2013 ING New York City Marathon
November 3, 2013 | New York, NY – RECAP,,, Originally, I miraculously got into the ING NYC Marathon last minute (3 weeks before the race) to support and run with my Team in Training mentee, Wendy, to her first full marathon finishline. I did so through pledging to raise $3,000 in 3 weeks for the Melanoma Education Foundation (MEF) headquartered in Boston, in honor of my other TNT teammate, Van Garner, who is fighting melanoma, as well as, for Clayton Shorkey, the father of my “second mom” who passed away from melanoma in 1987.
Unfortunately, due to the shooting at LAX, Wendy was unable to make her flight. So I decided not only to run for Van, but also Wendy and Officer Gerardo Hernandez, the TSA officer who lost his life too soon. Ironically, I left out 2 hours earlier from the same Terminal 3 where the shootings took place.
On a more positive note, running the NYC Marathon was still a blessing and a phenomenal experience… it was like running through a large 26.2 mile block party in 5 boroughs — Staten Island, Brooklyn, Queens, Bronx, and Manhattan. I wore a space costume the entire way, and it was a big hit amongst the crowd and staff. On the back of my shirt I had 4 photos of people I was running in honor for (see photos). Overall, it was a highly successful event, and I felt blessed to finish the marathon strong, despite recovering from a sprain from only 4 weeks ago.
Through a random transpiring of events–whether it is fate or just pure luck–I somehow found myself signed up to run the NYC Marathon for some very, very, VERY important reasons (listed below). Meanwhile, my fundraising link will be up until the end of January if you would like to still support my fundraising efforts!!! All donations go directly to MEF and are tax deductible.
Next up, I’ll be running some small races to prepare for the Los Angeles Marathon on March 9, 2014.
NYC MARATHON: Sunday, November 3rd
DISTANCE: 26.2 miles through 5 NYC boroughs
FUNDRAISING GOAL: $3,000
CLICK HERE TO HELP ME REACH MY GOAL
Posted 10/1/2013:
So, here’s why I decided to run!
1 | FOR THE MELANOMA EDUCATION FOUNDATION (MEF): I am running to raise money for the Melanoma Education Foundation headquartered in Boston, MA. I discovered they were in need of 2 more runners to help them raise awareness and funds for skin cancer research, sooo I immediately came on board!
But, wait, there’s more!
2 | FOR BEATING CANCER: Simultaneously, I have been mentoring and training runners for Team In Training for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS)–an organization and mission we have been a part of combined for over a decade. We’ve raised funds and run countless marathons and thought I’d marshall my resources to help MEF too!
3 | FOR WENDY ONG: One of our mentees, Wendy Ong, is the only member on our 50+ member team running NYC. In fact, it is her very first full marathon. I remember when I ran my first marathon, the Alaska Marathon in Anchorage, my mentor was right there along side of me for some part of the course. I want to do the same thing for Wendy… to see her to the very end, step by step, for the entire 26.2 miles!
4 | FOR VAN GARNER: One of our long time friends and fellow TNT marathoners is Van Garner, who coincidentally also participated in my very first marathon in Alaska. At that time, I ran in honor of his wife, Virginia Garner, who has been battling AND surviving cancer for a decade. Since then, I have ran for the Garners. Recently, however, I learned that Van has melanoma. I am humbled to be running in honor of my very dear friends to help them kick cancer in the butt, once and for all.
MY HUMBLE REQUEST…
While it may seem a daunting task to raise funds last minute and to ask all of you for your help once again, but remember this isn’t about running a marathon. This is to directly raise money for cancer research, to help Van, Virginia, and so many others that benefit from clinical trials, drug treatments, preventative research, and much much more.
As long as I am able-bodied, I cannot sit back and do nothing. Consider this an investment in our life karma… and consider this an investment in your karma as well. Together, we can help beat cancer… it’s already happening folks. Let’s keep doing it!!!
Love Always,
