Danny Manimbo & Manimbo Family
$100 Per Mile Ultramarathon
RESOLVE Fundraiser for Infertility
Badwater 135
Death Valley, California
July 7-9, 2025
Our Story
As many of you know, Brittany and I battled infertility for many years before we were fortunate enough to have RESOLVE’d our journey in 2018 when we welcomed our miracle twins, Everly and Porter, to the world. Before that, our relationship with infertility was a very long and painful struggle. It had an impact on us psychologically, physically, and financially as we dealt with the idea that we might never be able to have children of our own or be able to afford the continuing treatments since they're often not covered by employer-provided health insurance. On top of it all, infertility often comes with a social stigma of female or male bodily failure, much like mental health. Spreading awareness and ensuring other couples out there who are also in the same struggle know they're not alone is what Brittany and I have committed ourselves to doing. Brittany has really been at the forefront of this movement, creating a Facebook support group with over 3,000 international members for women going through the donor egg IVF process called Egg Donor Baby Mamas: Pregnancy and Beyond.
We initially reached out to RESOLVE in 2021 to tell them about our vision and mission and decided to launch our initial fundraising campaign, which was a resounding success. That was my first 100-mile ultramarathon, and since then, I’ve gone on to complete 100-mile races five (5) other times through the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, jungles of Hawaii, and over the hot and humid highways and bridges to Key West, and we’re not stopping here.
With YOUR continued support, we'll be able to support RESOLVE in the important work they're doing to promote education as well as advocate for legislation which will assist couples experiencing infertility. Here in Colorado, they helped pass the Colorado Building Families Act, which resulted in Colorado being able to provide insurance coverage for infertility treatments, including IVF and fertility preservation, effective January 1, 2023. This would've been HUGE for us if we had this option during our time.
To learn more about our journey, you can read Danny's blog that he wrote back in 2021 on behalf of his employer, Schellman.
My Event/Fundraiser
A lot of people run 5ks, 10ks, or marathons to raise money for charity, which is both a great cause and personal achievement, but I wanted to do something a little extra since this cause is extremely personal to us and to hopefully gain some more momentum for the cause overall and reduce the stigma associated with infertility.
This July, I'll be running Badwater 135 – globally recognized as the “world’s toughest foot race”– Badwater is a pure athletic challenge of athlete, shoes, and support crew versus a brutal 135-mile stretch of highway and a forty-eight (48) hour time limit. Badwater 135 is the most demanding and extreme running race offered anywhere on the planet. The start line is at Badwater Basin, Death Valley, which marks the lowest elevation in North America at 280ft below sea level. The race finishes at Whitney Portal at 8,300ft, which is the trailhead to the Mt. Whitney summit, the highest point in the contiguous United States. The Badwater 135 course covers three mountain ranges for a total of 14,600ft of cumulative vertical ascent and 6,100ft of cumulative descent. Death Valley is the hottest place in the world, and July is the hottest month of their year, with race temperatures expected to be in the 120-130 degree (Fahrenheit) range.
I was one of 100 runners that were hand-selected across the world to represent the US – so it’s both an honor and an opportunity that I will not take lightly given most people do not get the chance to run this race.
Why Badwater? The mission is clear – it is possible to pass through life’s toughest challenges (just like infertility, which may seem like personal hell), and come through the other side as long as you continue to take steps in the forward direction and never stop believing in yourself and the mission overall, even during the darkest of times (I love the quote “it is always darkest before the dawn”). I will continue to fight for this cause as long as I am fortunate enough to run and use my passion in a positive manner.
About RESOLVE
RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association, established in 1974, is dedicated to ensuring that all people challenged in their family building journey reach resolution through being empowered by knowledge, supported by community, united by advocacy, and inspired to act.
RESOLVE exists to provide:
◊ Access to Care
◊ Advocacy for Coverage
◊ Access to Support & Community
◊ Access to Education
◊ Awareness of All Family Building Options