With nothing but a skateboard beneath his feet, Skyler King left his Oxford, Mississippi, home on Aug. 1 with a goal to skate 1,100 miles to New York City, all for a cause.
King successfully skateboarded his way through Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia. On the night of Sept. 3, he reached Smithsburg before setting up camp for the night due to storms. By the next day, he entered Washington Township in Franklin County, Pennsylvania, on his journey north.
King gained his love for skateboarding during childhood, with his older brother Justin introducing him to the sport at a young age. After losing his brother to suicide in 2024, Skyler decided to take action to raise awareness for mental health and suicide.
Along the way, King is raising money for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, and the Ben Raemers Foundation, which is an organization that aims to reduce the stigma on mental health within the skateboarding community. King hopes to arrive in New York City by Sept. 10, World Suicide Prevention Day.
For those who would like to follow King’s journey, find him on Instagram at instagram.com/skyylord/?hl=en or Facebook at facebook.com/gnikrelyks.
If you would like to contribute to King’s journey, a GoFundMe is set up at gofundme.com/f/skateboarding-1100-miles-for-suicide-prevention.
