Raising [money in] Arizona
Yesterday, my brother's wife Suzanne ran a half-marathon with 33,000 people in P.F. Chang's Rock 'n' Roll Arizona Marathon & ½ Marathon. Her purpose: to raise money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. A half-marathon is 13 miles, 193 yards.
I'd have trouble running 193 yards.
But she did it. In under 3 hours. She's been training for months, collecting dozens of sponsors along the way. Her goal was to raise $3,300-- but she raised nearly $5,000. She was also the only runner in her group to pick up a corporate sponsor: Volvo signed on.
A runner named Haile Gebrselassie ran in that race too. I'm not even sure he can pronounce it. I don't know if he raised any money, but he shattered two world records in that very race. He ran the half-marathon in 58 minutes, 55 seconds-- 21 seconds faster than the record he broke. He also beat the world record for 20 kilometers, which I think is a distance that's just shy of the half-marathon. He has a career total of 20 world records. And two Olympic gold medals, just for good measure.
Naturally, I asked Suzanne how many times during the race she and Haile were running neck and neck. Being the modest person she is, she said never. But after hours of searching through the dailies of this race, I managed to find this picture:
Dynamic Duo: At left, Haile Gebrselassie. At right, Suzanne.
Congratulations, Suzanne. You've done a really great thing for people who desperately need the help. I sure hope they appreciate you out there.
I'd have trouble running 193 yards.
But she did it. In under 3 hours. She's been training for months, collecting dozens of sponsors along the way. Her goal was to raise $3,300-- but she raised nearly $5,000. She was also the only runner in her group to pick up a corporate sponsor: Volvo signed on.
A runner named Haile Gebrselassie ran in that race too. I'm not even sure he can pronounce it. I don't know if he raised any money, but he shattered two world records in that very race. He ran the half-marathon in 58 minutes, 55 seconds-- 21 seconds faster than the record he broke. He also beat the world record for 20 kilometers, which I think is a distance that's just shy of the half-marathon. He has a career total of 20 world records. And two Olympic gold medals, just for good measure.
Naturally, I asked Suzanne how many times during the race she and Haile were running neck and neck. Being the modest person she is, she said never. But after hours of searching through the dailies of this race, I managed to find this picture:
Dynamic Duo: At left, Haile Gebrselassie. At right, Suzanne.Congratulations, Suzanne. You've done a really great thing for people who desperately need the help. I sure hope they appreciate you out there.
posted by Mark Feigenson at 10:25 PM
1 Comments:
Good for Suzanne -- that's great. But don't sell yourself short, Feigu. You completed a marathon burn session, with the proceeds going to my ears. Thanks for the DVD.
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