Lexi Ruiz is a remarkable 8-year-old. When her dad, Gabriel Ruiz, began training for the 50 Mile March in 2023 to raise money for veterans facing mental health challenges and homelessness, Lexi started training with him. The training included walking five miles three times a week. When she asked if she could join him on the march, Gabriel approached the organizers to see if it was possible. Participating in the march meant walking for 22 hours—50 miles—from Lincoln, Nebraska, to Omaha, Nebraska. No one that young had ever asked to join the march.
Edge: Why did you decide to do this march?
Ruiz: My dad was doing it, and I didn’t want him to do it alone.
Edge: What did you do to prepare for the march?
Ruiz: I trained by walking—a lot.
Gabriel Ruiz: This past year we trained harder than we did in 2023. We did a lot of 10-mile rucks (training sessions), 12-mile rucks, and 15-mile rucks. For the qualifier, we started with calisthenics: two sets each of one minute of high knees, one minute of planking, and one minute of jumping jacks. Then we walked 15 miles with 25 pounds in the backpack.
Edge: What was it like on the day of the March? Were there other kids there?
Ruiz: Lining up, I was nervous. Any other kids were there to support their people who were doing it, usually their parents.
Edge: How long did you march?
Ruiz: Twenty-two hours. I had to stop because I was really tired. I couldn’t keep going.
Gabriel Ruiz: She had walked about 34 miles, it was 5:30 in the morning, and she’d been up for 22 hours. We had to push her to stop because she was not talking at all, which had me worried. The medic convinced her to take a break (after the 3rd attempt), with the ability to jump back in after the next stop. In years past, if you stopped, you were not able to resume. This year the feel-like temperature outside was 100 degrees. She instantly fell asleep in my lap.
Edge: What was the hardest part of the event?
Ruiz: Continuing to walk. I got a hot spot on my foot and it was killing me.
Edge: What was the most rewarding part?
Ruiz: Getting the patch at the end [for participating in the march].
Gabriel Ruiz: After we got the patch for the qualifier, her face lit up. That reminded me that she’s a kid, so the little things like the coin are a big deal.
Ruiz: I also made a deal with one of the board members during the qualifier. If we raised enough money, I got to pie him in the face. That was the best. He kind of pied me back, though.
Edge: How did you help with the fundraising?
Ruiz: I did lemonade stands for donations. We had a little cup for donations or people donated directly with the QR code.
Edge: What was your goal for fundraising?
Ruiz: The minimum amount walkers were supposed to raise was $2,500 each. [My dad and I] really wanted to raise $10,000 and we went over that. [The march raised almost $600,000 in 2024].
Edge: What was it like at the end of the march?
Ruiz: Before the march, a guy asked me what I really wanted at the end of the march. I said ice cream, so I got that. I also got a cowbell from a lady who rings a cowbell to encourage us [during the march]. At the end, people were just running over to give me things.
Gabriel Ruiz: There was a huge welcome home party with about 2,000 people at Nebraska Brewing Company honoring those who marched.
Edge: What advice would you give other kids who might want to participate in the march?
Ruiz: You can’t say you’re going to do it until you’ve trained at least six times, at least five miles each time.
Edge: What percentage of a chance is there that you’ll march again next year?
Ruiz: 99 percent.
Gabriel Ruiz: 99 percent? (laughs)
