BEADS OF COURAGE SUMMER CHALLENGE
OUR GOAL:
The goal of the Summer Challenge is to fundraise to provide brave kids the beads they need to honor their courage. Each bead tells a child’s story of courage — a treatment endured, a milestone reached, a moment of bravery shown.
By coming together to complete 100 miles and raise $100, your participation helps ensure that children coping with cancer and other serious illness have the beads they need to tell their story.
Summer Challenge Registration
All registered Summer Challenge participants will receive a Welcome Package.
Welcome Package:
- Drawstring bag
- Courage clip
- 5 beads to carry to honor the courage of 5 brave kids
- Logbook to track your challenge
Register as a Fierce Summer Challenge participant and receive your very own Courage Tiger — the perfect companion to cheer you on, join you for photos, and inspire you as you complete your 100 miles!
This special registration level also includes the Welcome Package and fulfills your Summer Challenge fundraising commitment of $100.
Who wants to captain a team for Summer Challenge?
Gather friends, family, or coworkers to work as a team together to reach a fundraising goal of $1,000 and 1,000 miles. All 10 participants will receive a Welcome Package.
All Teams that complete the challenge will be included on the back of the 2026 Summer Challenge Finisher T-Shirt!
Make this summer count for brave kids coping with serious illness.
Donate
If you can’t take part you can still support our team! Donate to make a donation in any amount to support Team BOC. See all the challenge participants and select the one you’d like to support below. Thank you for helping us reach our goals and further our mission of hope and healing for kids coping with serious illness.
2026 Ambassadors
We were honored to have this incredible group of highly accomplished athletes, including world-record holders, to inspire, encourage, and motivate you throughout previous Beads of Courage Summer Challenges. While each of these athletes is skilled in several activities, they were designated as experts in a specific activity that participants might have chosen in their quest to complete 100 miles.
Jason Magness
Ultra-Distance Paddling
Jason Magness is a lifelong adventurer whose roots trace back to his teen years in Alaska. An accomplished racer, coach, and race director, he has competed in more than 150 races, over 75 of them expedition races, with only two DNFs. He’s also directed more than 100 events of every distance and coached hundreds of adventure athletes.
Many Thanks To Our Past Ambassadors
Aimee Bruder
Swimmer & Overall Active Athlete
As an athlete with a disability, I don’t like to sit still. I feel better when I’m moving. I am a six-time Paralympic swimmer, 5-time medalist. I began swimming at a young age with my friends at our community pool. I also enjoy just general recreation. I play wheelchair rugby on a club team and will try any activity as long as it’s moving and active. I enjoy adventures. Come join me!
Marilyn Chychota
Cyclist
My resume includes professional competition in three sports: Equestrian Show Jumping, Triathlon, and Cycling. I’ve lived, raced, and trained throughout the world, including New Zealand, Australia, North America, Asia, South America, and Europe. I’m also a competitive amateur athlete in olympic weightlifting and powerlifting.
I competed in equestrian show jumping up to a Grand Prix level, from ages 9-26. In 1999, I started doing triathlons and turned professional in 2003. I’ve raced to podium positions at 15 Ironman events around the world, including a victory at Ironman Malaysia in 2004. As a professional cyclist for over two decades, I’ve raced many national and world level races. In addition to winning stage races, I’ve won several state championships in both time trial and criterium racing.
Nationality: Canadian (USA Citizen)
Personal Motto: Never Die Wondering
Art “Karts” Huseonica
Adventurer
Recent adventures include a summit of Mt Rainier with Nepalese guide Tulsi Gurung; a solo record-setting double-traverse of Death Valley; oldest person to complete the Bear Grylls’ extreme survival course; a solo Rim-to-Rim-to-Rim of the Grand Canyon; a solo winter summit of Humphreys Peak in Arizona; a record-setting Amazon River expedition; appearing on a new adventure show BEAR GRYLLS: FACE THE WILD; and a solo, record-setting, supported yo-yo thru-hike of the 800-mile Arizona Trail; was a crew member helping to produce the World’s Toughest Race with Mark Burnett and Bear Grylls; and a 2023 attempt to set a record on the Yukon River that will continue in 2024 quickly followed by rowing the Northwest Passage.
Rebecca Johnson
Endurance Cyclist
I am a lifelong cyclist and in 2018 I decided I was going to use my bike to raise money for a family that was struggling with medical bills after their young daughter was diagnosed with Glioblastoma. I tried to pedal out cancer. I rode over 1000 miles in 21 day, which was half of the Tour de France. It was hard and yet the most fulfilling thing I had ever done. My beads were with me every pedal stroke that year, till my tour was done.
Chelsey Magness
Multi-Sport Athlete
Chelsey Magness is a professional adventure racer, a mountain bike world champion, a world renowned acrobatics teacher and a mother. Most days you can find her either on her mat, on her bike or chasing her two young sons around in the woods. Her big indulgences are lattes, dark chocolate and staying up way too late training underneath the stars.
Amy Edwards
Hiking Enthusiast
Hi there, my name is Amy and I really started hiking in 2017 when I signed up to do the 52-Hike Challenge. Since then, I’ve explored many different areas and am currently section hiking/biking the Arizona Trail. Being in nature while challenging yourself physically is very therapeutic.
Pauls Pujats
Olympic Pole Vaulter
Founder of Pujats method an improved way of physical therapy for back and neck pain. Sharing secrets of longevity from yogic practices to scientific evidence studies.
