24-hour treadmill run-a-thon benefits Wishes Can Happen

Editor's note: This story has been updated to correct the spelling of Bob Mohr's last name.

CANTON − While you were sleeping, Bob Mohr was logging miles on a treadmill to raise money for Wishes Can Happen.

At precisely 10 a.m. Friday, Mohr embarked on a 24-hour run-a-thon in the Kempthorn Motors Mazda showroom at 1449 Cleveland Ave. NW. His friend Stephen Strawn also ran, but not for 24 hours.

By 10 a.m. Saturday morning, he logged 87.4 miles, and raised more than $5,000 for the charity.

Wishes Can Happen is a local nonprofit created to grant wishes for seriously ill children and young adults, with those wishes ranging from family vacations, to outdoor play sets, to bedroom makeovers.

It is the chief charity of WHBC-FM Radio.

A Marine veteran and painting subcontractor, Mohr ran to raise money for the family of the late Peter Stenz, an 11-year-old who died from cancer last year.

"I met them three years ago," he said. "He was diagnosed with cancer in 2019, and Stephen put on a fundraiser to medical offset medical costs in November 2019. Peter fought for three years and ended up passing away."

It wasn't immediately clear how much money would be raised.

Bob Mohr: 'I'm a recovering addict and this is huge for my recovery.'

So, how does a person prepare to run for 24 hours?

"It's a mindset," Mohr said, laughing. "I'm a recovering addict and this is huge for my recovery. I was diagnosed with HIV in March of 2012. And people may laugh, but that was like my greatest blessing, to never give up. ... So, I try to do a couple of fundraisers a year for various charities."

Mohr said he did a run-a-thon in February 2021 to benefit the S.A.M. Center in Massillon, running a total of 106 miles.

"In a tent, with a kerosene heater," he said, laughing. "We're not very smart, but we have big hearts."

Mohr, who took up running in 2008, noted that he has completed 18 100-mile races. He and Strawn met while competing in a 62-mile "ultra" race.

"Some people think running is my recovery, but my recovery is God and the 12 steps of Alcoholics Anonymous, and running is my way to honor God for my recovery," he said.

Running on a treadmill is more difficult

Strawn said running on a treadmill is more difficult than on natural terrain, which requires different leg muscles. They'll even eat on the treadmills, stopping only to take bathroom breaks and a few rest breaks.

"A treadmill is a lot more difficult because it's just flat," he said. "The whole thing is just to try to stay on for 24 hours."

Kristen Kempthorn Hodge, a fourth-generation member of the family-owned dealership, said they're big fans of Mohr, who has done work at the dealership, and wanted to help.

"It's just a great thing for the community," she said. "We're always trying to do what we can, and that's really where it starts for us."

Cyndi Morrow, Wishes Can Happen co-founder and executive director, said she's thrilled and grateful.

"This is the first time anybody's done this, I think, in 40 years of Wishes," she said. "This is unique and certainly an adventure. I admire them so much."

Morrow said the charity granted more wishes last year than ever, adding that the list for this year is already long.

"We did 47," she said. "Usually, we do 30 to 35."

Steve Mears: 'He's got a big heart.'

The event was coordinated by Steve Mears, president of Strategy One and part time director of marketing and community relations for Kempthorn Motors and Kempthorn Jaguar and Land Rover. A former runner, Mears has organized 77 races over the last 10 years, which is how he met Mohr.

"He's got a big heart, and he was going to run to benefit Wishes Can Happen, which is also WHBC's charity, so we brought them together, and then we brought in a partnership that we had existing from my races with Planet Fitness," Mears said.

Planet Fitness in Jackson Township supplied the treadmills and gave a monetary donation. General Manager Adam Crowder even ran a few miles with Mohr and Strawn.

"We've been involved with Steven (Mears) and the Run Canton community for the last couple of years," he said. "Steve gave Bob my information and we just made it happen."

Crowder said donating treadmills was a first.

"But this is where I've grown up, so we're definitely paying it forward to the community which helped raised me," he said. "It's a big part of what I'd like to do and it's really nice to have Planet Fitness hop on board with that, too."

Five things to know about Wishes Can Happen

• Wishes Can Happen was co-founded in 1982 by Cyndi Morrow and Linda Lippert.

• The charity has granted 1,500 wishes since 1982.

• The average cost of a wish is $6,500.

• Wishes Can Happen is entirely donor supported.

• Many referrals for wishes come from social workers and hospitals.

To learn more about Wishes Can Happen, visit https://wishescanhappen.org.

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Bob Mohr and Stephen Strawn run on treadmill for Wishes Can Happen