OK, OK, I know it’s been quite a while since I updated this blog, but I have NOT forgotten about the cause or my goal of running races in all 50 states. In fact, since my last post, I have had a hand in the raising of over $1000 for Charley’s Fund, and I’m in the process of choosing the new states I’ll run in this year.
First, of course, there was the New York City Marathon.
On November 7, in what may prove to be my most memorable racing experience ever, I ran 26.2 miles through the five boroughs of NYC with over 40,000 runners from all over the world. From the emotionally charged journey to the start (4:00AM wake-up followed by a walk and a train ride and a boat ride and a bus ride to a massive starting area with thousands of nervous and eager and freezing cold runners milling about and watching the elite athletes and first waves cross the Verrazano Bridge above us), to the too-fast-for-my-own-good first 15 miles (it was hard to slow down when the ENTIRE city, neighborhood after neighborhood, was cheering us on!), to the excitement of seeing my best friend and my baby boy on the sidelines at mile 16, to the soul-crushing struggle through miles 18-21 (and the lost minutes in a medical tent getting the nourishment and hydration I was missing), to the last five miles that I ran stronger than I would have thought possible just a few miles before, to the second glimpse of BFF and baby boy in the shade of the Plaza Hotel as I turned toward the home stretch, to the tears of joy and relief I shed as I crossed the finish line in Central Park… it was a race I will NEVER forget.
If you’ve ever run a road race, you know how great it is to have people cheering you on as you pass. Now imagine the best, most boisterous crowd you’ve ever run past and multiply that by, oh, half a million, and you might get a teeny tiny taste of what running through New York City on race day is like.
Second, there was Run Like a Mother, the Shamrock edition.
When I logged on to Facebook after the marathon, I was surprised to see how many people (friends, family, friends of friends, their families, etc.) were rooting for me and tracking my progress on the NYRR website. When I returned home a few days later, I kept hearing that my run had inspired others to consider tackling half or even full marathons themselves. Since I had been so successful at helping my friends get ready for the ASYMCA Mud Run in August – while also raising money for Charley’s Fund – I decided to do it again for the Shamrock Sportsfest races in March.
Two dozen women trained with me for twelve or more weeks, some for the 8K and others for the half and full marathons. I donated a portion of my training fee for each person to Charley’s Fund, and some also took it upon themselves to raise money for the cause. Together, the women who asked their friends and families for donations raised over $1000, and with the donations I made in the name of our running group, we raised nearly $1200 for Charley’s Fund!
Third, I am sorry to say, there was the postponement of the We Believe 5K for Charley’s Fund.
While I still hope to organize a small 5K race to raise money for Charley’s Fund, it is unfortunately not going to happen this spring. We had a date, a race committee, a sponsor, and a timing company, but in the end we realized we didn’t have the resources to get the nonprofit status paperwork completed and filed in time to accept donations and get the race off the ground. It will happen eventually, I am certain, but things are still in the early planning stages now. I will keep you posted, but in the meantime, rest assured that I have some other fundraising ideas in the works.
Finally, I am looking forward to adding at least two more states before the end of the year.
The Outer Banks (OBX) Half Marathon in North Carolina in November is the only one I am certain of, but I am looking at two or three others and trying to determine which ones make the most sense. Money is tight, as it is for many of us right now, so if you have any suggestions that can help me add a state on a budget (a place to crash? a sponsor who might help pay my race entry? a way to get air miles or other travel expenses donated?), I am all ears. In the end, even if I only hit one or two new states a year for the next few years, I BELIEVE I can still hit my goal, just like I BELIEVE we can find a cure for DMD within Owen's lifetime. If I have to run a half marathon every month in 2027, I’ll do it.
The cause is worth it, and I’m not going to give up on it any time soon! I hope you won't either. If you haven't donated to Charley's Fund, please consider it. No amount is too small, and thousands of families are counting on the work that they do.