Charlie Bertrand
Professional lacrosse player for the PLL Redwoods L.C, NLL Vegas Desert Dogs, Team USA
“I am 25 years old in my third season for the PLL and am a proud Carry-a-Bead Ambassador. I will be carrying Beads of Courage for our game in Denver on 8/12.”
A two-time NCAA Division II national champion and player of the year at Merrimack, Charlie Bertrand is the first D-II product to make the 23-man U.S. Lacrosse Team roster since 1990. Bertrand’s rapid rise in the sport started with a graduate year at Virginia, where he added an NCAA Division I title to his collection in 2021, and has continued in the professional ranks. “I like what he’s about,” Tierney said of the 6-foot-3, 220-pound lefty, “dodging downhill, drawing slides and making good decisions with the ball.” – www.usalaxmagazine.com
Tyler Larson
Mountain Ultrarunner
Tyler is a mountain ultrarunner originally from the flats of Wisconsin, now living in Mesa, Arizona. He recently finished his spring racing season, capping it off with a top 50 finish in the Crown King Scramble 50K (31 miles) with 7000ft of ascent. Tyler has been a member of Team Ulman for the Ulman Cancer Foundation where he completed a team run across America, from San Francisco to Boston, in 49 days to support young adults facing cancer. Outside of ultrarunning, Tyler is a Senior Research Analyst in Clinical Research Administration avidly working to get patients access to life-changing research regimens through oncology and rare disease trials.
Art “Karts” Huseonica
Canoeing/Kayaking/Paddling
At age 71, Karts likes to say that he is retired from working, but not from living. Karts has completed many record-setting quests, including a solo double-traverse of Death Valley, record-setting Amazon River expedition, and record-setting hike of the 800-mile Arizona Trail. He is the oldest person to complete the Bear Grylls’ extreme survival course and was a crew member on the Amazon original series Eco-Challenge Fiji. This summer, as a Team Beads of Courage Ambassador, Karts will strive to complete a 60-day expedition to canoe 2,020 miles of the Yukon River. Follow Beads of Courage on social media for updates from Karts throughout the summer. For more information on the Yukon River quest, visit yukon2020.com
Dean Hall
Swimming
Dean has been a licensed clinical therapist and coach for over 30 years. Astonishingly, in that time he has conducted over fifty thousand face-to-face, one-hour sessions. Besides being an author and highly sought-after speaker, Dean is also a two-time cancer survivor, widower and world record-setting extreme distance swimmer. He is the first person to swim the entire 187-mile length of Oregon’s longest river, the Willamette River (which he did as an active cancer patient) in 2014, and Ireland’s longest river, the River Shannon (180 miles) in 2017, which was the first time he carried Beads of Courage delightedly doing so for the Childhood Cancer Foundation of Ireland. For more information, visit https://swimminginmiracles.com
Kaitlin Elledge Hanson
Triathlete
Kaitlin is an avid triathlete, runner and former collegiate soccer player. She has completed 5 full iron-distance triathlons and multiple half-iron distance triathlons, as well as many marathons and half marathons. She is a former collegiate soccer player and was recently inducted into the Athletics Hall of Honor at her alma mater. She loves being active, spending time with her fiancé and two dogs, and cheering on the US Women’s Soccer Team.
Timmy Samec
Triathlete
Timmy is a seasoned triathlete originally from the mountains of northeastern Pennsylvania, now living in Tampa, Florida. He recently finished his PhD at Clemson University and is getting back into the full swing of swimming, biking, and running! Timmy has been a member of Team USA and competed in the 2015 and 2016 ITU World Championships, as well as being a qualifier for the 2021 Ironman 70.3 World Championships. Timmy has three pets with his fiancé Shaina: Chloe (cat), Milo (cat), and Cooper (new puppy!).
Brooke Saunders
Cyclist, triathlete and cross country runner
Brooke is a cyclist and former NCAA triathlete and cross-country runner. As a triathlete, she was named an All-American Triathlete five years in a row. She placed first at 2012 Age Group National Championships, and subsequently placed second in the 2013 ITU Age Group World Championships. Her enthusiasm for cycling grew after moving to Tucson, Arizona in 2022, and she placed first in the Arizona Road State Championships. She is looking forward to doing a metric century Gravel ride in Flagstaff, Arizona as part of the summer challenge!
Michael Martinez
Mixed Martial Artist & Wilderness Hiker
Michael Martinez is a current PhD Environmental Chemistry student from the University of Alaska Fairbanks and a former martial arts champion. Michael took first at the ISKA U.S Open, Pan-American Internationals, Compete Nationals and has trained with UFC mixed martial arts fighters. He has contributed to oncology research, COVID-19, kidney, applied biotechnology, genetic engineering, and lanthanide chemistry research. Michael is Yup’ik and Otomi from Anchorage, Alaska USA. He enjoys hiking with his giant schnauzer named Cima and helping find solutions for green technologies.
Peter Ziegler
Running and Fitness Enthusiast; Family Physician
For the past 28 years, Dr. Peter Ziegler has been a dedicated family physician who enjoys all the outdoor opportunities that Tucson and its surroundings offer. Running has been his lifestyle since the days in medical school when he decided he needed to do something other than study! Running, cycling and hiking have afforded him access to a community of people that not only challenge him physically, but keep him open-minded and remind him that he is still learning in this complex world.