On Sunday, August 23, 2026, endurance athlete Brady MacDonald runs a 50K in western North Dakota as part of Zero to 100 Wishes, his attempt to run a 50K in all 50 states in 50 consecutive days and raise $1 million for Make-A-Wish. North Dakota's leg starts with a sunrise 5K in the Badlands that anyone can join, and every $10,000 raised grants one wish for a child facing a critical illness. Proven Realty is helping bring him here, and we want a crowd at the start line. You can donate at zeroto100wishes.com.
The mission
What is the Zero to 100 Wishes 50K challenge?
Fifty kilometers is roughly 31 miles. Most people never run that distance once. Brady is attempting it fifty times, in fifty different states, on fifty straight days, with his family traveling the country alongside him and a YouTube episode filmed in every state.
The number that matters is not the miles. It is 100. That is how many wishes $1 million grants through Make-A-Wish, because roughly every $10,000 raised sends one child facing a critical illness on a wish. His words in our interview were about as clear as it gets: "It's not about the miles. It's not about the dollars. It's about the hundred wishes."
He also told me the state-by-state target is $20,000 to $40,000 raised per stop. North Dakota does not get a pass on that just because we are small.
My read: I have watched a lot of people announce big goals. This one is different because the suffering is already priced in. Brady is not hoping it goes well. He knows exactly how bad day 31 is going to feel and he signed up anyway, because the kids on the other end of it did not get to choose their hard thing.
The man
Who is Brady MacDonald and why is North Dakota on his list?
I met Brady at the Boardroom mastermind a few months back. I went in expecting to talk business and came out following a group chat for a 300 mile run.
That run is the short version of who he is. Three hundred miles, two mountain summits, and $300,000 raised for charity. At mile 22 his crew ran out of water in 105 degree heat, and he cramped from his toes to his fingertips with 277 miles still in front of him. He had already been hospitalized after an earlier race, dehydrated badly enough that his family was told to be afraid. He kept going. When I asked him why he did not quit, he did not talk about training. He said the purpose was bigger than he was.
Here is the part I love. Three years ago, after three days in a hospital bed, his wife told him he could never run again. His response was to run 100 miles and raise $100,000. She let him. That is the pattern: every time his body says stop, he raises the stakes for somebody else instead.
As for why we are on the list, every state is on the list. But North Dakota is the one people save for last. We joke that our most famous club is the 50th state club, the one you join after you have already seen the other 49. So when a guy chooses to run 31 miles in the Badlands at sunrise and film it for the country, we should probably show up.
What this means for you
You do not need to be a runner to matter here. The August 23 event is built so anyone can walk in, go as far as they want, and still be part of the day. The crowd is the point, because the video from North Dakota is what drives donations from everywhere else.
Watch
What did Brady say about running 50 states in 50 days?
I sat down with him to talk about the mission, the 300 mile run that came before it, and what he wants North Dakota to see. Worth twelve minutes of your day.
Erik Peterson of Proven Realty with Brady MacDonald on the Zero to 100 Wishes mission. Watch on YouTube.
My read: the line that stuck with me was him saying he knows he can suffer, and that he could suffer for 50 days in a row. Then he flipped it. The kids fighting these illnesses do not get to pick their suffering, and they are doing it scared. Being the stranger who hands a family a little hope is worth a hard day on your feet.
The day
What actually happens on August 23 in western North Dakota?
The plan is a 5K at sunrise that the community runs together, and then Brady keeps going until the 50K is done. You can run the full 5K, you can run longer, or you can turn around whenever you like. Nobody is checking your pace.
We are hosting it in the Badlands, the same broken, beautiful country where Theodore Roosevelt cut his teeth before he became president. If you have never been out to Theodore Roosevelt National Park, this is your excuse. Wild bison, layered buttes, and the kind of sunrise that makes flatland jokes look uninformed. Brady is filming a 50 part series and one of those episodes is ours, so what the camera sees is western North Dakota deciding to show up for somebody else's kids.
Bring water, bring a hat, bring your family. Start time and the exact meeting point are the details to confirm before you drive out. Check zeroto100wishes.com for the current information, or message our office and we will point you to it.
What this means for you
Plan for an early morning and a bit of a drive if you are coming from Williston or Watford City. Confirm the start location and time before you leave the house, because sunrise events move for weather and for filming.
The math
How does the money turn into wishes for kids?
This is the part that made Brady pick this charity. He told me he wanted a cause with visible impact and a partner that would actually work with them, not just accept a check and disappear. With Make-A-Wish, roughly every $10,000 raised grants one wish, and his family gets to be present for some of the reveals. A million dollars becomes 100 named kids, not a line item.
