Naples woman runs 50 miles in Bali, raises $13K for kids' education

NAPLES, Fla. (WINK)—A Naples woman traveled halfway around the world to run 50 miles for children she'd never met.

Jamie DePaola was one of just 35 people from around the world selected to compete in the Bali Hope Ultra, an 80-kilometer race that raises money to give children access to education. She was among four Americans chosen for the event, and the only Floridian.

Over nine months, DePaola rallied the Southwest Florida community to donate to the cause. Those donations added up to $13,000, the highest fundraising total of any participant. It's a feat, she says, she owes to Naples.

"I ended up raising $13,000 alone as a project, but as the 35 runners together as a team, we raised $140,000 in 2026 for these kids," DePaola said. "This little community here wanted so badly to help the community that I was going to over there, and just with zero hesitation… some of these donations had me in tears."

In Bali, DePaola didn't just race. She visited schools and met the children the Southwest Florida community was helping through the Bali Children Foundation.

"The love from these people is so grounding and so spiritual, really, that you can feel how sacred they feel about where they live, and that is beautiful," she said.

Then came race day, starting at sunset and climbing mountains in complete darkness. The first 15 miles alone took her six hours, and the course featured more than 5,500 feet of elevation gain.

"If that run would have been a cakewalk, it wouldn't have been true to the whole experience," DePaola said. "A lot of these families and kids struggle, so to me, pushing my body is like a parallel to that, and that's how it felt."

When the uphill trek got tough, DePaola thought about the families she was running for.

"When I got to the top of the mountain, although I was alone, I felt so surrounded by the culture," DePaola said. "Like they knew we were running for their children, and a lot of them were chanting for us, asking our names, like as we passed their home, so it just was a very cool experience to have, and truly life changing."

DePaola says she just submitted her application to do it all again in 2027.