Breaking Ribbons: How One Runner’s Ultra Journey is Changing Lives

When Ryan Cass laces up his running shoes and looks down at his custom race singlet, he sees more than just three ribbons – he sees a mission. Those ribbons, carefully placed on his Breaking Ribbons running gear, represent loved ones lost to cancer: a pink ribbon for his best friend’s mom Julia (breast cancer), a yellow ribbon for family friend Noah Mayberry (Ewing sarcoma), and a teal ribbon for his grandmother Anita (peritoneal cancer).

Turning Personal Loss into Purpose

“In an ideal world, we don’t have these ribbons because we have cures,” Cass explains. “And when you win a race, you break tape, you break a ribbon. That’s how Breaking Ribbons started.”

What began as a personal tribute has grown into something much bigger. In 2023, Cass decided to challenge himself by running 100 miles on Charleston’s iconic Ravenel Bridge to raise money for families affected by cancer. The bridge, connecting downtown Charleston to Mount Pleasant, presents its own unique challenges – each 2.5-mile crossing includes a gradual 1.5-mile climb followed by a steep one-mile descent at a 6% grade.

That inaugural event raised $5,500 for four families. But for Cass, it was just the beginning.

Pushing Beyond Limits: The 150-Mile Challenge

In 2024, Cass returned to the Ravenel Bridge with an even more ambitious goal – 150 miles, representing 30 bridge crossings. The feat would require more than 40 hours of continuous effort and push him far beyond his previous limits.

“At mile 80, there was a brief moment where I was starting to get excited because I was thinking, ‘Oh, we’re almost done, four more laps,'” Cass recalls. “And then I realized we had 70 more miles to go. It started to go dark very fast.”

The Power of Community Support

What makes Cass’s achievement even more remarkable is that he wasn’t alone in his journey. Of the 30 laps totaling 150 miles, he had company for approximately 125 of those miles. Friends showed up at all hours – 3 AM, 2 PM, midnight – to run alongside him and provide support.

“I’m absolutely grateful for my support system,” Cass says. “If you want to go fast, you go alone. If you want to go far, you go together.”

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Finding Strength in Purpose

During those rare moments when he ran alone, Cass found himself wrestling with doubt. “I even had thoughts enter my mind of how I can justify not hitting this 150,” he admits. But then he would look down at those three ribbons on his chest and remember why he started.

“Think about this – 43 hours represents about 0.00005% if we’re assuming a 100 year life span,” Cass reflects. “That tiny percentage can change the course of another family’s life. You can’t even find a stock that can do that. Look at the return on pain and what we get to do with that and the impact it makes for your life and others.”

The Impact: More Than Just Miles

The 2024 Breaking Ribbons Ultra Run has raised approximately $7,000, which will support four or five families dealing with cancer. But for Cass, the financial impact is just part of the story.

“The greatest accomplishment isn’t that Ryan ran 150 miles,” he insists. “It’s that we’re going to impact four or five more families here, and that’s going to create a substantial difference for them in a very difficult period of time.”

Looking Ahead: Breaking More Ribbons

Even as he recovers from his 150-mile journey, Cass is already thinking about 2025. He’s considering either a 200-mile bridge run or possibly running across the entire state of South Carolina – a distance of roughly 220-250 miles.

“This thing is still very young,” Cass says of Breaking Ribbons. “I’ve got big hopes and dreams and a vision for it. Maybe it becomes a sanctioned event with hundreds or even thousands of participants. It’s still very much in its infancy, and I can’t wait for what the future holds.”

His message to others is simple but powerful: “We are capable of so much. Putting your body and mind through these tests, even if a 5K is a test for somebody – go and do it. We have all the tools we already need to do whatever we want in this life.”

Training Tips from Ryan Cass

For those inspired by his journey, Cass emphasizes the importance of visual reminders and clear goals. He keeps his goals visible where he’ll see them every morning and hangs race celebration jackets in his running shoe closet as motivation. “When I open my closet to get the shoes, even when I don’t want to, I see that and think, ‘Okay, that’s what we’re going for.'”

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