His 60-mile trek began with a wager.

How much money would Movement employees in Virginia pay to see market leader John Hess walk from his house to their office?

It ended with blistered feet and up to $16,000 from Movement employees and other donors to support research for treatment of a devastating neurological disease that afflicts 400,000 adults in the United States each year. 

Hess, 47, walked 60 miles to raise money and awareness for multiple sclerosis, a condition that attacks the central nervous system, disrupting the flow of information from the brain to the body.

He split his journey over a weekend in Fairfax County, Va., where he has led Movement's operations for years. He walked 26 miles on Friday, another 26 on Saturday, and on Sunday, the last leg of his hike, he joined about 100 other people in walking a 5K in Fredericksburg. Then, he walked another 4 miles to fulfill his pledge.

"From the ankles up, I'm good," Hess said just a day after finishing his march. And, aside from the blisters on the bottom of his feet, "I feel great."

He has good reason.

The nonprofit Movement Foundation will match the funds employees raised for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. In its mission to deliver life, light and hope to the underserved, the foundation matches employees' contributions to nonprofits and organizations that satisfy that purpose.

In memory of Mary Frances

The trek hasn't gone unnoticed.

"There must have been 20 or 30 employees who came up to me afterwards and said, 'John, I appreciate what you're doing (because) I struggle with MS,'" Hess says.

Doctors still don't know the exact cause of MS. And while life expectancy for those with a diagnosis has increased over the years, the disease and its symptoms can be debilitating — resulting in overwhelming fatigue, trouble with balance and, in some cases, immobility or paralysis.

In the case of Mary Frances Stevens, it took her ability to dance.

She was mother to Melissa Simpson and the grandmother of Heather Frye, both members of Hess' team in Virginia. She was also an avid square dancer and lover of animals.

Most of all, "she was the strongest woman I know," Simpson says.

Stevens died three years ago.

"She had MS for numerous years" but "we really had gotten the diagnosis about six months before she passed," Simpson says. "She was losing mobility in her legs. She was pretty much chair or bedridden. We thought that it was probably MS (but) it's so hard to diagnose and it affects every person differently."

Though besieged with pain, Stevens determined she would return to the dance floor, and "she did," Simpson says. "She got better and started dancing again until the last bout that took her down."

The loss rallied Melissa's boss and co-workers, who created a team to participate in the national "Walk MS" campaign to end the disease.

The most recent walk, on May 1, was the group's third. They call themselves "Mary's Memory Makers."

Going the distance

This year, Hess decided to up the ante.

"I opened my mouth last year and said if this is about raising money for MS, how much would you guys pay to see me walk from my house to the office?"

The distance: 50 to 60 miles.

He trained for about 40 weeks, tallying 600 miles on foot and trodding through three pairs of shoes in the process, he says.

In that time, he got in better shape. He spent more time with his family, and set a positive example for his children. And he got in some steps for Movement's Thrive Steps Challenge, which calls for employees to average 5,000 steps per day over four weeks.

Finally, on April 29, Hess took his stride. He walked 13 miles south on the Gerry Connolly Cross Country Trail, a 40-mile trail that connects all of Fairfax County. Then, he turned around and walked 13 miles back. Then he did it again the next day. Two marathons in two days. On Sunday, he logged the remaining eight miles through Fredericksburg.

He carried a bag with water, snacks, Gatorade and his cell phone.

"Any time I needed something I didn't have, my amazing, supportive wife was a short distance away and brought me additional supplies so I could keep walking," Hess says. "I had several helpers along the way," including his wife, father and mentor.

"I rarely walked alone."

Over those three days, whenever he felt like throwing in the towel, Hess reached into his pocket and grabbed a crumpled piece of paper.

It was a printout of a Facebook post from April 26 — the three-year anniversary of Mary Stevens' death. Melissa Simpson wrote it.

"Every time I felt like giving up, I would read it again," Hess says. "I had it with me for the whole 60 miles."

When the walk was over, Hess handed the paper to Melissa. She cried.

"I pulled it out of my pocket and said, '(Mary) was with me the whole time."