2013 NIKE Women’s Marathon San Francisco

October 20, 2013 | San Francisco, CA – For the past four months, I have been volunteering as a mentor for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS)/Team and Training (TNT) staff in the San Gabriel Valley. We have over 50 dedicated teammates who have come together over the season to run almost every Saturday morning, with the sole mission of raising funds for cancer research and patient assistance, to kick cancer in the you know what! :)

Our one team alone raised over $250,000 this season, and we are still going strong. So of course, I just had to surprise my mentees and teammates along the trail to help support and motivate them to the finishline at this year’s Nike Women’s San Francisco Marathon. I perched myself up at the 12 mile mark, then the 19 and 23 mile markers. Each time I saw a teammate, I’d join them along the trail to keep encouraging them to keep moving forward, one step at a time. What was so heartfelt was seeing them spot me and literally crying with happiness that I was out there to help them on their way. I was prepared with water, bananas, you name it, and boy did they appreciate it! For most of them, this was their first half or full marathon, and our staff was confident we would get each and every one of them to the very end. And WE DID!

Congratulations to all of my teammates. JOB. WELL. DONE. We will definitely see cancer cured in this lifetime, I can feel it…

Here are some photos I snuck on the trail when I surprised different teammates and mentees at different mile markers. Later I’ll try to post videos to commemorate our event in San Francisco. If you’re interested in learning more about LLS, TNT, or how to approach your first race, do not hesitate to contact me :). ONWARD!