There’s an organization right here in Southeastern Wisconsin that has raised more than $4 million to fight multiple sclerosis. And it does it by helping people run across the United States.
It’s called MS Run the US — an organization that started with a single person: Ashley Schneider.
She didn’t have a million-dollar impact in mind growing up in Brookfield and seeing her mom, Jill Kumlien, battle multiple sclerosis. Or competing as a collegiate athlete at UW-La Crosse. But watching someone she loved slowly lose their physical abilities set her on a path most people don’t travel. And the first step happened an ocean away from Wisconsin.
After graduating with a degree in exercise and sports science, Schneider traveled the world while working on a Royal Caribbean cruise ship. It was during those travels that the “wild” (as she refers to it) idea to run across the United States came to her. Fueled by endorphins from a three-mile run in Barcelona, she realized her calling was to raise awareness about the disease that made a lasting impact on so many aspects of her life.
“I grew up an athlete, and that was amplified by my mom living with MS,” Schneider explained. “She was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis before I was born, and so I grew up watching her lose some of her mobility, her cognitive function, her fine motor skills. … For me, it really felt like being active was something that I had the privilege of doing because I saw my mom lose her abilities, and so I loved being an athlete, loved being in fitness.”
Once an outlet for Schneider to channel her pain, running became the way she would make a positive impact. “A run across America felt as big as the disease felt in my life.”
Upon returning home in 2009, the then-24-year-old immediately began training for her ambitious route from San Francisco to New York City. On March 22, 2010, she set off from the Golden Gate Bridge and ran an average of 24 miles a day, six days a week. Six months and 3,288 miles later, she reached New York City and became only the 16th female to run across America.
In a different way, however, Schneider fell short. Having set a goal of raising a half-million dollars for MS research and awareness, she looked at the total of $56,000 raised and once again chose the road less traveled.
“Getting into New York, I really felt that at any moment, someone was gonna hear my story and be inspired and donate hundreds of thousands of dollars. So when that didn't happen, I kind of felt like, ‘Well then what am I supposed to do? What is this supposed to be? How do I fundraise $500,000?’ The answer to that was I needed to expand my network.”
It was then that Schneider decided to start MS Run the US, the organization that follows in her country-crossing footsteps — with a slight adjustment. It’s now America’s longest relay run, with each runner tasked with completing a marathon per day for six days, and raising at least $10,000 to be part of the team.
Although the nonprofit organization is headquartered in the Milwaukee suburb of Hartland, MS Run the US has reached participants both nationally and internationally. There have been team members from Canada and Iceland, and in 2026 a runner is planning to run across Ireland on behalf of the organization. Those efforts go toward supporting four main pillars:
- Awareness
- Financial aid
- Research
- Well-being
So far, MS Run the US has been able to support research on lifestyle modifications that can help people with MS improve their quality of life, a partnership with the National MS Society to fund requests for their MS Navigator program, and the funding of Team Endurance events where runners of various mobility levels can participate by running or being pushed in racing chairs.
Fittingly, Schneider isn’t sitting still when it comes to the organization’s accomplishments. Among her other goals, she wants to create a fitness program available to everyone living with MS at no cost so they can increase their mobility and decrease their symptoms. Schneider has a little more time to focus on that after recently adding “author” to her many titles.
Her memoir, The Long Run Home, came out just a few weeks ago and details her journey from athlete to cross-continent runner to nonprofit leader.
Overall, it’s a story of turning pain into purpose and dedicating her life to a cause greater than herself — even when presented with countless chances to stop along the way.
“The reason that I still do what I do today and was able to raise over $4 million for the cause is because I was disappointed in the fundraising,” she said of that first coast-to-coast run. “I wanted to make that impact, and I stuck with that feeling. I didn't allow myself this free out by saying, ‘Well, I did run across America, and $56,000 is kind of enough.’ I didn't give myself an out. I held myself to that goal just like I held myself to running across the country.”
It’s a mindset that doesn’t require grandiose intentions, either. Asked what advice she would offer others who might be experiencing something difficult, Schneider suggested exercise, finding mentorship through free books and podcasts, and — perhaps most importantly — approaching the situation with positive intentions.
“If you're disappointed, if you have not reached your goal, you're not at the end,” she said. “You're in the middle. You have to keep going.”
Ashley Schneider’s book, “The Long Run Home,” is available now at online retailers and at Performance Running Outfitters’ four locations in Southeastern Wisconsin. Her organization’s next coast-to-coast relay comes through Wisconsin in June, and you can see it up close — and even run a few miles yourself — at the MS Run ‘n’ Rock Fest at Hart Park in Wauwatosa on June 28. To learn more about the event, volunteer opportunities and other ways to get involved, go to msruntheus.org.
