I am running the Chicago Marathon for the 8th year in a row in order to raise money for the ABTA. It would be amazing if you could help by donating whatever you feel is financially feasible and reasonable to the cause.
All (or most) of you are aware I ran 15 marathons in 2017 because I thought it would be an interesting challenge. It worked out relatively well, so I upped that challenge to 25 marathons last year, including 13 weeks in a row. Well, that all turned out fine and dandy, so I figured I would go for broke this year, in many senses of the word. Break my body, break my bank account, or both.
This year, I will be attempting 40 marathons (or longer). As of this writing on August 19, I have already completed 24, including 12 weeks in a row in the spring. I am currently in the midst of a 21 week in a row stretch leading up until the weekend before Thanksgiving! While I have already completed (3) ultra marathons this year, this weekend might be the biggest challenge I will be facing as I will be running the Pikes Peak Marathon, which is considered one of the most difficult marathons in the world. Not only will I be running 26.2 miles, I will also be climbing (then descending) 1.5 miles vertically as the turnaround point is at the top of the mountain. Read all about the course here: http://skyrunner.com/ppcourse.htm
So far, I have completed the following marathons for the 2019 edition of Monthly Marathon Madness:
January - Miami, Florida
February - New Orleans, Louisiana
February - Fort Lauderdale, Florida
March - Washington DC
March - Atlanta, Georgia
March - Los Angeles, California
March - Carmel, Indiana
April - Milwaukee, Wisconsin
April - Hubertus, Wisconsin
April - Queens, New York City
April - Big Sur, California
May - Bonneville Salt Flats, Utah
May - Starved Rock, Illinois
May - Schaumburg, Illinois
May - Lowell, Indiana
June - Seattle, Washington
June - Portland, Oregon (Mt. Hood)
July - Portage, Indiana
July - Baraboo, Wisconsin
July - Indianapolis, Indiana
July - San Francisco, California
August - Belleville, Wisconsin
August - Indianapolis, Indiana
August - Holland, Michigan
Yet to come as of this writing:
August - Pikes Peak, Colorado
August - Monona/Madison, Wisconsin
September - Holland, Michigan
September - Salt Lake City, Utah (Big Cottonwood)
September - Montreal, Quebec, Canada
September - Fort Wayne, Indiana
October - Milwaukee, Wisconsin
October - Chicago, Illinois
October - Detroit, Michigan
October - Washington DC
November - New York City, New York
November - Indianapolis, Indiana
November - Las Vegas, Nevada
November - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
December - Death Valley, Nevada
December - Dallas, Texas
Since I have opted to go to an even bigger extreme this year compared to the last two years, I hope I can count on your financial support in helping me raise money for a great charity that does important work to study and combat brain tumors. While I am only running the Chicago Marathon as a participant of Team Breakthrough, I have been representing them at each marathon by wearing my Team Breakthrough gear, just as I did in previous years. Being that it is a neon orange shirt, it definitely helps me stand out and brings attention to the cause. Not surprisingly, I have talked to numerous people while running about the charity and associated goals since the shirt is such a conversation starter!
You can make a donation to my fundraising campaign here by clicking on the pinkish-purple "Make A Donation" button on the right-side of the page. If you prefer to write a check, please send via certified mail to:
Team Breakthrough
c/o American Brain Tumor Association
8550 W. Bryn Mawr, Suite 550
Chicago, IL 60631
*Be sure to include my name/Team Breakthrough in the memo.
Thank you for your consideration and support! I greatly appreciate it, and I am sure the people who will benefit the most (the survivors and patients) appreciate your support as well as this money will go towards research to find new treatments and cures for the variety of brain tumors. Thanks!
P.S. - Feel free to pass the message on to anyone you all know who might be open to making a tax deductable donation.
P.P.S. - If you make a donation but do not see it go through to my page, let me know. I will contact the team coordinator and see if they can locate it since sometimes the donations end up going to the general team accidentally.
P.P.P.S. - For those of you who may be thinking it, yes, I have a good number of 2020 marathons already signed up for and coordinated. Next year is looking like it might be as interesting, albeit for different reasons than this year since I will be tapering off next year. 40 marathons in one year for multiple years in a row just isn't financially-feasible, as well as just the excessive travel and lack of time at home. I will be doing as many as possible, just in a more cost-effective way that requires me to log fewer frequent flyer miles!