CARY, N.C. — On average 22 veterans die by suicide every day, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

What You Need To Know

  • 22 veterans die by suicide every day

  • The 22 Project helps veterans who are struggling with traumatic brain injury or PTSD

  • A group of high school boys raised $10,000 by completing the Goggins challenge

  • They ran four miles every four hours for 48 hours

To raise awareness, a group of high school boys ran 48 miles in 48 hours. It’s been a lot of running and not much sleep.

“It's tough,” Jack Thompson said. “But I think it's going to be good for us in the long run, you know, teaching us valuable life skills.”

For two days, every four hours, the group got up to run four miles.

“There was definitely hard times,” Luke Rutheny said. “Like the 4 a.m. runs were rough. But going through it, I'm really happy that we did it.”

It’s called the Goggins challenge, but the boys say it’s worth it for a good cause. They prepared for a couple of months.

“I thought why not use this energy and passion we have to designate it for something good like our veterans,” Thompson said.

They’re raising awareness to prevent veteran suicides. They are supporting an organization called The 22 Project. It uses neuroscience to help veterans who are struggling with traumatic brain injury and PTSD.

The boys raised $10,000 over the past few months.

“It feels amazing,” Rutheny said. “I mean, we said, you know, shoot for the stars, land on the moon.”

Although the two days were exhausting, the boys have no regrets.

“It feels great,” Trent Smith said. “That last four miles, I wanted to stop so bad. But I just knew if I stopped, then it would have felt like everything was for nothing…. We will help somebody overcome their PTSD, and they will get better… and we're just happy that we can bring that to someone.”

The $10,000 raised will cover a complete four-week treatment for one veteran at The 22 Project. For any veterans struggling with TBI, PTSD or suicidal thoughts, there are many organizations across the country that can help. Call or text 988 to reach a mental health hotline.