You might think that once is enough, but I am again running in honor of my good friend, TK. This photo of us was taken at my wedding in September 2007, just two months before she suffered a severe series of events that finally led to a diagnosis of Crohn’s disease, followed by surgery in late January 08. She underwent a series of surgeries, some under emergency conditions, until finally turning a corner in July, after having her entire colon removed. She was confined to a hospital bed during the race last year, unable to be at the finish line. This year, she and her husband plan to celebrate together with me as I complete the race.

Crohn's disease is a chronic disorder that causes inflammation of the digestive or gastrointestinal tract. Although it can involve any area of the GI tract, it most commonly affects the small intestine and/or colon. Ulcerative colitis on the other hand, affects only the colon. The inflammation involves the entire rectum and extends up the colon in a continuous manner. There are no areas of normal intestine between the areas of diseased intestine. In contrast, such so-called "skip" areas may occur in Crohn's disease. Ulcerative colitis affects only the innermost lining of the colon, whereas Crohn's disease can affect the entire thickness of the bowel wall.

I've joined up with Team Challenge Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America (CCFA) as part of Team Wisconsin to raise awareness and funds to fight these and other inflammatory bowel diseases, so that one day, options will be available to people fighting with them. Together with Team Challenge, CCFA, and you, we can find a cure.

If you are interested and able to support me in this challenge, please do so generously. If you prefer to make an offline donation, checks can be made out to CCFA, and you can contact me at khacker@gmail.com for my address.

A minimum of 83 cents per dollar raised by CCFA goes directly to research and patient support, and your contribution is 100% tax deductible. Please contact me with any questions, and of course I'll be sending out updates on my progress with my training program.

I'm very excited to once again be running in honor of such a fantastic woman, and am very much looking forward to every mile!

You can follow my training progress at Running to Sonoma