UPDATE: In total, 1,463 runners logged 21,868.89 miles for Micala Siler. That’s 446.76 percent of the original goal of 4,895 miles and more than the circumference of the earth at Olmsted Falls, Ohio (19,013 miles).
Family and friends of Micala Siler, an American woman killed while running in Ukraine on September 30, have set up a memorial run to remember her life.
Siler lived a life for others, attending West Point, serving in the Army, raising a family, and running a nonprofit focused on helping orphans and disenfranchised children. She and her husband, Jason, were working full-time and living with their four daughters in Kyiv when she died. The events surrounding her death are still under investigation.
The Miles of Smiles for Micala run will take place from December 13 to 19 and is free to sign up for. The hope is that participants help reach the goal of 4,895 miles, the distance from Kyiv, Ukraine, to Olmsted Falls, Ohio, where her family is, as a way to remember Siler. (Interested participants can sign up here.)
“Anyone who knew Micala [pronounced my-kull-la] loved her,” said Jennifer Boardman, who was in the same company all four years at the U.S. Military Academy and served in the Army with Siler. “Everyone we reach out to has said yes so far, which has been amazing. We have a company making shirts, which is owned by a West Point grad and they’re donating their profits to a nonprofit Micala worked for. The response has just been incredible, and we hope more people help us honor this amazing woman.”
Siler was a lifelong runner and woman for others. At West Point, she was part of the school’s marathon team. While there, she also became the first female to complete the strenuous Sapper Leader Course, which is like ranger school for combat engineers.
Upon graduation, Siler and Boardman were stationed together at Fort Bragg before being deployed together to Iraq in 2004. After that, their Army careers went separate ways, but they kept in touch and did race together. Siler went on to be stationed at Fort Lewis near Seattle where she met her husband, Jason.
“We met at a dinner in 2006 and there was one open seat left next Micala,” Jason told Runner’s World. “I was a young lieutenant, and I started telling her my stories trying to impress her not thinking she was in the military. When I asked her what she did, she told me she outranked me in years and experience. That was Micala. She was humble and never spoke about herself. She always cared about others more.”
In 2009, after three years of dating, including while both were deployed overseas, the two married and Siler retired from the military. They had four kids together, while Siler began work in the nonprofit sector, specifically working with orphans and disenfranchised children.
Her family moved around the world over the next decade to places like Washington, D.C.; Germany; and California. They eventually settled in Ukraine in September 2019 after Jason got a job there.
Courtesy of Jason Siler Advertisement - Continue Reading Below, an organization that helps orphans find loving families in their home countries. In this role, Siler helped pair children with families all over the world and advocated for better care for orphans all over the world.
“Micala came from a family that had adopted her younger brother and sister from inner city Cleveland, so she grew up on that atmosphere and understood it,” Jason said. “In her work and everything she did, she did it for others. Weeks prior to her death, she organized a school drive for impoverished children and looked out for our elderly neighbor who needed money and food. She never neglected her family. We always felt like the most important people to her. She made everyone feel special.”
As she worked and raised a family, she still made time to run, Jason said. She’d go out for five miles before the rest of her family woke up and could still drop six-minute miles consistently.
“She had this stride that was, when she ran, pretty to watch,” Boardman said. “It is something that always seemed to bring her joy.”
After her death on September 30, Jason and Siler’s four daughters received an outpouring of support. He heard from people all over the world from people whom Siler had left a lasting impression on, even if they only knew her for a short time.
“Micala had worked at a daycare/orphanage like 12 years ago for one summer during one of my deployments,” Jason said. “She never kept in touch with them, and one of the workers there found out that she had died. They reached out to say that Micala was the best volunteer they’d ever had. We had people from Africa reach out and Asia and every part of the globe. That’s the impact she had in this world.”
The running community will come together to celebrate her amazing life starting Sunday, December 13. Friends and family are not asking for donations at this time. They want the run to focus on remembering and honoring Siler.
Jason added that if people are inclined to donate somewhere in Siler’s honor, he asks that you donate to a charity focused on helping orphans and disenfranchised children like Advertisement - Continue Reading Below or a similar organization.
“Micala lived 41 years of life doing what some people couldn’t do in 100 years,” Jason said. “She lived life to the fullest and was the epitome of selfless service, respect, leadership, and integrity. She lived those traits out and was guided by her Christian faith. Most of all, she treated everyone equally and with respect and kindness. That’s the essence of Micala.”
DAA Industry Opt Out Runner’s World and Bicycling, and he specializes in writing and editing human interest pieces while also covering health, wellness, gear, and fitness for the brand. His work has previously been published in Men’s Health.
