Run, Walk, Smile as You Support the Children’s Heart Foundation

On Friday, runners (and walkers) of all ages will take to the roads of Tilles Park to run for the thousands of children born with congenital heart defects (CHD) each year. With their support, there’s hope that one day every child with a CHD will grow up happy and healthy, with the opportunity to run themselves.

Proceeds from the second annual More Miles More Smiles 5k/1 mile walk will benefit The Children’s Heart Foundation - Missouri Chapter, which provides support to families impacted by CHD and fosters CHD research. The More Miles More Smiles 5k is not only raising funds, it’s raising awareness about the cause in the racing community.

This combination of comradery and community is exactly what More Miles More Smiles founder Mark Spewak has focused his mission on. His goal is to unite runners of every ability and inspire them to fulfil their fitness goals. And at the same time, through events like the 5k, empower the community to help those in need throughout St. Louis.

Building a unified front

From junior high through college, Spewak was a competitive cross country runner whose his life revolved around practices and meets. When his freshman year didn’t work out as he had planned, he returned to St. Louis and for the first time in his running career, no longer had a teammate at his side.

“I was running one morning in Forest Park – tired, out of breath – and I wondered why am I putting myself through this? What’s the point? And I knew. The more I run, the more I smile. I needed to remind myself how beautiful this sport is.”

Spewak launched his More Miles More Smiles apparel company and blog to bring more up-and-coming runners into the tightknit St. Louis running community. As an employee of Big River Running Company and now as a trainer, Spewak has met countless runners who he knew could inspire anyone to lace up their sneakers and hit the trail, no matter their age, ability or fitness level.

Explained Spewak, “Whether someone has completed an Iron Man or is running for the first time, they can both relate to that beautiful runner’s high even though their worlds may be different. Any runner, from the 100 milers to the person who runs two laps around a track on a Wednesday afternoon, is part of this fraternity. There’s a bond there that keeps you going no matter how hard it gets.”

Through the More Miles More Smiles website, Spewak offers a line of clothing and accessories that spotlights his healthy living message, including headbands that benefit L.I.F.E, an organization which provides financial support to individuals with cancer.

In addition, More Miles More Smiles spotlights a different runner each month on the site and through social media to encourage others to begin running. In many cases, the profiles don’t highlight marathon winners, but runners in the initial stages of their racing careers.

 “In other media outlets, if someone wins a race, they get a feature,” said Spewak. “If they set a record, they get a feature. But there are so many inspiring stories in the St. Louis running community that need to be shared. New runners can relate better to that every day runner instead of an Olympic champion. When they have found someone like them who has found the joy in running, it gets them motivated.”

Sharing the love in St. Louis

As focused as More Miles More Smiles is on growing the running community, it’s equally dedicated to helping the St. Louis region as a whole.

Through the race community, Spewak has met with runners with their own personal missions – like Ryan and Ellie Wilhelm. Ellie was born with CHD and received a pacemaker in junior high. Today, she is a marathon runner and avid supporter of The Children’s Heart Foundation.

Moved by her story and that of other families affected by CHD, More Miles More Smiles hosted its first charitable 5K last year. The response from the community was so great that this year’s event at Tilles Park on June 19^th promises to be even bigger – which is significant as 100% of proceeds goes directly to the charity.

Registration for this evening race begins at 6 p.m., and the run/walk starts at 7 p.m. Participants will race through Tilles, located at 9551 Litszinger Road, and into neighborhoods across Ladue until they return to the park for a post-race party featuring a live band, food trucks, and beer tastings from three local breweries.

The entry fees for More Miles More Smiles are $30 for the 5k and $20 for the 1-mile race, until race day when they increase $5. Runners can register now at www.moremilesmoresmiles.com/pages/5k.

For Spewak, the 5k is the culmination of everything he has worked for the past two years and the beginning of a bright future for More Miles More Smiles.

“I love that we can take our mission to help a charity or person here in St. Louis. With so many runners coming together for a great cause, we can make a huge difference for those in need. It’s really a powerful movement – we’re only in this world for so long, but together we can contribute to society to make things better for everyone.”

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