16-05-2025
Miles for Miles: Local family runs Colfax Marathon to honor their baby, raise money for NICUs
DENVER (KDVR) — This weekend, Denver will transform for the city's largest running event of the year: the Colfax Marathon.
One family is running with a mission of honoring their son while raising money for local NICUS.
'We have been training almost every day,' Scott Lopina said. 'There have been some ups and downs, some injuries we've had to fight through.'
Sydney Bear and Scott Lopina have spent months pushing through the pains of training for their first marathon with a purpose.
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'His name is Miles and we're running 26.2 miles for miles,' Sydney Bear said.
Miles Bear Lopina turned Sydney and Scott into first-time parents.
'There is one point in time we were told Miles wouldn't have made it into to this world and that he wasn't going to survive long at all,' Lopina said. 'He fought for 73 days, day in and day out, and he didn't give up. And so, we wanted to honor him and push our bodies just a fraction of what he had to endure and help raise awareness and money for organizations to support families and babies in the NICU.'
The NICU is where they met their 1.6-ounce hero.
'This is a picture of the first time I got to hold him,' Bear said. 'And that was really special because it took about four weeks until I got to actually hold him in my arms. '
'There was a lot of wires and tubes and monitors, so it made it difficult,' Lopina said. 'So holding him was awesome. It's amazing.'
Pictures of Sydney, Scott and Miles in the NICU capture memories they never thought they would have.
'When we found out there was a chance, it was obvious to us what to do, to take that chance,' Lopina said. 'And we're really glad that we did because otherwise we wouldn't have met Miles.'
In 73 days, Scott and Sydney found support from people and organizations they never met.
Love for Lilly and Angel Eyes are the organizations they are now running for.
'Sometimes there'd be days when, you know, it's hard to remember to take care of yourself or make dinner and there would be a donation from a family for food or a gift card and it would really help a lot,' Lopina said. 'Angel Eyes helps provide counseling for bereaved parents of infants and babies and toddlers. And they've really helped me personally get through a lot of this process, navigating Miles's life.'
Sydney and Scott now navigate this physical challenge to give back. A decision they made the month they lost their boy, running miles for Miles.
'You never think that it's going to happen to you,' Bear said. 'One day it can be a good day. One day could be the worst day of your life. And we just want to support as much as we can because we felt so supported throughout our experience as well.'
You can donate to Miles for Miles here.
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