By 9 a.m. Tuesday morning, Jodi Semonell had already ran more than 20 miles, starting at the Wyoming border near Henry to heading to the city limits of Scottsbluff. She would have roughly 475 miles to go to complete her goal of running across the state of Nebraska.
Semonell is taking on this monumental task to raise awareness about carbon monoxide poisoning, which tragically took the life of her son and his friend last year.
“A year ago, I lost my son to carbon monoxide poisoning. Aug. 31 will be one year since he died, his friend and his friend’s dad died that day,” she said Semonell. “So we’re out here to raise awareness for carbon monoxide poisoning.”
She is traveling across the state with her friends, Mindy Coolman and Lauri Halpenny, also both runners. Coolman and Halpenny are taking turns running with Semonell and driving the car they are traveling with to keep supplies like water and snacks.
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“She’s the toughest person I know,” Coolman said of Semonell.
Semonell plans to average roughly 50 miles a day for the next 10 days including 63 on Tuesday she had planned to reach their hotel in Bridgeport. She plans to reach Omaha on Aug. 31, the one year anniversary of her son’s death.
Her son, Cole Oban, 19, and his friend Thomas Coleman, 18, were playing video games in Coleman’s basement on Aug. 31, 2022, when a car was left running in the garage. The fumes seeped into the house and took the lives of both boys, as well as Coleman’s father.
The loss of her son still weighs on her as the anniversary of his death nears. The run has offered her some respite, as having a goal has helped to keep her focused.
“Aug. 31 is going to be a really hard day, so this will definitely give me a goal, whether it be nine or ten days before that day,” she said. “So once I get to Omaha on that date, on the one year anniversary of losing the boys, it’ll just make me feel like I’ve made or done something good.”
She is hoping to accomplish some good with her run as well. Friends and family of the boys are working to raise money to build and dedicate a skatepark to honor Oban and Coleman back in Omaha.
Along with other fundraisers in the Omaha area, Semonell hopes to raise $50,000 to build the park, which will be located a few blocks from the Coleman’s house where the boys died.
“It’s kind of a place where all of their friends kind of congregated and came together to remember the boys,” Semonell said.
She has a fundraising goal of $20,000 for her run on its own and as of Tuesday morning, she was already getting closer and had raised just shy of $13,000.
Just like her decision to traverse the state, Semonell’s passion for endurance running stemmed from loss.
“I lost my dad Christmas Day 2011 to lung cancer because he was a smoker. At that time, I was still smoking too, so that’s when I decided I’m going to quit smoking and I’m gonna run my first marathon,” she said.
She registered for the Lincoln Marathon shortly after, and the races only got longer from there.
“It’s quickly escalated to 100 mile races, 200 plus mile races, and now this run across the state of Nebraska,” Semonell said.
She also wants to make sure that people are aware of the dangers that carbon monoxide poisoning can present.
“It’s not something you think about on a daily basis,” she said. “When you worry about kids you worry about things like drugs and alcohol and car accidents. Carbon monoxide poisoning is not on top of people’s minds.”
She also pointed out that while many people associate carbon monoxide poisoning with the colder months and more use of furnaces, there are other causes that can increase the risk year-round as well.
She urged people to install carbon monoxide detectors and if they already have one to check the batteries and make sure that they are operational. Most carbon monoxide detectors are reliable for five to seven years before they need to be replaced.
“You can call the fire department and most likely, they will come to your house and install one for you, so there’s no reason not to have carbon monoxide detectors,” Semonell said.
The Scottsbluff Fire Department will deliver and install detectors for eligible homeowners free of charge, the application form can be found on the City’s website.
There is a change.org petition as well as a GoFundMe supporting Semonell’s efforts, the petition has garnered just under 2,000 signatures while the GoFundMe had raised just over $14,000 from 166 donors.
The petition can be found at change.org/p/coleman-oban-skatepark and the GoFundMe can be found at tinyurl.com/Obanfundraiser.
On Wednesday morning, Semonell was slated to set off for Oskosh and continue her route through the Panhandle.