Pine Lake Ultraman · June 18

The Event

Three days. Open door.

An official Ultraman is 320 miles over three days, with 12 hours to finish each day. The door is open to participate in any section. You don't need to do all of it. You don't even need to do a full leg. Show up for what you can. Each day will start at 7AM and be completed by 7PM.

Day 1

June 18, 2026

🏊 6.2 mi Swim

🚴 90 mi Bike

Two loops around Pine Lake, then saddle up for a 90-mile ride. Join the swim, the ride, or both. Routes and start times coming soon to registered participants.

Day 2

June 19, 2026

🚴 171.4 mi Bike

The big ride. 171 miles on the bike. Hop in for 20, 50, or all of it — any miles you can give count. This is the longest, hardest day and the one where company matters most.

Day 3

June 20, 2026

🏃 52.4 mi Run

A double marathon to close it out. Walk, jog, or run — show up for a loop, a few miles, or the whole thing. The finish line will feel earned no matter how far you go.

320

Total miles

Swim + Bike + Run

Consecutive days

June 18, 19, 20

Minimum to participate

Any miles welcome

Why It Matters

Every mile raises money for people who need a safe place to land.

HOPE Shelters is a Pontiac, Michigan nonprofit that provides emergency shelter and wraparound support to people experiencing homelessness. Not just a bed -- real programs, real advocacy, and real people who help others rebuild.

This cause is personal. My mom spent her life caring for the people most others walked past. HOPE does the work my mom believed in -- the hard, unglamorous work of sitting with someone in crisis and refusing to look away.

I've raised over $34,000 for HOPE across three events. This is the next chapter.

"When she saw someone in need, she didn't just hand over a few dollars. She got to know them. She sat down to a meal with them. That's HOPE Shelters. That's my mom. That's why I do this."

$21,295

Raised in 2023

100-mile run · Walker + Trade Desk challenge

$13,030

Raised in 2025

Mackinac swim · 81 donors
Including lemonade stand proceeds

$34,325+

Total raised

For people in Pontiac, MI

2026

The next chapter

Ultraman · 320 miles · your support

Donate on GoFundMe

Every dollar goes directly to HOPE Shelters. Goal: $15,000 through GoFundMe -- plus additional giving through Benevity and direct donations. Over $34,000 raised across three events. Help get this to $50,000.

Donate on GoFundMe ↗

The Routes

Every mile mapped.

Three days. Three routes. All starting at 7AM, all done by 7PM. Join for any stretch -- every mile alongside me counts.

Day 1 · June 18

Swim + Bike

6.2 mi swim · 90 mi bike

Two loops around Pine Lake, then straight onto the bike. Starting at Pine Lake Marina, 3599 Orchard Lake Rd, West Bloomfield.

Day 2 · June 19

The Big Ride

171.4 mi bike

The longest day on the bike. Hop in for any stretch -- 20 miles, 50, or the whole thing. This is the day where company matters most.

Day 3 · June 20

Double Marathon

52.4 mi run

A double marathon to close it out. Walk, jog, or run -- show up for a loop or the whole thing. The finish line is earned no matter how far you go.

Get Involved

There's a place for everyone in this.

I haven't found a single person crazy enough to do the whole thing alongside me. But there are a lot of ways to show up — and every one of them matters.

🏊

Swim a loop

Pine Lake, Day 1. One or two loops around the lake with me.

🚴

Ride any stretch

Day 1 or Day 2. Any mileage — 20 miles to 171. You pick your segment.

🏃

Run a few miles

Day 3. A mile, a loop, a marathon — whatever you've got in you.

👋

Crew & support

Show up, cheer loud, hand me food. Anyone who's crewed me knows — this matters more than you think.

Ready to be part of it?

Email Ryan directly and tell him what you're in for. Details will follow as the route is locked in.

Email Ryan — I'm In

The Story

Everything we want in life is on the other side of hard.

I grew up watching my mom help people the rest of the world walked past. Not with a quick handout -- she'd sit down with them, share a meal, learn their name. When she saw someone in need, she got closer, not further away. That's who she was.

Her life was also marked by bipolar disorder and addiction. She died alone, on the street. And as painful as that is to carry, her life was never defined by her disease. She was defined by her love, her generosity, and her fierce instinct to care for people everyone else had forgotten.

That's why I run for HOPE Shelters. That's why I swim through cold open water. That's why I ride across the state in a day. Not to outrun grief -- you can't -- but to do something worthy of the people who shaped you.

