Vanderheiden Run donations hit $40,000
They stood on the Fort Kearny Hike-Bike Trail, presenting an oversized check for $13,000 to Nebraska Game and Parks Commission — the total raised during the annual Tyler Vanderheiden Memorial Run in 2025.
That check brings the total raised during the run — an event aimed at raising awareness and understanding of mental health — to more than $40,000 in the past five years.
Each dollar is donated to Nebraska Game and Parks state park trails. In 2025, funds were earmarked for the Fort Kearny Hike-Bike Trail at Fort Kearny State Recreation Area, a stretch of trail that is part of a 13.1-mile system connecting the recreation area to Cottonmill Park in Kearney.
“We’re honored to share the proceeds from the 2025 Tyler Vanderheiden Memorial Run to enhancing the Fort Kearny Hike-Bike Trail, a peaceful stretch near Kearney that invites people to breathe deeply, reflect quietly, and reconnect with themselves and the world around them,” said Shannon Vanderheiden, the event’s co-organizer.
“Tyler loved the outdoors,” she added. “He often said he felt closest to God beneath open skies, surrounded by nature’s quiet beauty. By supporting spaces like Fort Kearny, we celebrate that connection and extend it to others who seek peace, clarity or a moment of stillness.”
This year’s donation is being used as a match to access up to $52,000 in federal Recreation Trails Program funds after a successful Game and Parks grant application in January 2025. The dollars will be used to redeck the bridge along the Fort Kearny Hike-Bile Trail, a coveted spot for sandhill crane viewers.
Event co-organizers Shannon and Tim Vanderheiden, Tyler’s parents, and Trudy Merritt, Platte River Fitness Series director, presented a check to Game and Parks on Aug. 5. Sydney Keller, Tyler’s sister, who is instrumental to the race and its promotion, was unable to attend.
“We are incredibly thankful the Vanderheidens continue to turn a defining moment in their lives into support for mental health awareness,” said Jeff Fields, parks division administrator at Nebraska Game and Parks. “We know the outdoors can be a space for rejuvenation and healing, and because of their support, we are able to maintain or improve trails for everyone.”
Runners from every state in the nation and every county in Nebraska participated either virtually or in-person in the May 31 race in Cody Park in North Platte. United around raising mental health awareness, participants used the hashtags #PreventSuicide and #Run4TJV when they shared their race stories, memories of Tyler and their connection to the outdoors.
“Memorial races like this one resonate with runners in a special way. Attaching something bigger than ourselves to a hard effort creates space for meaning making, something necessary for human flourishing,” Merritt said. “Physical activity is essential to good mental health, and this race speaks to their interrelated nature.”
The annual run began in 2020 with the intent of being a space for healing and support for those who struggle with mental health or know someone who has. People across the state and nation have connected with its message, helping to spread the word and shine a light on mental health and available resources.
The 2026 race is set for May 30.
Proceeds will continue to be donated to the Nebraska Game and Parks Foundation for the creation, maintenance or upgrade of trails at state park areas across the state. To learn more, visit OutdoorNebraska.gov and search for “Vanderheiden Run.”