Dylan & Karin - Team In Training
A Tale of Two Runners
One day a girl turned to her husband and said, “You know, I’ve always wanted to run a marathon. It is one of my life goals.”
He looked at her and said, “I only like to run if I am chasing a soccer ball down a field. Why would you want to run a marathon? Besides, if you do one, you will want to do many. I don’t want to do that.”
“Please?” she said. “Just one. We only have to run one. I really want to.” So he thought, "'It could be fun. She really wants to. Maybe this won’t be so bad."
They spent some time trying to find the perfect race for their once-in-a-lifetime marathon. “We have to go somewhere we’ve never been,” they said. “And it has to have good t-shirts.”
As they planned, they decided that if they were going to take on the monumental task of running a marathon, why not add in another challenge, like curing cancer? So they signed up for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Team In Training. They joined a group of runners all training and raising funds to help stop leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin lymphoma and myeloma from taking more lives.
When they came across the San Diego Rock n’ Roll Marathon, they knew it was the perfect one for them. “California!” she said. “I have always wanted to go there! This will be great for our first marathon!” (Inside she was thinking, "Oooh, and maybe we can do Chicago for our next one.")
“A different band at every mile!” he said. “If I’m going to run a 26.2 miles, this is the way to do it!”
And so the training began.
We're running for a reason
(UPDATE: We did it! We finished the marathon! We still have a few weeks to meet our fundraising commitment and we need your help.)
Running with Team in Training and raising money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society also gives us a way to honor Dylan’s grandfather William Curtis, Sr., who passed away in 2003 after battling leukemia. When the starting gun goes off on June 1, 2008, he will be in the forefront of our minds.
In addition, as part of the Columbia team, we are running in honor of two local leukemia patients. We’re running for Jean Parker of Columbia, a mom and retired educator, who was diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 1990. We’re also running for two-year-old Ashton Walker of Blythewood, who was diagnosed with Juvenile Myelomonocytic Leukemia (JMML) when he was 13 months old. He is currently undergoing treatment, and his family has created a web site to keep friends and family updated on his status.
As two people who love to run (well, one who does, and one who is starting to), we are really excited to complete our first marathon, but we can't do this without your support!
The two of us are committed to raising $8,200. As we work to raise thousands of dollars, we are motivated by the fact that every dollar we bring in is one dollar closer to finding a cure. Please consider making a contribution to our team for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. You can donate dollars per mile ($26.20, $52.40, $78.60, $104.80...) or in any amount you wish. All your donations are 100% tax deductible. You can donate here on our website, or send us a check made out to LLS.
Please keep us and those we are running for in your prayers over the next several months. Thanks for your support!
