What Do Cartoons, the Wyakin Foundation, and a Race With Zero Miles Have in Common? More Than You Might Think.
Long before there was a Wyakin Foundation or a Zero Mile Fun Run, there were cartoons.
In 2005, a group of cartoonists began visiting troops in military hospitals and eventually traveling overseas to Iraq and Afghanistan. Jeff Bacon was among them. The trips gave the cartoonists an opportunity to support service members through humor, but they also left Jeff thinking about what more they could do. During one of those conversations, Admiral Archie Clemens, a Boise resident, asked Jeff a question that stuck with him: “That’s great. You’re drawing cartoons. What else are you doing for the troops?"
Jeff took the question home to his wife, Rebecca. Together, they went up on Morse Mountain, hiked, and began talking about what meaningful support for veterans could look like. That conversation eventually led to the six tenets that became the foundation of Wyakin’s program.
Seeing What Veterans Needed
Jeff knew that returning to civilian life could require far more than simply providing a veteran with educational benefits. He thought about an 18-year-old who joined the Marines because he wanted to be a Marine, went to Iraq, stepped on a land mine, and lost his legs. Suddenly, the career he had prepared for was no longer possible. Even with the GI Bill available to him, he still had to figure out what came next. “He falls back on a high school diploma and is trying to figure out what his new purpose in life is,” Jeff explained.
That became part of the thinking behind Wyakin: veterans need more than a resource or a benefit. They need help finding a new direction and building the skills and connections to move toward it. Education became a central part of the program, but Jeff and Rebecca recognized that veterans also needed mentors, ideally people working in the industries they hoped to enter. Professional development and networking could help them build the connections needed to enter those industries, while a mentor could help them work through obstacles without judgment.
They also wanted veterans to have an opportunity to give back. For a catastrophically injured veteran, Jeff explained, life can become a cycle of receiving support. Wyakin wanted to help veterans reconnect with the sense of service that had brought many of them into the military in the first place. “And we wanted to kind of reestablish the service ethos of giving back. That’s why people joined the military.”
That commitment was designed to extend beyond graduation, too. Wyakin's relationship with its veterans was meant to be lifelong, with the organization continuing to check in, help veterans navigate changes, and provide support when the path forward gets complicated. For Jeff, that commitment is personal: “I am no different than any other veteran. I just had an opportunity to do something about it and I grabbed it.”
A Career Built Around Service — and Cartoons
Jeff's sense of responsibility was shaped by 26 years in the U.S. Navy. He spent about seven years driving ships before moving into meteorology and oceanography. His final Navy position was deputy oceanographer. He retired in 2005.
The Navy taught him that leadership comes with an obligation to take care of the people who depend on you. “There’s a sense of duty, but an obligation.” That same sense of responsibility would eventually show up in another part of Jeff's life: cartooning.
Jeff has loved drawing for decades. He started teaching himself to draw cartoons after watching two friends in college who could draw far better than he could. What began as an interest gradually became something much bigger. In the early 1980s, Jeff found a new outlet for his humor while serving aboard a Navy ship. His boss installed one of the ship's first whiteboards outside his office and designated it for official messages. Jeff began using the board for political cartoons about unpopular Navy decisions. He would draw a cartoon, put it on the board, and then disappear but still manage to get in trouble. The reaction from his friends made the experience even more fun. “It just became intoxicating.”
In 1986, Navy Times picked up some of Jeff's cartoons. He submitted six, and the publication bought four. They asked him to keep drawing and to give the cartoons a name. That became Broadside, a fitting name for cartoons that allowed Jeff to fire off humorous “salvos” at different parts of Navy life.
Broadside became a way for Jeff to stay connected to the military community even after his retirement. “I’m just an observer and see the same humor everybody else sees. But I just have a platform that I can put it down on paper and make other people enjoy the same thing.”
From a Cartoon to the Zero Mile Fun Run
That connection between cartoons and veterans eventually led to something entirely new.
Jeff, Boise cartoonist Steve Moore, Todd Clark, and Senator Marv Hagedorn were together when the idea for an Instant Gratification Fun Run came up. Steve had created a cartoon around the concept, and the group started talking about how fun it would be to turn the idea into an actual event. Jeff approached Marv, a co-founder of Wyakin, immediately after the hike. One sentence in, Marv said, “I’m in!” He jumped into the idea with both feet.
Steve said that if they ever did it, the money would go to Wyakin.
That cartoon became the inspiration for the Instant Gratification Zero Mile Fun Run. The idea remained on the shelf for years while everyone balanced jobs and other responsibilities. Then Jeff retired in March 2025, giving him the time to finally bring the event to life.
The event also brings together many of the cartoonists Jeff has known throughout his career. His work with Broadside gave him the opportunity to travel with fellow cartoonists, including trips to Iraq, Afghanistan, military hospitals, and other locations around the world. “Broadside cartoons got me into that world and had a chance to be a professional cartoonist and get to meet all these guys and find out what great people they are.”
A Fun Run for People Who Don't Run
The concept is exactly what it sounds like: a fun run with zero miles. The start and finish line are the same place, so participants can cross the finish line without ever actually running. There is no training required, and people of all ages and abilities are welcome.
That's part of what Jeff likes about it. “The thing that people can look forward to in this event is it’s non judgmental. It’s set up for people who run or don’t run.”
On September 12, the first-ever event will bring that idea to life at Payette Brewing Company in Boise. Check-in begins at 9:30 a.m., with the race beginning at 11 a.m. Participants can expect the trappings of a traditional race — race bibs, commemorative swag, refreshments, and a finish-line celebration — without the miles. The event will also feature professional cartoonists, music, food trucks, family activities, and plenty of opportunities to have fun along the way.
At its heart, that's exactly what Jeff hopes people take away from the day: “Have a good time doing it.” He also wants the event to feel “Non-threatening.”
From a Question to a Mission
It is fitting that an event built around cartoons is helping carry forward a mission that was, in part, born from cartoons.
In 2005, Jeff was asked what else he could do for troops beyond drawing cartoons. That question helped lead him to Wyakin. More than 20 years later, another cartoon has helped bring people together to support that same mission.
The Zero Mile Fun Run is intentionally lighthearted. There is no pressure to be fast, athletic, or competitive. It's about showing up, having fun, and supporting veterans.
On September 12, 2026, veterans, families, friends, cartoon lovers, runners, non-runners, and anyone looking for a good time can come together in Boise for a race where everyone wins — and every registration helps support veterans through the Wyakin Foundation.
No miles. No training. No pressure. Just good times, good laughs, and a good cause.
