Taking on the Challenge: 5 Years, 5 Stories
Thousands of people have participated in the One Mile Challenge over the past four years — military, veterans, and first responders, their families, and the broader public community. Because OMC is a 30-day challenge you can take on from anywhere, we've had participants from across the country and even around the world.
There are many stories behind people's miles, and many reasons people care about our mission of improving the lives of guardians and their families through the free programs and events we offer here at Guardian Revival.
As we approach our 5th OMC this September, we wanted to highlight five stories of people who take part and why.
We’d love to hear your story too — leave a comment on this blog, message us on social media, share a video with your why (and tag us!), or say hello@guardianrevival.org. And if you are already signed up for the 2026 OMC, we encourage you to personalize your page.
Chris Watkins
Chris is one of the co-founders of Guardian Revival and currently serves as the Vice President on our Board of Directors. He is an Account Executive at Google, where he’s worked for over 11 years.
Chris and Alex Othmer started Guardian Revival together in 2019 — friends since Carmel High School, who were later motivated to help veterans improve their mental health after Alex’s own challenges with the transition back to civilian life from being a Navy SEAL.
Together, Alex and Chris wanted to get guardians out into nature and on trails, provide them with dogs, and connect them through music — all of which help improve mental health & overall well-being.
These provided the foundation of Guardian Revival and our first three programs: Another Summit, Boots & Paws, and Encore.
Each year, Chris steps up to take on OMC and lead the way with a Google Team, encouraging people to participate and donate to support the programs and events that he’s seen firsthand help improve the lives of military, veterans, and first responders.
Jen Widerstrom
Jen Widerstrom is a fitness coach, trainer, author, and podcast host — you may recognize her from American Gladiators or as a trainer on The Biggest Loser. She's currently a Coach and Co-owner of Arnolds Pump Club (with Arnold Schwarzenegger).
Jen connected with Guardian Revival in 2022 and has been an active supporter of Guardian Revival and a vocal advocate for physical & mental health. She also rucks and uses GORUCK gear, taking on challenges and helping raise money for Guardian Revival. This year, GORUCK has partnered with GR for the One Mile Challenge, with rucking encouraged as a way to move for the daily mile.
“I’ve never worked with a team more invested or more determined to make a real change in the lives of our veterans. With Guardian Revival at the helm, not only do I believe in the work — I trust the people behind it. They care deeply, they show up fully, and there’s no other team I’d rather stand beside when it comes to taking care of the men and women who have taken care of us.” – Jen Widerstrom
For OMC, GR co-founder and former Navy SEAL Alex Othmer envisioned the challenge as a way for people to not only commit to the challenge of walking a mile a day but also encouraged people to carry weight while they walked, as a way to signify and experience a physical manifestation of the mental weight our guardians carry on a daily basis.
Watch Jen’s 2022 OMC video to see how to safely do a suitcase carry:
Jason Lacayo
Jason is a police officer, detective, and mental health advocate with the White Plains Police Department, where he now works on the Mental Health Outreach Team supporting people in crisis. He grew up watching the smoke from 9/11 as a teenager, later joined the NYPD, and has spent his career on the front lines of exactly the kind of trauma OMC exists to address.
Jason has been part of the GR community for years — running the 2025 Miami Marathon as a Guardian Champion, appearing on TV with cofounder Alex Othmer to promote OMC, and captaining OMC Team Jumpmanjay in 2025.
Jason has highlighted that suicide is a big issue for first responders. He wants people to get the services and help they need, and Guardian Revival helps provide access:
“Mental health is such an important thing for everyone, but especially for first responders and people who are often seeing trauma firsthand while at work. While the awareness and approach is improving, with supervisors and departments more explicitly asking if officers are okay after traumatic interactions or witnessing tough moments (from accidents and injuries to issues like domestic disputes and abuse), there is still a lot of room for improvement for first responders to be supported and feel less stigma to acknowledge struggles and coping mechanisms.” – Jason Lacayo
Jason is committed to being part of a community and creating a village where you know each other and support each other as human beings. Asking for help is a sign of strength, and so is putting in the effort to take care of your mental & physical health. Jason is committed to his routines of daily movement, sunlight, journaling, meditation, and breathwork to support his own well-being. This aligns with the One Mile Challenge, and we’re so grateful for all of his support and for speaking up!
Kathy Zolman
Kathy Zolman is the OMC Team Captain for ATI & Friends. She is a Director for ATI's Medical and Health Security portfolio, working across biodefense, health security, and healthcare research.
ATI has had teams with OMC for several years, often leading the way with some of the largest teams and most fundraising.
“I met Alex before he even started Guardian Revival, shortly after he got out of the military, and I have been extremely impressed with the services Guardian Revival is providing for veterans and first responders. ATI is a defense contractor, so we are passionate about your mission. For the One Mile Challenge, I always try to organize a few in-person walks with the team. ATI has sponsored two Boots & Paws companion dogs and our team loves getting updates about the dogs with their new families.” – Kathy Zolman
OMC Team ATI & Friends
Terry Roth
Terry Roth serves as Guardian Revival’s Board Treasurer. He retired earlier this year from Regeneron Pharmaceuticals after 12½ years with the company, most recently leading a global contract administration team within the Global Development organization.
Terry brings a unique dual perspective — helping guide GR's strategy from the board while also taking on the challenge, which has in turn pushed him to go far further than a mile a day:
“The One Mile Challenge is a fantastic event supporting an amazing organization serving our military, veterans, and first responders. The concept is simple, but the results are tremendous: get out and move — walk, run, ruck, or however you choose — one mile a day for 30 days. The biggest challenge to a healthy body is often just getting started, and this event provides the motivation to get moving and keep going.
My first OMC opened the door for many things I have done since, with Guardian Revival and on my own. That initial OMC gave me the inspiration and focus to run the NYC Half Marathon as a Guardian Champion, as well as summiting two 14K peaks in Colorado, and ultimately my current level of physical activity. Achieving these milestones, along with participating in other events like Another Summit’s New Year's Day and 9/11 hikes, has been so meaningful to me.
I've thoroughly enjoyed participating in OMC each year and look forward to connecting with other like-minded people as we take on this great adventure together. I highly recommend joining the challenge!" – Terry Roth
Why This Matters
As these stories show, people take on OMC for many reasons — but they all lead back to the same mission: showing guardians that they are never alone.
Every person who signs up, donates, or shares helps make it possible for us to offer events and programs that heal, connect, and support guardians and their families — all at no cost to them.
We’d love to hear your why and OMC story — here’s a few ways you can share:
Leave a comment on this blog
Message us on social media or share a video with your why — and tag us!
Instagram: @guardianrevival #omc2026
Facebook: @guardianrevival
LinkedIn: Guardian Revival
And if you are already signed up for the 2026 OMC, we encourage you to personalize your page.
P.S. This year, we've got a free, in-person kickoff event to start OMC strong together in Beacon on Tuesday, September 1. Bring a friend — they don't need to be registered for OMC to join.
Feel free to share it: all are welcome to join. It's free and will be a fun way to connect with other Hudson Valley locals and the Beacon businesses & organizations we'll pass on our mile route around town. After the walk, keep the momentum going at our regular Tuesday night Encore Jam session at GR HQ! 🎸