Racing Awareness
12 months
12 marathons
#ForEllory
Hannes Ringoot plans to run one marathon race every month in 2026 in honor of his daughter Ellory, who was stillborn in August of 2025. That’s 314.4 miles of racing, plus countless more training. It’s a goal of unbelievable endurance, strength and perseverance. It’s to help raise awareness and funds for placental health and stillbirth prevention. It’s for Ellory.
How you can help:
Donate to support this campaign and Measure the Placenta’s mission to make placental measurements part of standard care
Follow/subscribe to the Racing Awareness journey on YouTube, TikTok and the running app Strava
In person:
Run or walk in a race
Cheer from sidelines during a race
Meet up after a race to connect
Share your stillbirth story, if applicable, via a mini-interview during or after a race
From anywhere:
Share your story - via social media and tag @thekiddosdiaries and @measuretheplacenta and/or on measuretheplacenta.org/stories
Volunteer to help Measure the Placenta spread the message about preventable stillbirth and placental health
Talk to your OB/MFM/sonographer about measuring the placenta
Ellory’s Story
by Hannes and Celeste Ringoot
Our daughter’s death could have been prevented.
We were expecting our first baby, our daughter Ellory Andrea Ringoot, in August 2025. On August 15th, 2025, one day after the due date, her heartbeat suddenly stopped. The entire pregnancy was uncomplicated, and we were at a complete loss when it came to understanding what happened. It wasn’t until a few months later when we discovered her placenta was too small – 291 grams (0.02%ile). It was also at this time when we learned that the placenta is not routinely measured during prenatal care – but it can be. And there is a simple, non-invasive measurement that can be done to estimate placental volume (called EPV). Yet, the healthcare system fails to recognize this as an essential screening test for pregnancy. The placenta is the LIFE-SUSTAINING organ for the fetus. Placental issues are also the most common cause of stillbirth, so why are we not looking at the placenta?
After losing Ellory, our entire life changed, although to many others around us, it was as if nothing had changed at all. Our lives continued as they always had – our jobs stayed the same, we could engage in extracurricular activities without a second thought, we slept through the night as always, we traveled without consideration of having a baby with us. But even though Ellory was never with us, it was difficult to change our mindsets to go on living the way we always had. We were so ready to introduce our baby girl to the world.
Although we are devastated by our loss, we want to move forward with the positive memories of Ellory. She will always be a part of our family. We have hope for our future that she will one day be a big sister. Moving forward, we also want to use our experience and the knowledge gained from it to create change. In the 12 months of 2026, Ellory’s dad will run 12 marathons to help raise awareness of preventable stillbirth and placental health. During this period, we will also be speaking with local OB clinics about EPV, and we hope to be able to connect with and support other families who have experienced stillbirth. We are confident Ellory will shine through our awareness efforts, and we hope one day we can create powerful change and save lives.
- Ellory’s mommy and daddy, Celeste and Hannes, North Carolina
