[1][2] Runnells grew up as a sixth-generation member of the LDS Church with pioneer ancestry,[3] which traces back to Nauvoo, Illinois.
He served a mission for the church in New York City to teach the deaf in American Sign Language.
His hearing loss gradually progressed from mild to severe over the course of 20 years.
After his mission, Runnells attended and graduated from church-owned Brigham Young University with a major in marketing.
He met his wife in his junior year, and they got married in the San Diego California Temple.