Meet Rylen...our HERO!
Rylen, who was always smiling, quickly earned the name Smilin' Rylen.
We remember Rylen with everything ORANGE, a color of happiness!
Rylen earned his angel wings on June 5, 2017, at only 13.5 months old, after a battle with Bacterial Meningitis. Little but Mighty, Rylen did not leave this earth untouched. Thanks to the medical advances in organ donation, Rylen was able to save 5 lives.
Our Mission at The Smilin' Rylen Foundation is to raise awareness about organ donation and to assist families in crisis.
The Cowan Family would like to THANK YOU from the bottom of their hearts for your generous contributions and continued support! Please join us in celebrating his life and the lives of those he saved!
Countdown to event
Registration fees
5K Run/Walk
Price changes in 1 month 9 days-
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Register for 5K Run/Walk$35.00Now registering Aug 1 – Dec 30
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$40.00Dec 31 – Apr 11
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$45.00Apr 12 – Apr 23
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$50.00Apr 24 – Apr 26
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1Mile Run/Walk
Price changes in 1 month 9 days-
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Register for 1Mile Run/Walk$25.00Now registering Aug 1 – Dec 30
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$30.00Dec 31 – Apr 11
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$30.00Apr 12 – Apr 23
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$35.00Apr 24 – Apr 26
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Virtual 5K
Price changes in 1 month 9 days-
The Virtual 5K will give you a great opportunity to get some fresh air, exercise, and spend time with your family, all while helping a great cause from your home.
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Register for Virtual 5K$35.00Now registering Aug 1 – Dec 31
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$40.00Dec 31 – Apr 11
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$45.00Apr 12 – Apr 23
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$50.00Apr 24 – Apr 26
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Virtual 1 Mile
Price changes in 1 month 9 days-
The Virtual 1 Mile is a great opportunity to get some fresh air, exercise, and spend time with your family, all while helping a great cause from your home.
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Register for Virtual 1 Mile$25.00Now registering Aug 1 – Dec 30
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$30.00Dec 31 – Apr 23
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$35.00Apr 24 – Apr 26
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Event Info
The Smilin’ Rylen Run is a race of remembrance, a race of hope, and a race of love...
We race to remember Rylen!
We race hoping to bring awareness to the amazing gift of organ donation!
We race to share the love that we have received from so many of you!
RUN WITH US!
Come celebrate with us! Bring your family and your friends!
You will earn your Smilin' Rylen t-shirt, enjoy the delicious food with great music,
lots of fun and a post-race party you don't want to miss!
For more information about the Smilin' Rylen Run & the Smilin' Rylen Foundation, please visit: www.smilinrylenfoundation.org
Sponsors
We are so very grateful for the support we have received from the community!
Sponsorships are available for the 2025 Smilin' Rylen Run. Please visit: https://www.smilinrylenfoundation.org/sponsors.html
Beneficiaries
This year, we wanted to do something special for all of the wonderful organizations that supported our family during this difficult time. Each of these amazing organizations touched our lives in very special ways.
The Ronald McDonald House Charities Greater Houston
With a mission of "Keeping families with sick children together and near the care and resources they need, our family was able to remain close to Rylen day and night. Naturally, Kristen did not want to leave Rylen's side, thankfully The Ronald McDonald Family Rooms, providing a peaceful place for her to rest, relax and spend time together as a family without having to leave the hospital.
Research shows that staying close by allows parents to better communicate with their child’s medical team and improves adherence to complicated treatment plans.
Ronald McDonald House of Houston, Inc., 1907 Holcombe Blvd., Houston, TX 77030 Website
LifeGift
Rylen is a HERO and he lives on every day because of organ donation. When the doctors talked to Kristen and Travis about the opportunity of Rylen being an organ donor, there was no question. Both having family members who have been recipients of organs, the answer seemed simple.
Every day, an average of 92 people across the country receive lifesaving organ transplants, and countless others receive lifesaving tissue transplants. Many more receive the gift of sight through cornea donation.
Even so, there is a critical shortage of organs across the country. More than 118,000 individuals are waiting for a lifesaving transplant. Of those, more than 10,000 are Texans.*
Every 10 minutes, a new person is added to the national organ transplant waiting list, and every day 20 people die waiting for a lifesaving transplant.
The generosity of an individual donor can save up to eight lives through organ donation and countless others through tissue donation. Skin is used to treat burn patients and individuals with cancer; bone can be used to treat orthopedic injuries and cancer patients.
Click Here for a Brochure about Organ Donation
Click Here to Become an Organ Donor
Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep
This organization is full of very special individuals. Kristen and Travis were blessed to have a friend and representative for the organization, take photos of the family and Rylen. "These treasured moments are so very precious to our family".
Providing the gift of remembrance photography for parents suffering the loss of a baby
A volunteer-based organization, NILMDTS has over 1,700 active photographers around the world. NILMDTS reaches every state in the United States and has been or is present in 40 countries worldwide.
Bo's Place
Bo’s Place exists to offer support and community to those who have experienced the death of a loved one.
A non-profit, free-of-charge bereavement center, Bo’s Place offers multiple grief support services for adults, children and families, and provides education and resources for those who assist people in grief.
Bo’s Place operates on the belief that it is helpful and healing for grieving children and adults to share their stories, memories, experiences, thoughts and feelings with those who can understand their journey. Bo’s Place offers the only free on-going grief support program in the greater Houston area for children and their families.
Top donors
| No. | Name | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ryan Dybala | $107.81 |
Contact information
- Event contact
- Houston Running Co.
- Website
- Visit website
