Miles For Smiles

The Hough Family is running 50 STRONG!

hough family train

In a unique and inspiring initiative, the Hough Family—Jeremy, Kelly, Campbell, Caroline, and their adorable fur babies Kona and Zulu—will embark on a remarkable journey in September and October. Over the 50 days, they will load up their RV and run a 5K in all 50 states and the nation’s capital, a journey they've fittingly named “Miles for Smiles: Run 50 Strong.

Campbell was born with a cleft, and the odyssey aims to raise awareness for the cleft community, connect with other cleft-affected families, and raise funds for Smile Train.

Clefts are the world’s most common facial difference, affecting 1 in 700 babies. Their impact stretches far beyond the baby who has one, requiring significant time and resources from the family and community. Treating a cleft usually requires 20 or more years of surgeries and other comprehensive care, such as nutritional support, speech therapy, dental care, and psychological counseling.

The family has found that stigma and misconceptions about clefts persist despite progress. That’s why, for the past 12 years, the Houghs have been active Smile Train supporters, notably founding Team EMPOWER, Smile Train’s endurance athletic program.

Not only did they launch the program, but they have also been some of its most active members: Jeremy and Kelly ran the Big Sur Marathon in 2012. Then Jeremy finished Ironman Lake Placid in 2013, Ironman Kona in 2018, and Ironman Florida in 2019. They participated in the 2020 Ride for Smile Train: Home Edition, Jeremy ran the NYC marathon in 2021, and Jeremy joined Campbell on the 2023 Smile Train Trek in Colombia.

Together, the family has raised close to $100,000 for Smile Train, which has contributed to life-changing cleft treatments for thousands of children in more than 75 countries.

Hough Family

Jeremy
(Age: 48, Hometown: Basking Ridge NJ, College: Trinity College, Hartford CT; Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey CA)

A career Air Force officer retiring this winter, Jeremy founded Smile Train’s Team Empower when he and 4 military friends ran IRONMAN Lake Placid in 2013. Since then, he has run at the IRONMAN World Championship (Kona HI) and IRONMAN Florida (Panama City Beach), as well as several Half-IRONMAN races and marathon races (including NYC Marathon and Big Sur Marathon), all for Smile Train.

Kelly
(Age: 47, Hometown: Jupiter FL, College: University of Maryland)

Kelly is the glue that keeps the whole family together. With a Master’s in Psychology, she is our sanity check and keeps the rest of us in line when we get too crazy. Her love for tennis is only matched by her love for her family. She spends her summers in Vermont running the waterfront and leading canoe trips at the summer camp where she and Jeremy met over 26 years ago.

Campbell
(Age: 17, Hometown: Fort Bragg NC, School: Senior at Pinecrest High School)

Campbell was born with a cleft at Womack Army Hospital, Fort Bragg (now Liberty) NC. She was fortunate enough to receive some of the best care in the United States from craniofacial teams at UNC Chapel Hill (Chapel Hill NC), Lucile Packard Children’s (Palo Alto CA), Inova Fairfax (Falls Church VA), and Sacred Heart (Pensacola FL). Many of the other 1 in 700 children born around the world are not so fortunate; Campbell is our inspiration for teaming with Smile Train for the last 17 years.

When not running cross-country or playing soccer for Pinecrest High School, Campbell is active as youth leader for Young Life’s middle school ministry and at Christ Community Church in Southern Pines NC. An accomplished honors student, she chose to take virtual classes at Sandhills Community College during the fall of her senior year and run 50 strong 4 cleft!

Caroline
(Age: 15, Hometown: Fort Bragg NC, School: Sophomore at Pinecrest High School)

Caroline is also an accomplished cross-country runner in her own right, earning All Conference County Champion and MVP at Pinecrest High School. She also plays travel soccer and varsity lacrosse for the high school and is active in her church and Young Life. She is switching to virtual school for the fall as well to run 50 strong 4 cleft!