number of other people that raised up their loved ones to me,” Scharnberg said.
The number in The 437 Project’s name refers to the approximate mileage, and the group reached South Dakota’s border with Iowa on the morning of Sept. 22. While a runner is usually running alone on the route, camaraderie is never far away. For one, The 437 Project’s support crew is always there, with runners enjoying the companionship of a vehicle in front of them and 437 Project teammates riding in an RV behind them. Runner Dr. Jon Buchanan of Sioux Falls enjoyed some special company: his son Koa and his dog Cleo.
“I remember one time I was coming up a hill, and I just, my legs locked up. I fell to my knees,” Buchanan said. “Someone came behind me, put their arms around me. It was just like that. They picked me up, put me back in the RV, and I knew it was going to be okay, and that’s what it is. You gotta tell when you’re in trouble. You gotta tell people when you’re hurting, and just like that, you call the Helpline Center, and someone’s arms will be around you, and they’ll get you those resources.”
The intensity of the task at hand provided Buchanan an opportunity to practice his sports medicine; teammate Dawn Marie Johnson of Sioux Falls overcame blisters with his help.
“I’ve really had to push myself out of my comfort zone to get there, and I’ve had a couple injuries along the way already, but we’re battling through that and still continuing on,” Johnson said.
Johnson’s daughter Rhayn and mother Charlotte joined her for an emotional embrace after her final leg. While she ran, Susan Kornder of Aberdeen thought of her brothers Mike and Pat who were each lost to mental illness.
“A few songs came on my playlist, and I spoke to both of them to give me some strength through it,” Kornder said.
For her, The 437 Project is where her passions intersect; she’s executive director of the Northeastern Mental Health Center in Aberdeen.
“The mental side is easy for me when I’m running,” Kornder said. “I think about all the people and the cause I’m running for, and that keeps me going. All I gotta do is run, one foot in front of the other, and my two passions collide out here: mental health and running.”
Runners Jess Rumpca of Pierre and Carmen Peterson of Philip, S.D. work in health care, too; Rumpca is a nurse practitioner and Peterson is director of radiology and clinical informatics at Philip Health Services.
“I’ve seen first-hand what that looks like when first responders do get there in time,” Peterson said.
“I think that there’s just an increased need for mental health awareness and resources for people who are struggling with that,” Rumpca said. “I feel like we see it every day, honestly. Even sometimes when people aren’t necessarily coming in for that, they might express to us when they’re at that visit that they are struggling.”
Accompanying runner Lisa Larson of Mitchell was her late mother Darlene.
“I always carry my mom with me when I run,” Larson said. “She passed away a year and a half ago, so it’s her picture.”
Larson knows what it’s like to experience and survive a mental health crisis; it’s been well over 10 years since she survived a suicide attempt. A cheering throng of supporters welcomed her as she finished one of her legs at the Corn Palace in Mitchell, and among the crowd was her 91-year-old father Wilb Hohn. The 437 Project seeks to spread the enthusiasm and joy for mental health which were on display that sunny afternoon in Mitchell on Sept. 21.
Running, and perhaps what’s worn while running, are opportunities to show support for anyone who might see the team crossing the state. Runner Betsy Schuster of the Hartford, S.D. area wore a headband.
“Like the saying on my headband, ‘I belong, you belong, we belong,'” Schuster said. “We really do belong, and so this group has been so uplifting, saying we all belong, and you, we got your back Betsy, as I do this as an individual but as a team.”
“We all have bad days,” runner Lexie Warejcka of the Platte, S.D. area said. “We all feel like we’re never enough, but at the end of the day we are, and you matter.”
When it seems like a sunrise isn’t ever going to come, Warejcka knows to whom she can turn: her teammates.
“I seriously feel like I gained a second family in three days,” Warejcka said. “Three days. Like, these people have been amazing. I know if I ever go through anything in life, I can call one of the 11 runners, I can call the support staff, and they’ll be there for me.”
Support for mental health and anyone struggling can come in different forms. Runner John Meyer of Sioux Falls sees it, and he says The 437 Project is seeing success.
“Those ranchers in the, at the bar in Enning, South Dakota who pulled out hundred-dollar bills to support the cause,” Meyer said. “A mother walked up to me in Pierre yesterday whose daughter was a new bride in September of last year and died by suicide in April, and she just gave me a big hug, and what’s amazing is I don’t think she knew about the Helpline, and so that to me is a really tangible example that what we’re doing is reaching new people and making an impact.”
“This is just the start of the project,” Rumpca said. “I mean, I think this is going to just keep getting bigger and bigger.”
If you are experiencing a mental health crisis, you can call or text 988; you can also start a chat with it.
