Wave of encouragement: Motivational Mile links community together for a chain of positivity in Eagle Mountain
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- Mrs. America United Nations 2025, Mandy Anderson holds a sign reading “I Believe in You” during the Motivational Mile of positive messages in Eagle Mountain on Thursday May 22, 2025.
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- Signs of encouragement are held towards oncoming traffic during the Motivational Mile of positive messages in Eagle Mountain on Thursday May 22, 2025.
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- Ben Lyne is seen holding his iconic sign reading “I Believe in You” during the Motivational Mile of positive messages in Eagle Mountain on Thursday May 22, 2025.
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- The Cedar Valley High School cheer team holds signs of encouragement during the Motivational Mile of positive messages in Eagle Mountain on Thursday May 22, 2025.
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- Eagle Mountain resident Tammy Barber (far right) and Kellie Winterton (second from right) stands with a group holding signs of encouragement during the Motivational Mile of positive messages in Eagle Mountain on Thursday May 22, 2025.
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- A group shown in this photo holds signs of encouragement during the Motivational Mile of positive messages in Eagle Mountain on Thursday May 22, 2025.
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- Miss Eagle Mountain 2024, Taylee Hunter holds a sign reading ‘You Are More than your disability” during the Motivational Mile of positive messages in Eagle Mountain on Thursday May 22, 2025.
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- Joe Tuia’ana, Founder & CEO of the group “I love you bro,” (pictured in center) and members of the organization display signs of encouragement during the Motivational Mile of positive messages in Eagle Mountain on Thursday May 22, 2025.
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- Siblings, Alexia and Deacon Mills are shown in this photo holds signs of encouragement during the Motivational Mile of positive messages in Eagle Mountain on Thursday May 22, 2025.
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- A group shown in this photo holds signs of encouragement during the Motivational Mile of positive messages in Eagle Mountain on Thursday May 22, 2025.
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- A girl holds a sign reading “The World Need U” during the Motivational Mile of positive messages in Eagle Mountain on Thursday May 22, 2025.
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- Cedar Valley High School students Nakylah Bunnell (far right); and Sky McConnehey (center) hold signs of encouragement towards oncoming traffic during the Motivational Mile of positive messages in Eagle Mountain on Thursday May 22, 2025.
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- A man holds a sign reading “Eagle Mountain Rocks” during the Motivational Mile of positive messages in Eagle Mountain on Thursday May 22, 2025.
Words can uplift, inspire, and often pull someone out of a dark space.
That’s been part of the motivation that has kept Eagle Mountain resident Ben Lyne jogging along different routes in the city and neighboring communities over the past few years with a sign reading “I Believe In You.”
Known throughout Eagle Mountain and points beyond as the “Runner Guy With a Sign,” Lyne wanted to elevate the power of positivity in an attempt to break or set a Guinness World Record for the longest line of people holding motivational signs. Thus, creating a mile-long chain of uplifting signs, of course with the help of community members.
Though for Lyne, the goal of the event was about more than beating some nationally recognized record.
“It’s about reminding each other what’s possible when we show up and lift one another,” he said.
And on Thursday, around 1,500 people showed up. They lined a stretch of Pony Express Parkway between Frontier Middle School and Cedar Valley High School (which roughly equates to a mile) holding signs with their own words of encouragement and boosts of positivity.
The Pony Express Trail of Positivity
In the midst of rush hour traffic along the busy thoroughfare, drivers couldn’t help but honk, cheer, and salute the sea of supportive messages as they passed by.
Nakylah Bunnell, a freshman at Cedar Valley High School, was holding a sign that read “Set Your Heart Ablaze,” the phrase used by a character in a popular anime cartoon.
“It just kind of encouraged me, saying like, never give up. Just keep going and pushing on,” she explained.
Sky McConnehey, who just graduated from Cedar Valley High, was holding several signs. One read, “Live as happy and as bizarre as you want” and another had the saying, “Be confident in who you are.”
He said the message is for anyone who may not feel accepted among others because they don’t fit a certain standard.
McConnehey said he wanted to participate in the event to help spread awareness about mental health.
“This walk and all the signs (from) all these people saying like you’re enough, and to be confident can help boost their morale, and help them feel better as a person,” he said.
Stephanie Mills, an Eagle Mountain resident, brought her children along for the momentous occasion. Both held their handmade signs to support and uplift the community.
“Just standing out here holding signs with the positivity chain to brighten our community, encourage our community and show support for those that need a little pick me up,” she said.
Her son Deacon, with a sign reading “It’s Gonna Be Okay,” inspired by the title of a song by The Piano Guys, Mills said it holds a sentimental meaning for their family.
“We jam out to (the song) all the time in the car and at home and (when we’re) struggling or we just need to remind ourselves that everything’s gonna be OK,” Mills explained to the Daily Herald. “When my husband was deployed, that was one of the songs we sang a lot, just to remind us that it’s gonna be okay.”
Other signs contained phrases like ” You are Strong,” “The World Needs You,” and “Believe in Yourself.”
A life-saving encounter
While many of the people on hand during Thursday’s “Motivational Mile” expressed their admiration for Lyne, who has reinforced the idea that small acts of kindness can brighten someone’s day.
Eagle Mountain resident Tammy Barber shared an emotional story about a time when Lyne talked her husband out of taking his own life.
“He saw Ben on the side of the road in Lehi holding up his sign, and he honked at him, and turned around and went and talked to him, and Ben ended up saving his life that day,” Barber shared.
That was a day Lyne remembers vividly.
“He pulled over and was in tears and said, ‘Hey, I was out ready to take my life until I saw you,'” Lyne said.
Barber said her husband came home and told her about the encounter and she remained grateful that his path crossed with Lyne that day in Lehi.
However, she said her husband passed away a year ago after a battle with pancreatic cancer.
“He was allowed to die with dignity, and I can’t thank Ben enough for saving our family,” Barber said.
Lyne said it was days like that of helping uplift people in a moment of vulnerability to solidified his purpose to continue running with his sign.
“I was still trying to figure out early on, am I going to do this every week? Am I gonna do it every day? Am I making a difference? And right after I had those thoughts, that happened,” he explained.
Thursday’s Motivational Mile was the culmination of taking an idea and seeing it come to life with an overwhelming response. Lyne called it an amazing feeling.
“Bringing this many people together in one place, for positivity sake, it stands out,” he said. “It’s so different.”
Lyne said while they fell short by just a couple hundred feet of creating the continuous mile-long motivation chain, bringing 1,500 people together for one common goal is certainly no small feat. And he is already planning to do it again next year.
Lyne encourages others who have a desire to do good deeds to not let doubt or fear hold them back from it.
“If you ever get an idea to do something good for somebody. Don’t wait, do it right away,” he said. “You’ll completely change your life no matter what you’re going through, and you’ll just be a lot happier.”
