Fresno State alumnus Ryan Stiner finished his third 200-mile run for autism Saturday.
Stiner began the nine-day, one-man run, Ryan’s Run, on Nov. 4 intending to raise awareness and funds for the California Autism Center and Learning Group. The route was from San Francisco to Clovis.
Runners met Stiner at Selma Layne Park and joined him for the last 2 ½ miles.
Stiner concluded his run at Railroad Park in Clovis, where people from the community waited to celebrate another successful effort.
“I’m feeling tired,” Stiner said. “But I’m also feeling fulfilled, happy, grateful and just content.”
Stiner had to run an average of 23 miles a day to make his timetable. He said he was lucky to have one of the supporters donate some nights at a hotel.
“That was a big help for me,” Stiner said. “Once I was done with my run for the day, I usually have a coffee, read the paper, rest for about two hours, get dinner with a lot of protein and go to bed.”
Stiner set up a GoFundMe page to raise funds for the autism center. He had a goal of $11,000. He had raised $4,015 as of Sunday.
“We did not meet our goal, but let me tell you this,” Stiner said. “It doesn’t really matter because I always said if we can raise awareness and a dollar every year, then we’ve met our goal. We’ve done the deal.”
Nicki Cerniglia, director of marketing and public relations for the autism center, said Stiner was great to work with.
“He’s fantastic,” Cerniglia said. “He wants to give back, and we’re really thankful he wanted to partner with us for the second year in a row to give back to our center.”
The autism center and Fresno State’s student-run public relations firm, TALK, put together a finish-line celebration for Ryan’s Run.
TALK student Leticia Madrigal said she was glad the work she did was for a great cause.
“This was my first experience working with a real client for public relations,” Madrigal said. “I got enough self-satisfaction to know that while getting experience, I was helping children who suffer from autism.”
The finish-line celebration included two food trucks, a cotton candy machine, face painting and games for the community.
Stiner said it felt nice to have the community’s support.
“I’m really grateful for it,” Stiner said. “I just want to thank everybody for their continued support.”