Flying Pig partners with 1N5 on suicide prevention in Blue Jean Mile

Cincinnati-based non-profit 1N5 works with local schools, businesses, and communities to promote mental health and suicide prevention.

As with Gregorek and the Blue Jean Mile, Eigel-Miller founded 1N5 in response to personal tragedy. In 2008, Eigel-Miller lost her husband, Jim, to suicide. She said it came as a surprise to everyone who knew him.

"My husband had a very big personality," Eigel-Miller said. "He didn't really ever talk about mental health, he was loud and goofy and everyone loved him."

In dealing with the loss, Eigel-Miller decided to do research on suicide and mental health. She didn't come from a mental health background, working in market research, but wanted to know if there were already organizations working to increase awareness of mental health and suicide prevention.

"There were definitely signs that I was unaware of, because those were not on my radar at all," Eigel-Miller said. "I just started looking at when mental illness starts, and were there organizations doing preventative education?"

As it turns out, mental illness begins very early. Over 50% of mental illness will surface by age 14, and 75% is diagnosable by 25. Eigel-Miller founded the James W. Miller Memorial Fund in 2010 and has built 1N5 to fill the gap in suicide prevention education. Working with local youth is a big part of 1N5's mission to prevent suicide.

Hartley has been working with Cincinnati youth for over 17 years but not always in a direct mental health capacity. She's the head softball coach at Turpin High School and has been coaching there since 2009. Hartley joined 1N5 after seeing the effects of mental illness at Turpin and nearby Anderson High School, after each school saw students lose their lives to suicide.

"I feel really close to the cause because I understand how important it is for teachers, coaches and any adults to be equipped with tools to support the mental health of their students," Hartley said.

It's changed the way Hartley coaches her players, making mental health a priority for all her athletes.

"It's something that we talk about on a regular basis in our program," Hartley said. "Just normalizing those conversations and doing check-ins with our athletes."

Blue Jean Mile supports 1N5's outreach

The 2026 ASICS Blue Jean Mile will support 1N5, a non-profit working to promote suicide prevention and mental health in the Cincinnati community.

To help improve mental health across Cincinnati, 1N5 holds programming in local schools, workplaces and community organizations. They use data-driven techniques to help people overcome the stigma surrounding mental health and give people the tools to take care of their brains.

"We do a lot of evidence-based training to teach people tools to stay healthy and recognize when someone's struggling," Hartley said. "All of the training is really about normalizing conversations around mental health, encouraging openness, and reducing fear and shame."

The Blue Jean Mile isn't just a fundraiser to continue the work 1N5 is already doing in the community. Hartley, a former Flying Pig participant, said the event builds connections and increases mental health visibility.

"Connection is really important for mental health and in the running community there's a strong sense of connection," Hartley said. "The Blue Jean Mile combines movement and community and purpose all in a really visible way."

While the challenge of promoting mental health is never-ending, Eigel-Miller said the impact of 1N5's work is already felt across the Cincinnati community. After experiencing the corporate world before starting the non-profit, she said the response has been incredibly rewarding.

"I was in the business arena and you do your job and go home, but now we hear nonstop from people that you saved somebody, that it changed their life," Eigel-Miller said. "A lot of parents talk to us about how helpful it is for their kids to have this language and to work with them on the different tools."

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Flying Pig Marathon's Blue Jean Mile, 1N5 promotes mental health