WAHOO! It's official! My entry is now confirmed online for one of the oldest and most prestigious road races in the world -- the Boston Marathon!As I mentioned in a previous post, I have the honor of being a member of Team LIVESTRONG, a team of 20 individuals running for the Lance Armstrong Foundation (LAF) at the Boston Marathon this April 20th. I am very grateful for all this particular charity has done to help me live strong during my battles with cancer, and I have committed to raise $2,500 for LAF. I still need $1528.80 to reach my fundraising minimum.
For those of you that follow my Cures Rock! Blog, you know I often encourage people to act now to make a difference when it comes to cancer. This is just one way for you make a difference right now. No amount is too small and every dollar counts toward meeting our goal and making a difference. My granddad was only one of 1,500 Americans that died of cancer in December 14, 2005...and 1,500 people die every single day. Think about that for a second, do the math...that is insane! 1 in 2 American men and 1 in 3 American women will be told they have cancer. This just needs to change and in the meantime, those that are fighting every day to survive need our help.
So, in addition to donating my legs to running the 26.2 miles in Boston in April for the cause, I'm also kicking off this fundraising campaign by going to my wallet. Since the LAF was generous enough to pay for my entry fee for the marathon, I have donated the first $200 to the campaign to get things started....and hope you all also join in this global campaign against cancer.
To donate for an amazing cause and their global campaign on cancer, go to: http://www.livestrong.org/grassroots2009/juliewboston09
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Not only are you making a difference, but you will have an amazing adventure and incredible memories. Art
ReplyDeleteSilly me, trying to get an entry in the Boston Marathon 'the old school way' by running a sub-3:25 marathon.
ReplyDeleteHow much of the $2500 you raise will actually be spendable by the LAF?
Thanks for the teasing note, Michael. :) You know I think it's a huge honor and amazing accomplishment when people qualify for Boston (every runner thinks it's amazing if they know anything at all about this prestigious race). I couldn't tell from your post if you qualified this year, but if you did a sub-3:25 time --- CONGRATS! That's awesome...and well deserved, as I know you're a seasoned runners based on all your past posts. I know for my female age group, it's a 3:40 qualifing time --- a.k.a. super-human marathon speeds, in my humble opinion. I have the utmost respect for Boston qualifiers, as all runners do. I certainly plan on qualifying for it on my own in the future. But, I am still deeply honored as a current cancer patient and survivor, to have an opportunity to run on Team LIVESTRONG and use this race to raise awareness for an organization that has amazing services for cancer patients/survivors/caregivers....many that I've used myself and for which I'm deeply grateful. I'm sure you're aware that the Boston Marathon (& Boston Athletic Association) is very proud of their connection to the spirit of charity. There are many teams that raise funds for charity through "qualifier-exception bids," which they hand out to a select group of charity teams each year --- and many more lottery bids for their corporate sponsors. Basically, these bids mean that we did not qualify with 3 hour marathons, but were given exceptions to the time limit in order to help raise funds for charity...and to be honest, I am always grateful for any opportunity we have as runner's to "give back." Here's the link, if you'd like to read more about the Boston Athletic Association's Charity Mission: http://bostonmarathon.org/BostonMarathon/Charity.asp
ReplyDeleteI will tell you that I am covering all of my own travel fees (i.e., hotel, flight,food, expenses) for this race out of my own pocket, and have also, in fact, opened my own wallet to support LAF. All of the money I raise will go to the LAF, and if you'd like to follow-up on their subsequent breakdown of donations to LAF's initiatives, I suggest you look up their 501(3)c on Charity Navigator or contact the LAF offices. www.livestrong.org OR www.charitynavigator.org