Memorial mountain bike race aims to raise mental health awareness in Bozeman

BOZEMAN — After Landon Hull took his own life in 2022, the Hull family decided to be a light to Montana’s mental health crisis. That’s why they’re holding the Landon’s Light Memorial Mountain Bike Race.

"He was on a bike from about as old as you could sit on a seat. He did BMX and basically anything with two wheels," says Landon's father, Andrew Hull.

When Landon’s mental health took a turn, the Hulls say that finding mental health services was difficult.

Landon's mother Kimmelin Hull says, "Pretty soon after losing him we realized that the lack of mental healthcare resources here in Bozeman was an issue, not just for our family, but more many other families. And we wanted to be a solution."

To honor Landon’s memory and tackle Montana’s mental health desert, the Hulls started the Landon Hull Memorial Scholarship—for students pursuing careers in the mental health space.

One hundred percent of proceeds from the Landon’s Light race will go into the scholarship fund. This year, two Montana students will be the first to receive it.

And the Hulls welcome anybody to participate.

"The length on it is going to be four, eight, and twelve miles. So, we think we have a great length for anyone who wants to come out just for fun and do one lap of our course—which is four miles—all the way up to three laps," says Andrew.

A portion of the course will pass through GVLT’s new Wellness Trail, located behind the Help Center Inc's new mental health campus—a growing resource in Bozeman.

Offering prizes for racing, costumes—even cheerleading—Kimmelin stresses the importance of the community in battling mental health.

"I think it’s important to understand that people are complicated, and Landon had so much light in him even though he also struggled with some darkness," she says, "and this event is about sharing his light. And letting people know that it’s possible to have light even in the midst of darkness. And as a community we can help each other find our light again and we can share our light with each other."

To register for Landon's Light Memorial MTB race, or to donate directly to the Landon Hull Memorial Scholarship, visit this website .