I started running about seven years ago, and finally caught the marathon fever at the end of 2004. I spent 2005 qualifying for a guaranteed entry to the 2006 NYC Marathon, and finished my races in August. I had also spent the past year battling what I thought was a left hamstring injury, which was finally diagnosed in September of 2005 as a severely herniated disk pressing on the left sciatic nerve. Long story just a little longer, after surgery and tons of PT I was able to run again the following January, and by February I ran my first race. At the race I befriended a group of people and when I told them I was going to be running my first marathon that year, they said, "You should come train with our team."
That team is Fred's Team, an organization that raises money for the Aubrey Fund for Pediatric Cancer Research at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in NYC. The money raised by Fred’s Team is the sole source of support for the Aubrey Fund. In 2007, 800 runners ran for Fred’s Team and raised over $4 million for the Fund, and since 1992 the Team has raised over $28 million.
I originally joined the Team as a way to meet new people, get proper training for my first marathon effort, and I thought a great way to celebrate my recovery from back surgery would be to dedicate my effort to a cause like the Aubrey Fund. I didn't know that much about the Fund, but my father was successfully treated at MSKCC back in the 1970s, so I was happy to do something to support them.
A lot of Fred's Team members are either employees of MSKCC, were treated there, or have friends or family members who fought cancer in some form. One extraordinary teammate trained for his first marathon WHILE being treated for a rare form of cancer on his salivary glands. Another ran his first marathon a year after treatment for stomach and testicular cancer. His time -- 3:03. I heard so many beautiful, inspirational stories from my friends about the treatment they received -- both medical and personal -- at MSKCC, that at that first post-marathon dinner, with every muscle aching, I decided that I would sign up to run with them again, even if it meant I had to run another marathon. And I did.
The more I trained with the Team, the more I learned about MSKCC and the Fund, and the more I devote myself to promoting the Team and the Aubrey Fund. Team members are not only educated about the work MSKCC is doing, we are given a complete accounting of where every dollar we raised will be spent. At the post-marathon dinner the head of the pediatrics research unit tells us about the treatment protocols being developed and implemented, the research projects underway, and most importantly, MSKCC’s incredible success rates. Because the field of pediatric cancer is a relatively new one, there are many treatment protocols that are almost twenty years old and still considered “experimental” because their track record is just now being established. MSKCC cannot charge for these treatments, and that is where a lot of the Aubrey Fund money goes.
Three weeks before the 2007 NYC Marathon I received this email:
"Hi Marci - I stumbled across your blog and wanted to reach out to you and thank you. My sweet, 3-year old son, Liam, is currently undergoing treatment at MSKCC. He was diagnosed in late February with neuroblastoma and through his treatment has been nothing less than amazing. My son inspires me every day and I feel like the luckiest mother in the world to have Liam as my son. The money that the Aubrey Fund raises has a direct impact on children like my son, and for your efforts we thank you. Keep up the good work and, again, thank you."
How could I NOT run for Fred’s Team now?
The day after the Marathon, a number of Team members were invited to go to MSKCC and visit the pediatric ward, the best part of the marathon experience. It's such an honor to know that my efforts, and the support of the people who donated on my behalf, have a part to play in MSKCC's success. Here is the link to my blog entry about that day:
http://marcirunsthemarathon.blogspot.com/2007/11/nyc-marathon-2007-part-three-my-visit.html
I will be running NYC again this year and hope to break $6000 in my fundraising efforts. Whether or not you choose to support me financially -- and this is not a letter to ask you to do so -- please visit my blog when you have a moment, at http://marcirunsthemarathon.blogspot.com, and read through the 2007 archives for stories about some of my amazing Team members and my training for the 2007 NYC Marathon, as well as current and upcoming running – and life—events.
Thanks for your patience reading my extra-long post.
Run long,
Marci
