Well, here we go again. Another weekend, another marathon, another weekend preview. This weekend preview will be a little different than normal, though. We’re getting down to the wire so I have a little bit of a different approach right now.
Really quick, just in case you’ve never been here before, I’m a father of three and a marathon runner. My middle child, 7-year-old Jack, is severely autistic, so I decided to try to make a difference in the world by running 61 marathons in 2010 to raise money and awareness for a great charity I’m a part of called Train 4 Autism. I named my endeavor Operation Jack, after my son.
So far, I’m through 51 of the 61, plus I’ve run a couple of ultras. Only 10 more marathons to run and I can call this thing a wrap!
Marathon No. 52: Marine Corps Marathon
I’m running Marine Corps Marathon in Washington D.C. on Sunday morning. Flying out Saturday morning and I’ll be back in time to go trick-or-treating with the kids on Sunday. Ahhh, the joys of airplanes. I expect to be extremely tired Sunday night.
I don’t know much about the course profile, but I’m not worried about it. If it were extremely hilly, it would have a reputation. I’ll probably take a look at the course profile on Saturday and go out and run it on Sunday. I’m slightly encouraged about how I’ve felt in training lately, but really, I don’t have any good reason to think I can run any quicker than a 3:20. My strategy? I’m going to go out and run as hard as I can. The faster I run, the sooner I’m done. The sooner I’m done, the more likely I am to not miss my flight.
Need Your Help!
We’re getting down to the wire here. Only two months left in Operation Jack and I’m coming up on my last chances to make something out of all this effort I’ve put forth. I really, really appreciate everything you guys have done. We’ve raised a lot of money, we’ve grown the charity and we’ve had a lot of fun. It’s been a lot more exhausting for me than you, but it’s still been fun for me in its own way.
Anyways, I need your help. We need to make people aware while we still have time! I made it really easy for you. Click here if you’re on Twitter to send out a tweet that’s already written for you. Two simple clicks to spread the word!
If you’re on Facebook, here’s a simple link for you to click to help spread the word about Operation Jack.
A couple of simple clicks to help make new folks aware. Please? Please? That’s a lot easier than running a marathon … or 61 of them.
Weekly Contest
Normally I have a weekly contest, but right now, instead of raising money for Operation Jack, I’m working to raise money for the Hearts & Smiles Foundation. They were nice enough to give me a race entry into Philadelphia after the raise filled up, plus they help a great cause — siblings of special-needs children in low-income families. We’re not low-income, but we’re on a tight budget and I can’t even imagine what it would be like if my income was considerably lower.
Siblings of special-needs children grow up to be wonderful, loving people, but there’s no question they have challenging childhoods. This is really a great cause and I’m excited to be a part of this.
If you have $3 or $5 you can part with (maybe you’re willing to sacrifice one Starbucks this week), head over to my Hearts and Smiles page to make a difference.
Thank you!
Anybody Want To Run The L.A. Marathon For Free?
Train 4 Autism has what is probably the easiest fundraising program for next year’s Los Angeles Marathon, which will be on March 20. Raise just $300 and you’ll a coaching program and race registration. There’s no obligation to try — if you can’t reach your goal, we don’t charge you.
If you live in a different area of the country and are interested in us bringing this program to your local race, send me an email and let me know!
This Was Pretty Cool
Well, this was more cool to me than it probably will be to you. But last year as a result of Operation Jack, I came in contact a man named Shane Loper, who lives in Mississippi. I caught his eye because of my ambitions for this year. That led him to Train 4 Autism, which he used as a fundraising vehicle during his participation in the Heart O’ Dixie Triathlon.
He raised $4,010 for a pair of local autism-related charities — TEAAM (Together Enhancing Autism Awareness in Mississippi) and Kamp Kaleidoscope, a camp for children with autism spectrum disorders. Budget cuts limited the number of scholarships for the camp, but the money Shane raised helped provide more kids with an opportunity to attend.
He wrote, “After hearing (about funding cuts) and finding Train 4 Autism via Operation Jack, I decided to raise money for Kamp K and TEAAM … Thanks Train 4 Autism, we helped make a few families’ lives a little better!”
Like I said, I’m probably more excited about this than the rest of you. But I just had to share!
OK, That’s All For Today
Have a great Friday. I’ll post a race report at some point Sunday night.
Sam, some of us are just as excited as you about Shane what he has been able to do and without OJ it wouldn’t have been possible. I’ve so enjoyed being a part of this journey, even if most of it from the sidelines. And while I look forward to your updates pretty much every day, I’m happy for you that it’s almost done. What you’ve accomplished is most amazing!
What’s your bib # @ MCM? So we can track you?
OK, posted to FB. And will be taking OJ flyers to Asia’s race on Sunday