Endurance sports taught me that everything worth having is on the other side of the moment you want to quit. That's also just true of life. I want my kids to see that. I want them to know that showing up, doing the hard thing, and caring about something beyond yourself -- that's the whole game.

Photo: Ryan with family — training or race day

📷

Portrait photo of Ryan —
training, water, or quiet moment

Ryan Walker · West Bloomfield, MI

Pap

Photo: Pap receiving
Distinguished Flying Cross
(from Instagram post)

Distinguished Flying Cross · WWII

The Foundation

He showed up. Every time.

E. Earl Picard · Pap · 1922 – 2005

My Pap was a decorated WWII veteran who received the Distinguished Flying Cross -- but the things I remember most about him have nothing to do with medals or service. They were quieter than that.

He was less words and more deeds. He always showed up. He made me feel safe, secure, and loved. When I was half done cutting the grass at his house, he'd tap me on the shoulder and say, "Let's go inside for a cold drink." He picked me up for every game, every school event. He looked me in the eye and cared what I had to say. When I was in college and he was deep in his Alzheimer's battle, I went to help him. But the truth is, he was always the one helping me.

"Memories exist outside of time and have no beginning or end." Pap's memory lives on in his family.

I think about him every time I try to be consistent. Every time I show up when I don't feel like it. Every time I choose presence over performance. He never needed an audience. He just kept going, quietly, until he couldn't anymore.

That's who I'm trying to be. For my kids, the way he was for me.

Eight Years of Showing Up

Every hard thing led here.

The Ultraman doesn't exist without what came before it. Here's the road.

2021

Ironman Triathlon

2.4mi swim · 112mi bike · 26.2mi run

The first time all three disciplines came together in a single day. The Ironman proved the formula worked — that with a plan, enough early mornings, and a willingness to be uncomfortable, the body could do things the mind would rather avoid.

Photo: Ironman race day

2022

29,029 · Stratton Mountain

29,029 vertical feet · 33 hours · Vermont

Climbing the equivalent of Everest's height on a ski mountain with Sara. Lap after lap, through the night, until the summit was reached.

Photo: Stratton Mountain climb

2023

100-Mile Run

Milford-to-Commerce trail · 24 hrs 52 min · $11,295 raised

The most painful thing I've ever done. The knee blew up at mile 75. The last 8 miles were a power walk with Sara, who stayed out through the night. When I hit 100, my kids ran the final stretch with me. I'd been thinking about that moment for three years.

The fundraiser started as a quiet effort. Then a coworker put my face on a Forrest Gump image and sent it to every Slack channel in the company. $1,500 in a day. Sixty-six donors. $11,295 for HOPE Shelters.

100 mi Distance

24:52 Total time

$11,295 For HOPE Shelters

Photo: Finish line with kids · 100-mile run

2024

Michigan Coast-to-Coast · Gravel Grinder

204 miles · Lake Huron to Lake Michigan · In memory of Meghan Malley

This one was for Mike and Meg. Meg was a dear friend, and one of the people who helped me finish the 100-miler. She'd been fighting stage IV metastatic breast cancer for 12 years when she passed. Mike and I had always talked about doing a cycling adventure together, and after Meg died, I made him a promise: next time he wanted to tackle something big, I wanted to be his first call.

204 miles across Michigan. Monsoon rains. Flooded sand dunes. Brakes destroyed by wet grit. A rear derailleur that snapped off at mile 156 in the middle of the Manistee Forest and ended my day, but left two guys who refused to quit and persevered.

204 mi Distance

18+ hrs Total time

For Meg Always

Photo: Coast-to-Coast ride / Mike & Ryan / finish line

2025

Mackinac Island Swim

8.2 miles · Open water · 6 hrs 15 min · $13,030 raised

I'm not a swimmer. I still can only breathe on my right side. But on our 15th anniversary trip, I saw a sign for the island swim and knew immediately — that's next. I started training in February. Pitch dark. Frozen pool. Half-mile workouts. By August I'd swum 112 miles in training.

Before the start, my daughter Alaina started to cry. She was scared for me. I gave her a bear hug, promised I'd be safe, and thought about her face for the first two miles. At the finish, Garrett and Henry swam out to meet me. We crossed together.

My kids donated 100% of their lemonade stand proceeds. That detail says everything.

8.2 mi Open water

6:15 Total time

$13,030 For HOPE Shelters

Photo: Mackinac swim finish / family at checkpoint

This is who I am.
This is what I do.

Three days. Open door.