My name is Grant Bell, and I am an avid runner and running coach born and raised in central Minnesota on the shores of the mighty Mississippi River.

This summer of 2026, I will be raising money for childhood cancer research as I make an attempt to run the entire length of the Mississippi River from northern Minnesota down through southern Louisiana!

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I am an avid runner and running coach that was born and raised on the shores of the mighty Mississippi River in St. Cloud, MN. I have been a runner my whole life through high school, college, and now post-collegiately. I have run competitively and for leisure for more than two decades and for the past few years have run nearly 20 miles per day. I am a capable and driven individual that is seeking your help to make this massive dream a reality!

This attempt will be taking place during the summer of 2026 beginning the last week of May with a hopeful completion date in early August. While adjustments may be made due to weather or other hazardous conditions, I plan to run 30-40 miles per day on the Mississippi River Trail. This trend would allow me to complete the 2300 mile trek in roughly 70 days raising money along the way that will be donated to childhood cancer research. It will be quite the challenge but I am in excellent physical condition, am training diligently, and have a strong mindset that should permit me to accomplish this journey!

Less than a year ago, my niece was diagnosed with Ewing's Sarcoma, a rare, aggressive cancer that primarily develops in the bones or surrounding soft tissues of children, teenagers, and young adults. Whether by fortune or misfortune, this was the closest personal connection I have had in my life to someone affected by cancer. The struggle has been, and continues to be, immense and demanding but she has kept on a brave face and good attitude throughout.

I can partially relate to the trial and tribulation that is cancer because as a child I spent time in a wheelchair after being diagnosed with an incredibly painful disease called Legg Perthes. Quite rare and even more debilitating, this disease is a rare childhood hip disorder where the blood supply to the femoral head (ball of the hip joint) is temporarily lost, causing the bone to break down and die. A limp, pain in the hip and leg, and muscle atrophy are all symptoms that come with Legg Perthes. While the bone eventually heals through a process of re-ossification, it can take several years, and the hip may be left with a different shape that is detrimental to normal movements and life.

I say that I can only partially relate because although my experience was painful, difficult, and could affect me for the rest of my life, it didn't. Instead, I experienced what I could only label as a miracle. After a matter of weeks, not years, of being in a wheelchair, my pain went away and I was able to stand and walk with a correctly formed hip. I was able to walk, to jump, and most importantly to run. I ran for fun, for sports, with my dog, my family and friends.

For a long time I lived and ran "because I could". Now, so many years later, I still run because I can, but also because I can't not. Running has grown from a part of my life, to my life. I have been lucky, very lucky, and want to help others prosper with what I can do that they might not be able to.