ST. GEORGE — For the last nine days, a St. George man has been on a mission: to run a marathon every day for 10 consecutive days in an effort to raise money for those who can’t afford treatment for their hearing loss, while also spreading awareness about its role in dementia.
Wednesday night, Reese Jones will celebrate running every day for a year since his grandfather’s death on April 20, 2021. Wednesday also marks the end of his 10-day marathon challenge, in an effort to raise money for those in need of treatment for hearing loss but can’t afford it. Funds will be donated to the Sound of Life Foundation, a local charity that helps people both locally and worldwide.
Those interested in cheering on Jones and supporting his efforts as he completes the final leg of his 10-day challenge are invited Wednesday from 2-7 p.m. to the Ivins Cemetery, where his grandfather was laid to rest last year.
Jones told St. George News he learned about hearing loss through his job at Intermountain Audiology, where he worked for five years.
“There are an estimated 42 million people with untreated hearing loss in this country,” he said. “As I’ve gotten to know some of these people, I realized how significant of an issue that is.”
It’s also an issue many people don’t fully understand, he said, adding that treatment is an investment that involves getting the right technology and establishing a proper plan.
“The Sound of Life Foundation helps people who can’t afford it (treatment),” he said.
Treatment is necessary not just to regain the ability to hear but also to prevent an increased risk of getting dementia, Jones said. Referring to a 2017 Lancet Commission study on dementia prevention, Jones said the study showed that hearing loss increased the risk of dementia anywhere from 200% to 500%.
“The most modifiable risk factor you can do to reduce dementia is to treat your hearing loss,” he said. “One of the reasons is that it’s a use (it)- or lose it-muscle for the brain. And so when people aren’t hearing what they used to because of damage to the auditory system, the brain starts starving for information and working really hard.”
As an analogy, Jones said it’s like driving a car at 60 mph in second gear: the car is working hard to try and compensate for what it’s missing out on, similar to the brain overworking itself due to hearing impairment before going into cognitive decline and dementia.
Jones’ associate, Morgan Hutchings, AuDExperts senior consultant, said he supports him in trying to raise money for the foundation and other charities.
“Fresh out of high school, Reese (Jones) has always been an amazing kid with a huge heart,” Hutchings said. “Reese got involved with the Sound of Life Foundation when he went to Jordan in the Middle East for a mission trip to fit local children with hearing aids.”
Jones said he was inspired to help raise awareness when he started entering ultra-marathons. Ultra-marathons are any foot race above the distance of 26.2 miles. Jones was the youngest finisher of the St. George’s Last One Standing 102-mile race in 2021. He also completed the 5 Trials Sand Spur, an 81-mile race in the sand dunes of Jupiter, Florida, and placed third in the St. George Lake to Lake 50 miler.
After these events, he said strangers would come up to him and offer to support him with donations and money.
“When I realized people were so willing to give to me when I didn’t know them, I was like, ‘What if it was for an even greater cause?'” he said. “I don’t need help with shoes – I can afford those. So I thought, ‘As I do events moving forward, I want to raise more money for charities.'”
According to its website, the Sound of Life Foundation seeks to help reduce social isolation and increase self-worth through encouragement and providing proper hearing equipment.
To assist Jones in raising money for this and future charities, visit his website or follow him on Instagram @reesedjones.
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