Marathon for Mental Health

On Saturday, December 18th, 2021, Zac Barnes and Davin Haukebo-Bol will be running a self supported road marathon from Bloomer to Eau Claire, Wisconsin to raise funds for NAMI Chippewa Valley.

The Marathon

At 10am on Saturday the 18th, the marathon will begin in Bloomer. The route will follow mixed use trails, hit the halfway mark in Chippewa Falls, and then continue on to Eau Claire, finishing at 322 Water Street. The runners, Zac and Davin, both attended UW-Eau Claire, and stuck around the city afterwards, doing community-centric work through the Americorps VISTA program. During this time they met a wonderfully enthusiastic individual named Corey James Hilber, and became fast friends. Eventually they all moved to different cities in the region, but remained good friends. On December 15th, 2012, Corey James took his own life. It is in his memory that Davin and Zac will be running. The middle of December is a peculiar time to run a marathon in Wisconsin. There’s no knowing just what the weather will be. Our organizing runners, Zac and Davin are committed to completing this run, be it in rain, snow, or shine. The goal pace will be brisk, but conversational. Along the way, sharing memories of their good friend, Corey. Other runners are encouraged to join in for the full or half marathon distance. Just please be mindful that this is a self-supported run.

Our Friend Corey

Corey James Hilber was born in 1985. In 2008 he graduated from UW-Eau Claire. Shortly thereafter, Corey James joined the Peace Corps where he spent a couple years in Kyrgyzstan. At each stage of his journey, Corey made numerous friends. Whether he was telling a silly joke, making a delicious local meal, or telling a story with no end in sight, he was completely invested in the task and the people around him. It shocked all of us when he took his own life on December 15th, 2012.

Your Donation

Perhaps Corey was a part of your life. Or, maybe there is someone else that you lost to depression. We all know someone struggling with mental health right now. We did not see it in our friend Corey, until it was already too late. This is the beginning of a conversation to destigmatize and recognize the illness. There are organizations doing important work, bringing some light to such a dark matter. We can’t bring our friend back, but we can work to recognize and support the mental health struggles of others. We are running this marathon to remember our friend and to raise funds for NAMI Chippewa Valley.

Support NAMI Chippewa Valley

For more than 11 years, National Alliance on Mental Illness Chippewa Valley has devoted its energy to passionately educating, supporting and advocating for the families and individuals living with a mental illness in the Chippewa Valley. 1 in 4 adults and 1 in 10 children will be diagnosed each year with a mental health disorder. NAMI Chippewa Valley's mission is to provide education, support and advocacy to families and individuals living with a mental illness.

NAMI Chippewa Valley is always looking for support to further their mission to provide education, support and advocacy for individuals and families living with a mental health disorder. Current funding is being used to maintain an office space at Banbury Place and to provide training, curriculum materials and supplies for their current family programs. They also support the Eau Claire Police Department's CIT (Crisis Intervention Training) Program for their officers and surrounding departments. Future goals are to expand programming to include Peer Support Groups, Peer-to-Peer classes and to hire a part-time Executive Director to further expand their capabilities.