Childhood cancer receives less than 3% of the government’s funding for cancer research. But a new immunotherapy treatment with an incredible remission rate was in development at Seattle Children’s Hospital. Longtime partners Alaska Airlines and Russell Wilson wanted to do something big to help. Like really big. Enter the Alaska Airlines Plane Pull.

Russell and comedian Joel McHale competed to see who could pull a 70-ton Boeing 737 the fastest. But they couldn’t do it alone. Well, Russel probably could – but Joel couldn’t. So from thousands of applicants, teams were selected via Facebook. Then the contest was hyped across social media and regional press. With #PlanePull trending on twitter, the event pulled in more than $35,000. And in the end, Russell won and cancer lost.

But also Joel McHale lost.