Man runs from B.C. to California to hand-deliver blanket to Ellen DeGeneres

Curtis Hargrove, 26, from Cold Lake, Alta., embarked on the 49-day, 2,400-kilometre journey to deliver a blanket to TV comedian Ellen DeGeneres.

A Canadian long-distance runner is crossing his fingers that Ellen DeGeneres will meet with him after he jogged from Vancouver Island to Burbank, Calif., to hand-deliver a very special blanket to the TV comedian.

Curtis Hargrove, 26, from Cold Lake, Alta., embarked on the 49-day, 2,400-kilometre journey on behalf of B.C. Ellen superfan Angel Magnussen, who sews blankets for critically ill children through her charity “Hugginz by Angel.”

Hargrove was inspired to hit the road after Angel, who has Down syndrome, mailed one of her blankets to The Ellen DeGeneres Show and got no response.

“I asked (Angel) to make another one and told her that this time, I would personally deliver it to Ellen myself,” Hargrove told CTV Edmonton.

But when Hargrove arrived at Ellen’s studio on Sunday, he says he was met with a closed door.

“No one was here for us,” he told CTV Edmonton over the phone. “We’re not giving up hope yet because we did mention that there’s a possibility that no one would be here.”

According to a tweet, he plans to try again tomorrow.

Since 2012, 19-year-old Angel has sewn more than 500 blankets for hospitalized children in Australia, New Zealand, Scotland and North America. Additionally, she’s raised more than $300,000 for charity.

“Our daughter spends every day sewing her heart out to help sick kids,” said her mother, Cheryl Magnussen.

Cheryl added that her daughter and Ellen share a common love of cats.

And while each blanket is personalized for the recipient, Angel says they all share a common thread.

“Love,” she said.

With files from CTV Edmonton