Friends running 1,000 miles for suicide prevention

Twenty-five days straight, 40 miles a day; Thad Meyer and Alexander Hall, friends from Maryland and Virginia, are running 1,000 miles. Monday, they finished their final day in Canada and crossed the Rainbow Bridge in Niagara Falls. They started 600 miles away along Lake Huron. They'll finish in Albany. Their goal is to spread awareness about mental health.

SOS 1,000 Mile Run

These ultra-marathoners both know firsthand the pain of losing someone to suicide.

“A little over a year ago, I lost my mom to suicide,” said Meyer.

Both say one of the best things anyone can do for someone dealing with suicidal thoughts is talking.
Something that helped Hall through a tough time in his life.

“Sometimes, there in the past and other times, I haven't been OK. By saying that to someone, I am 100% not going to commit suicide,” said Hall.

After two high profile suicides in one week, they believe their message has only been amplified.
 
“It's a sad confluence of events that have worked in our favor a little bit to help bring attention to this epidemic,” added Meyer.

When their run gets tough, they remember why they're running. Mental health and how difficult it can be, for so many, to talk about.

“How do people run a thousand miles? Not very easily. How do we erase stigma? Not very easily,” said Hall.

As they pass Niagara Falls, their endurance gets a boost. Four-hundred miles left, but still a long way to go for mental health.