By Miriam Schwartz

Every mile tells a story — and Patrick McEnaney is chasing one worth remembering.

As he lines up for the Western States 100-Mile Endurance Run (WSER), he carries not just his own hope of finishing, but the weight of those cheering him on — and the memories of those who can’t.

“I want to be able to tell them that I finished, and tell them the awesome story about getting from point A to point B and all the stories in between,” McEnaney says.

On Saturday, McEnaney will toe the line for WSER, the world’s oldest 100-mile footrace. He won’t be doing it alone. The 52-year-old surgeon at UMass Memorial Health-Milford Regional Medical Center and Mendon resident is running in the name of his late brothers, Kevin and Daniel, who both died by suicide. His run will support Riverside Community Care and SOS Signs of Suicide, an evidence-based suicide-prevention program that the nonprofit has implemented in thousands of schools across the country.

Spanning 100 miles of the Western States Trail from California’s Olympic Valley to the small Gold Rush town of Auburn, the race traces its roots, as well as its coveted belt buckle finisher award, to the Tevis Cup, a legendary endurance horse ride. Climbing 18,000 feet, through knee-deep snow in some years, and descending more than 23,000 feet into infernal canyons with temps bubbling up to 120 degrees, WSER isn’t a feat for mere mortals.

And yet, that’s exactly the makeup of most of its contestants.

“Goal No. 1: finish. Goal No. 2 is to finish in less than 24 hours. And we shall see, I’ve only done that once,” says McEnaney. After an injury shifted his focus from punishing road running to softer, more forgiving trails, McEnaney has completed multiple 100-mile races, including the Midstate Massive Ultra Trail in New England, but only one in less than 24 hours.

“One of the biggest motivators for me is to make my brothers proud,” McEnaney says.

While privately processing his grief with each footfall on his hours-long outings, McEnaney knows firsthand the damage caused by the secrecy and shame surrounding suicide, a topic that the SOS Signs of Suicide program seeks to address.

“The program takes the stigma out of it and takes it out of the closet,” he says, “I got to see some of this firsthand with a slideshow that they had presented to me and I was floored. I wish that something like that were around when I was 12.”

The program has been shown to reduce suicide attempts by 64%, and after delivering SOS to their students, 95% of schools reported feeling that there was reduced behavioral health stigma among students. They also believed students learned to identify signs of depression and suicide. The program’s core framework centers on teaching students tools and strategies to acknowledge, care, and tell a trusted adult — either about a friend’s struggle, or their own. “There’s so much stigma around mental health and around suicide, that if you talk about it, you’ll increase thoughts of suicide,” says Larry Berkowitz, Co-founder and Senior Clinical Consultant at Riverside Trauma Center. “There’s a myth about upsetting kids, they can’t handle it. But this is about saving lives.”

This year’s race will feature a smattering of ultrarunning’s established stars — like Spain’s Killian Jornet and China’s Fu-Zhao Xiang — but it’s the fact that regular people such as school teachers, surgeons, and retirees alike can qualify for a lottery entry and if selected, push off the same start line as the sport’s greats. This year’s contest will see runners with ages ranging from 24 to 80.

Each year, a maximum of 369 runners are allowed to start the race. That oddly specific number isn’t random — it’s a limit set by the U.S. Forest Service due to the race’s environmental impact on the trails through the Sierra Nevada mountains. And, while WSER is synonymous with the Masters or the Super Bowl to ultrarunners, the race and the sport itself remain a fairly niche pursuit.

Officially, any distance over a marathon can be classified as an ultramarathon, but the distances start at 50 kilometers (31.1 miles) and progress through 50 miles, 100 kilometers (62.1 miles), 100 miles, and then quickly into mind-boggling distances like this year’s inaugural Arizona Monster — a 300-mile race crossing the Grand Canyon State.

At this year’s WSER, contestants can expect to battle not only the sheer distance of covering 100 miles on foot, but also the temperature swings between the chill at 9,000 feet of elevation and the heat set to top 90F on mercilessly unshaded fire roads. Runners will have to ford the American River, using a rope to pull themselves across waist-deep water. In between, the looming presence of bears, mountain lions, rattlesnakes, poison oak, as well as a runner’s ability (or inability) to follow the course add wrinkle after wrinkle to this battle of will and attrition.

During his training leading up to race day, McEnaney spent as much as 17 hours a week covering more than 100 miles. And while the vagaries of weather and terrain across endurance races make the duplication of race strategy challenging, McEnaney has his hydration, nutrition, and salt intake down to a science. There’s no local stand-in for the steepness of the Sierras, but McEnaney honed his mountain-running legs on Mount Wachusett. His heat training was accomplished via alternating sessions of sauna and running.

“Running is my therapy, my medication,” he says. “Taking part in outdoor physical activities is a way to get a peace of mind.”

Through his past efforts, McEnaney has raised more than $100,000 for Riverside. He’s now looking add another $50,000 to the cause to the cause and continue to honor his brothers.

“This is not about me. This is about helping people who are at risk of suicide and making sure that people have their resources to combat this. That is the most important thing,” says McEnaney. “I got into Western States. Did I need to fundraise? No. But I find it really hard. I almost feel as if it’s selfish in a way for me to sit there and take the time away from my family and do everything that’s necessary to train to do this, and not have something good come out of it.”

That good has been coming, McEnaney is more than halfway to his fundraising goal. Now all he has to do is run 100 miles.

The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is a hotline for individuals in crisis or for those looking to help someone else. To speak with a trained listener, call 988.

The Veterans Crisis Line connects veterans and service members in crisis and their families and friends with qualified, caring U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs responders through a confidential hotline, online chat, or text. Dial 988 and Press 1 or visit veterancrisisline.net for crisis chat services and more information.

Crisis Text Line is a texting service for emotional crisis support. To speak with a trained listener, text HELLO to 741741. It is free, available 24/7, and confidential.