Tara Friedman's Marathon Page
Racing to Save Lives
Welcome to my Team In Training home page.
I am training to run the San Diego Rock'n'Roll Marathon on June 4th, 2006 as a member of the The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Team in Training. All of us on Team in Training are raising funds to help stop leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin lymphoma and myeloma from taking more lives. I'm completing this marathon in honor of all individuals who are battling blood cancers. These people are the real heroes on our team and we need your support to cross the ultimate finish line - a cure!
When we were 19 years old, one of my dearest friends, Rebecca, was diagnosed with acute myelogenous leukemia (AML). This horrible disease took Rebecca's life in just 32 days. I run in honor of her, in honor of my friends and family whose lives she touched, and in honor of the thousands of other patients battling blood cancers. With your help, we can find a cure!
Why Team in Training:
The training program for a marathon is intense, but Team in Training provides all of the support I need! The coaches provide the technical assistance, guidance and training schedule. The four month training includes 5 days of running each week with longer and longer runs on Saturdays. I gradually build from a 60 minute Saturday run to a 3 hour and 30 minute run (crawl?)!
26.2 miles (42 kilometers) is...
Denver to Boulder!
Phoenix to Pinnacle Peak Country Club!
Santa Monica to Pasadena!
Palo Alto to San Francisco!
Manhattan to Stamford, CT!
Washington DC to Annapolis!
Chicago White Sox stadium to Gary, IN!
Throughout this training, I will run close to 500 miles.
500 miles is...
Denver to Seiling, OK
San Francisco to San Diego
Salt Lake to Vegas
Cleveland to New York City
Boston to Washington DC
and Crawford, TX to somewhere in Mexico
To inspire me to run 26.2 miles, Team in Training sets me up with a mentor, and patient honoree. My patient honoree is Janie, a 44 year old kindergarten assistant. Janie was diagnosed with chronic myelogenous leukemia in 2002. Because of research conducted by the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society in developing Gleevac, Janie's condition and chances have dramatically improved.
How you can help:
Please consider donating to support my participation in Team In Training.
Your gift, 100% tax deductible, will not only inspire me to complete the 26.2 mile run, but most importantly will advance research and support programs for patients with blood cancers. 75 cents of every dollar spent goes directly towards supporting our mission of finding a cure.
You may donate online through this secure site or write a check made out to "The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society". Checks may be mailed to:
Tara Friedman
1050 Lafayette St., #208
Denver, CO 80218
Please visit my web site often to check on my progress! And please support my boyfriend Jeff at Jeff’s Team in Training Page! Feel free to contact me with questions -- friedmat2000@yahoo.com or call (303) 898-5594. With your help, I will cross the finish line in honor of Rebecca and Janie!
Thanks for your support!
A few statistics...
The Triumphs:
--A newly FDA approved drug, Gleevac, has been shown to normalize blood counts in nearly all patients with chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML). Dr. Brian Druker, a Society-funded researcher, is responsible for this remarkable innovation in cancer research.
--In 1974 the 5 year survival rate for children with the most common form of leukemia was just 53%. Today, 86% of children diagnosed will survive.
--The five year survival rate for Hodgkin's Lymphoma has nearly doubled from 40% in 1960 to 83% today.
The Battles:
--Blood cancers are the second most fatal form of cancer, second only to lung cancer.
--Someone is newly diagnosed with a blood cancer every 5 minutes. Every 10 minutes a child or adult loses the fight.
--747,000 Americans are presently battling leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma.
Leukemia is the leading cause of cancer death for children under the age of 20.
