26.2 Miles on June 1st
Well, some have called me crazy, and I can’t necessarily prove that they are wrong, but I am very excited to tell you that I plan to run 26.2 miles on June 1st, 2008 in the San Diego Rock ‘N’ Roll Marathon to raise funds and awareness for research leading to a cure for leukemia and related cancers.
Leukemia is a malignancy of the blood-forming tissues – bone marrow, lymph nodes and spleen. It appears as uncontrolled multiplication of abnormal blood cells. When leukemia strikes, millions of abnormal and useless white blood cells accumulate in the tissues, preventing the production of normal cells. It is estimated that leukemia and its related cancers will strike over 100,000 Americans this year. Every week 1,155 Americans will lose their lives to this disease. Leukemia is the number one killing disease of children, yet affects 10 times as many adults. The cause of leukemia remains unknown. However, the effectiveness of recently developed treatment methods and steady advances in research bring us closer every day to finding the cause of leukemia and related cancers and probable cures.
I am running this marathon in honor of a little boy named Cole, who was diagnosed with Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia at the age of 3 ½. He is almost 6 years old now and has finished the first of three intensive treatments. He lives with his parents and two sisters in Tacoma and he loves playing baseball and Playstation with his dad. He begins pre-school this fall.
As a member of Team In Training, I have a coach, a mentor, a training program and over 150 teammates to support me. I have committed to train 5 days a week with team trainings on the weekends, and I’ve promised to raise $4,000 in donations to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Even as I write, I am a little sore from my training run this morning, but I know that I can do this and I cannot tell you in words how excited I am!
I hope you agree with me about the importance of this cause. Please help support me by giving generously. Seventy-five percent of all funds go directly to research, and your contribution is tax deductible (Tax ID # 13-5644916). Contributing money is a powerful way to be involved when you can’t give your time and every little bit helps. If your company matches charitable contributions, please include matching forms with your donation.
Please come back to AnnGuthrie.com to keep track of my progress through my blog which I plan to update weekly with the help of Chris, my loving husband and supporter in this endeavor. You can also donate online through this link or simply click the team in training logo on the right hand side. Of course, I also would greatly appreciate your prayer and encouragement as I take on this new adventure.
With my sincere thanks,
Ann Guthrie