Why on Earth am I Running 50 Marathons??
Because I am determined to make a difference in the fight against stroke! When I decided to start this challenge, I had run in 2 marathons and one road race with the American Stroke Association (a division of the American Heart Association) and had raised nearly $10,000 for the cause. Every one of these experiences was absolutely amazing, and I wanted to continue to raise awareness and promote research that would save lives. I could not think of a better way to do this than to travel the country while running a marathon in all 50 states, with a goal of raising an additional $25,000 for the American Stroke Association!!
Because I am determined to make a difference in the fight against stroke! When I decided to start this challenge, I had run in 2 marathons and one road race with the American Stroke Association (a division of the American Heart Association) and had raised nearly $10,000 for the cause. Every one of these experiences was absolutely amazing, and I wanted to continue to raise awareness and promote research that would save lives. I could not think of a better way to do this than to travel the country while running a marathon in all 50 states, with a goal of raising an additional $25,000 for the American Stroke Association!!
Why do I run? Well, I never really even liked running until a few years ago. In December of 2007, my grandmother (Gram) suffered a massive stroke. I remember receiving the phone call that she had a stroke and was not expected to survive. I could not comprehend this information. I had seen her only a few days before, while I was visiting over the holidays, and there was no sign that there was anything wrong. But my Gram has always been one of the strongest women I have known, and she did survive her stroke. She survived, but she was left with devastating cognitive and physical deficits that left her completely dependent on others for her care. In one day, in one moment, we lost the Gram we had always known, and she was never able to recover from the effects of her stroke. Our family felt helpless, because there was so little we could do to help her. My grandfather (Pop) had suffered from Alzheimer's disease and several small strokes, and had spent many years in a nursing home before he died 10 years earlier. She had sat by his side every day for all of those years, watching him slowly drift away as his dementia progressed. Having the same fate was what she most wanted to not have to suffer through, and it is what she suffered through in the last year of her life. I had grown up extremely close to my Gram, and she was my last living grandparent. I could not go to visit her without leaving in tears, and began to search for a way that I could honor her.
At that time, I was doing a lot of bicycling, and had participated in Memory Ride for the Alzheimer's Association several times in memory of my Pop. I began to search for something similar to raise funds for stroke. As I searched, I kept coming across a marathon training program with the American Stroke Association called Train to End Stroke. Not being a fan of running, I skipped over this several times. After much searching, I was unable to find a cycling event for the cause. After some time, I began to consider the idea of running a marathon. After all, what could be a better way to honor her than to overcome my own physical and mental challenges that I would face in running a marathon? I also lived near Boston at the time and I had always been in awe of all those crazy runners who ran from Hopkinton to Boston every year. I decided that I could challenge myself to run 26.2 miles, and that Gram's inspiration would take me to the finish line... and it did. I signed up for my very first marathon having never run more than 5 miles at a time, and having never run in a road race. We lost her during the time I was training for her marathon, and ran the VT City Marathon in 2009 in her memory. I ran with Gram's wedding ring around my neck for the entire 26.2 miles, and held it as I crossed the finish line. I knew as soon as I crossed the finish line that I would continue to run for this cause in her honor.
In 2010, I ran the Boston Marathon and Falmouth Road Race with Tedy's Team, led by Tedy Bruschi of the New England Patriots. Tedy suffered a stroke in 2005, and has since been determined to raise awareness and funds for stroke. Together with the American Stroke Associaiton, he formed a team to run the Boston Marathon and Falmouth Road Race for this purpose. I ran these races in memory of my Gram and Pop, and running for this team was one of the most incredible things I have done in my life. Tedy, my teammates, my family, my friends, and everyone at the American Stroke Association were an amazing inspiration. Many will say there is nothing like running the Boston Marathon, but I would say there is nothing more meaningful than running it as part of Tedy's Team for this cause.
Between May of 2009 - February of 2011, I had run in 4 marathons, 5 half marathons, and several other road races... not bad for someone who hated running for most of her life!! Over this time I grew to love the sport. Every time I finished one race I was looking for the next. As I began searching for new marathons to run, I learned of the 50 States Club, where members run a marathon in all 50 states, and I immediately knew I was up for the challenge. But I had never run a marathon without fundraising for a cause, and I knew that it wouldn't be meaningful to me unless I did it for a reason. And I knew exactly who I would complete this challenge for.
The American Stroke Association is a division of the American Heart Association, and I am completing the 50 states challenge in honor of my family members who have been affected by stroke and heart disease. I am running in memory of my Gram and Pop, who both suffered from stroke. I am running in memory of my Grandpa, who died of a heart attack, and who I never knew because I was only 2 weeks old when he died. I am running in honor of my Dad, who survived a heart attack in 2006. Several years into my challenge, in 2015, a close friend of our family that I have known since I was very young suffered from a stroke, and I run for him (Mr. Worley) as well. I am also running in honor of Tedy and all of my teammates who I have run with, and for all those affected by heart disease and stroke.
I kicked off the 50 States Marathon Challenge for the American Stroke Association on April 18th, 2011 at the Boston Marathon with Tedy's Team. I am making this 50 States journey to make a difference, and I hope you will help me to reach all 50 finish lines, and make a difference in the fight against stroke!!
To make a donation, please click on the fundraising thermometer on the top right of the screen. Remember, the real finish line is an end to stroke!!