That is also why the per state goal of $20,000 to $40,000 matters. It converts almost directly. Two or three wishes could come out of one North Dakota morning, and North Dakota generosity is not something I have ever had to talk anyone into.
My read: close your eyes and picture your own kid hooked up to machines while a doctor whispers the worst news of your life to you in a hallway. That is the moment Brady described to me, and it is the reason I stopped looking for a reason to sit this one out. Being the stranger who hands that family one good day is worth whatever it costs us.
What this means for you
Any amount counts because the total is what converts. If enough people in Williams and McKenzie County give what a tank of gas costs, North Dakota funds a wish on its own.
How to help
How can I support the run if I cannot be there on August 23?
Three ways, in order of how much they help.
Donate. Every dollar goes toward the $1 million and the 100 wishes, and the campaign takes donations directly at zeroto100wishes.com. Roughly ten of us giving a hundred dollars is a tenth of a wish. Roughly a hundred of us doing it grants one. Give whatever you can without thinking about it too hard, and do it before August 23 if you want North Dakota to hit its number on the day.
Sponsor. Brady is actively looking for sponsors to make a project this size possible, and a 50 state YouTube series is real exposure for a business. If you own a company in the Bakken and want in on the North Dakota episode, email me at Erik@ProvenRealtyND.com or call our office at (701) 369-3949 and I will connect you directly.
Share it. Post the video, tag friends who run, tell your church or your crew. The reason a 50 state series works is that each state's audience carries it to the next. Attention turns into donations, and donations turn into wishes.
Questions
Common questions about the North Dakota 50K
When is the North Dakota leg of the 50 states in 50 days run?
Sunday, August 23, 2026. The community 5K goes off at sunrise, so plan on an early start, and confirm the exact time and meeting point at zeroto100wishes.com before you head out, since sunrise events shift for weather and filming.
Where in North Dakota is the run being held?
In the Badlands of western North Dakota, in Theodore Roosevelt National Park country. It is one of the most striking landscapes in the state, which is exactly why we wanted the camera there.
Do I have to run 50 kilometers to participate?
No. The community portion is a 5K, which is about 3.1 miles, and you can walk it or turn around early. Brady is the one running the full 50K. If you want to run farther alongside him, you are welcome to.
Can kids and families come along?
Yes, and they should. It is a sunrise 5K in a national park landscape, not a race with cutoffs. Bring water, a hat, and shoes you can walk uneven ground in.
Where does the money actually go?
To Make-A-Wish. Roughly every $10,000 raised grants one wish for a child with a critical illness, which is how $1 million becomes 100 wishes. Brady chose the organization specifically because his family can be present for some of the wish reveals. Donations for the run go through zeroto100wishes.com.
Has anyone ever run a 50K in all 50 states in 50 straight days?
Not that anyone has been able to point us to. That is part of why Brady chose it. He had considered spreading the effort over a year and decided a compressed attempt would draw far more attention, which means far more money for the wishes.
How can a business sponsor the North Dakota stop?
Reach out to me directly at Erik@ProvenRealtyND.com or (701) 369-3949. Sponsors help cover the cost of a project this size, and the North Dakota episode of the 50 part series is the kind of exposure most local advertising cannot buy.
What did Brady do before this?
He ran 300 miles over two mountain summits and raised $300,000 for charity, after cramping badly at mile 22 in 105 degree heat when his crew ran out of water. Before that, following a three day hospital stay, he ran 100 miles and raised $100,000.
I have built a career here on being the honest call rather than the easy one, and this is the easiest honest call I have made in a while. A guy is going to hurt himself on purpose for 50 days so that 100 kids get one good thing in the middle of the worst year of their lives, and one of those days is ours.
Show up at sunrise on Sunday, August 23. If you cannot, donate at zeroto100wishes.com and send the video to someone who will.
EP
Proven Realty brokered by eXp
Fund a wish before August 23
Every $10,000 raised grants one wish. Donate to the run, or reach our team about running, volunteering, and sponsoring the North Dakota stop. We are at 3210 27th St. W, Suite 207 in Harvest Plaza, Williston.
Donate at zeroto100wishes.comSponsorship and event questions: contact Proven Realty or call (701) 369-3949.
Event details, mission figures, and quotes are drawn from our recorded interview with Brady MacDonald, the Zero to 100 Wishes campaign, and Make-A-Wish's published wish-granting figures. Dates, start times, and locations for outdoor events can change. Verify specifics before acting. Equal Housing Opportunity.
