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Completing 50 marathons was a goal I set three years ago. I thought this kind of commitment and effort would demonstrate my strong desire to raise money for treatments and a cure for NF. I wanted “to be the change I wish to see in the world.” I have been raising money as a member of the NF Endurance team since 2000. (This was back when we were wearing green running singlets instead of the sporty, sleek, neon yellow ones we have now.) I needed to raise the bar higher to keep my donors attention and interest. I took a cue from Shakespeare, who wrote:
Then marvel not, thou great and complete man,
That all the Greeks begin to worship Ajax;
Since things in motion sooner catch the eye
Than what not stirs
I decided that I would set a goal of running 50 marathons and raising $50,000 to catch the eye of my donors. I do RUNFOR A REASON. Go to: www.504NF.com (smile here) and you will see several of my reasons.
For every marathon, I paced myself, finished strong, and never forgot that it’s not the speed but the purpose of the journey. This really kept me motivated and helped me to avoid a running injury. I also want to say that for every single marathon I picked up the pace at mile 20 or 22 , felt the warmth of God’s smile, experienced an almost overwhelming sense of freedom and joy, and an intense emotion of feeling alive. I thought I was the happiest person in the world! Yet there were some times during the run when the lives of my NF heroes came to mind. I thought of their struggles and pain living with NF, and I literally cried. If someone asked me my finish time, I would have to say, ”Well, it could have been better, but I stopped a few times to shed some tears.”
Having now achieved my goal, I will candidly say that I’m elated, or let’s say relieved and grateful for the gift of running and the gift of my health. I also find myself thinking, “What’s next?” I certainly want to keep running until a cure is found, and after that will want to raise money to make NF treatments affordable. The answer? My running never ends!
Well, marathon 51 was last weekend at the Surf City Marathon so only 49 to go for 100. Woo Hoo!
WATCH
If you need motivation for that long weekend run, watch this video of Denver Wakin. Team Wakin is gearing up for three events this year including San Antonio, Dallas and Disney. You can check out more of their story here. In addition, they have teamed up with Chocolate Silver Designs to sell NF Necklaces to benefit the Children’s Tumor Foundation. Fun jewelry and life-saving research? Now that’s a win-win.
LOAN
Here is some positive news around the mortgage industry. Every time Robert Heideman closes a new home loan, he will make a personal donation to the Children’s Tumor Foundation as part of his Charitable Promises initiative. Read more here.
READ
Bob Skold shares his favorite running reads. Check out one of the books below to help improve your training.
- Courage to Start by John Bingham
- No Need for Speed by John Bingham
- Marathoning for Mortals by John Bingham and Jenny Hadfield
- Marathon — The Ultimate Training Guide by Hal Higdon
- Learning to Walk – From Sofa to Marathon in Nine Months by Sheilagh Conklin (Conklin is a veteran participant of the NF Endurance Team in Portland).
- My Life on the Run — The Wit, Wisdom, and Insights of a Road Racing Icon by Bart Yasso
- The Runner’s Guide to the Meaning of Life - by Amby Burford
- The Quotable Runner – edited by Mark Will-Weber
- The Complete Book of Long-Distance Cycling: Build the Strength, Skills, and Confidence to Ride as Far as You Want by Edmund Burke
- Triathlete Magazine’s Complete Triathlon Book: The Training, Diet, Health, Equipment, and Safety Tips You Need to Do Your Best by Matt Fitzgerald
REMEMBER
Run in memory for those who lost their lives on 9-11 by running in a 5K on Saturday. To find a race near you, visit Running in the USA.
Check out these weekend Foundation Events:
- Saturday, Sept. 11, 2010 – Spanish speaking symposium; Washington D.C. 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. NF Walk; Milwaukee, Wisc.; 10:00 a.m.
- Sunday, Sept. 12, 2010 – NF Walk; Denver, Colo.; 2:00 p.m.
Active Fundraising Page of the Week Raphael Bazin Why we like it: It’s in French! Raphael will come all the way from France to participate in the ING NYC Marathon with NFE in November. Our question is, will he carry the Eiffel Tower on his back like this runner from the 2009 race?
SUPPORT
Check out this article that highlights how volunteering can make a difference in your community (and, we like how it mentions our favorite keynote speaker, Steve Kendra). Steve spoke this week to the Pennridge Community Education Foundation about the importance of helping others. We can’t think of a better person to talk about making difference in the lives of others.
CREATE A VIDEO
Tell your hero’s story by creating a video. This inexpensive and free method can tell even more about why you run. Brian Lease created this poignant video of his son Noah. Noah has spent 26 out of 58 months of his life in chemo, which ended in April 2010. Noah’s oncologist has given him a 50/50 chance of relapse in the next two years. “I have continued my lifelong commitment to raise funds running endurance events until there is a cure for NF,” said Brian, Noah’s dad. In 2009 Brian completed three half marathons, a 25K and one marathon in honor of Noah.
EAT SUPER FOODS
Suzanne Hickman, an NFE staff member, shared this interesting article on “Super Foods’ from Dr. Oz. The first on her list to try? Imo.
ALL STAR FOOTBALL
On Monday, June 7, 2010 the NFE Sellersville Staff helped staff the Montgomery County Allstar game. Proceeds of the ticket sales benefited the Children’s Tumor Foundation. Picture at left, Judy Kendra, Valerie Blaxall and Suzanne Hickman sell “RuNFor a Reason” T-shirts. This partnership started after Kirstin Hardy, daughter of NFE Staff Member Trish Hardy, presented to the Souderton–Telford Rotary Club. The Montgomery Allstar Classic has been played since 1968, and has featured thousands of standout highschool football players, and features two teams, North and South. “The South may have won the game,” said Steve Kendra, “but in the end it was our Foundation and people with NF who are the real winners.”
SNAGIT
“I am sure this picture capture tool (using the example of your own page) will really enhance our team fundraising efforts with the active giving fundraising pages,” said Bob Skold. You can check out more about this nifty tool at TechSmith.
Site of the Week Melisa Calison Why we love it: it has courage written all over it. Melisa has reached out to connect with kids ‘like her’ (more about the fabulous four photo to come next week), and her openness to share her story.
Video of the Week Watch Dawn Lowell crosses the finish line at the Rock ‘n’ Roll San Diego Marathon. Lowell was part of an NFE San Diego Team that raised more than $27,000 for research for the Foundation. To check out more photos and video from the weekend, please visit our photo gallery.
Completing 50 marathons was a goal I set three years ago. I thought this kind of commitment and effort would demonstrate my strong desire to raise money for treatments and a cure for NF. I wanted “to be the change I wish to see in the world.” I have been raising money as a member of the NF Endurance team since 2000. (This was back when we were wearing green running singlets instead of the sporty, sleek, neon yellow ones we have now.) I needed to raise the bar higher to keep my donors attention and interest. I took a cue from Shakespeare, who wrote:
Having now achieved my goal, I will candidly say that I’m elated, or let’s say relieved and grateful for the gift of running and the gift of my health. I also find myself thinking, “What’s next?” I certainly want to keep running until a cure is found, and after that will want to raise money to make NF treatments affordable. The answer? My running never ends!
