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Hello from Eldoret, Kenya. It has come to my attention that there were some problems with The Runner's Cookbook and it has inexplicably been unavailable this past week. It seems that those issues have been resolved, and as of yesterday, the cookbook is now available again.
I'm enjoying Kenya tremendously, but I'm also looking forward to resuming updates to eliterunning.com when I return. Never in the past 18 years have I been this out of touch with with what's going on in the running world. I have, however, seen that Doug Logan is the new CEO of USATF, and I got to watch part of Shannon Rowbury's 4:00.33 1,500 on TV...so I'm not completely out of the loop!
Posted by Alison Wade at 6:52 a.m. | Tags: Site News, Fundraising | Comments (0)
Every time I attend an event which, had it not been for her accident, Jenny Crain might have participated in, I think about her a lot. At the Olympic Marathon Trials in April, I thought about how Jenny should be out there contending for a spot on the Olympic team. I wished her absence had been acknowledged in a more public manner, and I hoped that everyone who did line up for the race realized how fortunate they were to have that opportunity, even if they did not have the race they wanted on that day. While she would have had to pull off the best race of her life to make the team, she had earned the right to try for that spot, like everyone who competed that day. What happened to Jenny is something that could happen to any of us who hit the roads day after day. In one instant, your life can change forever, as it did for Jenny Crain last August 21st.
I don't know if Jenny would have run the 10,000 at the Olympic Trials, but as the women lined up for the race last Friday night, I thought about her again. Instead of contending for a spot on the Olympic team, Jenny is involved in a much harder "race." Her family posted an update on her progress three days ago, which indicates what a difficult battle she faces. Though the post is written with an optimistic tone, it also provides a candid description of how much work she has ahead of her. I've never met Jenny, but I've heard nothing but wonderful things about her, both from those who know her well and those who only had brief encounters with her.
If you, too, are thinking of Jenny, please consider making a donation to the Jenny Crain - Make It Happen Fund. You can also support the cause by buying a copy of "The Runner's Cookbook: Winning Recipes from Some of the World's Best Athletes." To date, the cookbook has raised approximately $2,750 for the "Make It Happen Fund," (with an additional $2,750 going to the Ryan Shay Memorial Fund). I hope we can raise much, much more before we're through. A feature in an upcoming issue of Running Times will hopefully produce a boost in sales. I was only able to bring 16 copies of the cookbook with me to Eugene, but if you're in Eugene, I will be selling the book at the Running Film Festival (cash/check only) on July 3rd.
Posted by Alison Wade at 3:15 p.m. | Tags: Fundraising | Comments (0)
If there have been days during the last several months that you've come to eliterunning.com and the news hasn't been updated in a timely manner, it's because I've been focusing most of my time on a different project. As of tonight, The Runner's Cookbook: Winning Recipes from Some of the World's Best Athletes is available for purchase here. This is a fundraising cookbook, and all of the proceeds will go to the Ryan Shay Memorial Fund and the Jenny Crain "Make It Happen" Fund. The book contains 100 recipes from 90+ elite distance runners, including Deena Kastor, Catherine Ndereba, Joan Benoit Samuelson, Hendrick Ramaala, Sebastian Coe, Alan Webb, Ryan and Sara Hall, Adam and Kara Goucher, Dathan Ritzenhein, and many more.
For more information and updates on the project, visit www.runnerscookbook.com.
Posted by Alison Wade at 10:28 p.m. | Tags: Fundraising | Comments (2)
Emily LeVan, her daughter Maddie, and their Two Trials fundraiser will be the subject of a segment on NBC Nightly News tonight. Check your local listings for times.
In other good news, LeVan has surpassed her fundraising goal, raising $64,185 to date.
Update: You can now watch the segment on YouTube.
Posted by Alison Wade at 3:50 p.m. | Tags: Television Coverage, Fundraising | Comments (0)
Tomorrow marks the fourth birthday of Emily LeVan's daughter, Maddie, and it also marks the launching of LeVan's Two Trials web site. The Rochester Runners of New Hampshire kicked the fundraiser off by contributing more than $500. LeVan's goal is to raise $52,400 by the Olympic Marathon Trials on April 20th. We'll let her tell you why...
From Emily LeVan:
"Two Trials" fundraiser is set to kick off on January 18th. Join me, Emily LeVan, at www.twotrials.org as I begin my training for the upcoming U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Women's Marathon and my fundraising to help research, treat, and cure childhood leukemia.
Why leukemia? On November 5, 2007, my daughter, Madeline (we call her Maddie), who will turn four on January 18th, was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL). Suffice it to say, that my husband Brad and I were devastated and crushed by this diagnosis. In early November, Maddie, Brad and I spent 10 days at the Barbara Bush Children's Hospital at Maine Medical Center in Portland, ME where she had numerous blood transfusions, x-rays, ultrasounds, spinal taps, bone marrow biopsies, and chemotherapy. Our world was completely turned upside down. We learned that we were embarking on a new kind of marathon; one that, if all goes well, will last the next 2-3 years of Maddie's life.
Since we were sent home from the hospital, we've developed a new kind of routine; one that involves weekly trips to Maine Medical Center in Portland or the Maine Children's Cancer Program Clinic in Scarborough. In terms of the leukemia, Maddie's body has responded well to the treatments; her blood levels and bone marrow biopsies are all very encouraging. We are tested, however, by the day-to-day challenges of fighting this disease. While the chemotherapy drugs and other supportive medications are doing a good job of knocking out the cancer, the results do come at a cost. The side effects of the medications are numerous and challenge all of us daily. We keep charging ahead, though.
Why a fundraiser? Throughout these last several weeks, we have been amazed and inspired by the support offered to sick children and their families at the Barbara Bush Children's Hospital and especially at the Maine Children's Cancer Program (MCCP). This illness touches every aspect of our lives and places significant financial, physical, mental, and emotional strain on us. MCCP has lessened the burden for us and helped make this journey seem manageable.
Brad, Maddie and I feel incredibly fortunate to have these resources available to us and we want to ensure that other families in the future can continue to benefit from the support and programs offered by the MCCP. That said, we are organizing a fundraiser for the Maine Children's Cancer Program that will run concurrently with my training for the Olympic Trials in April. When Maddie was initially diagnosed, I thought the Trials would be thrown out the window; I had no idea how I could possibly manage her treatment, work, family and training. Brad, Maddie and I decided as a family that I should do it.
I love running and I have benefited in ways I could never have imagined from the sport, but it is a very self-serving endeavor. I feel that right now I have the opportunity to use the running to benefit something beyond and greater than me. Both Brad and I feel strongly about giving back to our local community and we see this fundraiser and its beneficiary as a way that we can do so.
Come visit our fundraising website to learn more! The website www.twotrials.org will consist of (1) a marathon training log describing number of miles run each day, type of workout, how I felt, etc. Log will be updated daily, (2) A treatment log for Maddie which will be updated weekly, (3) general information about childhood cancer, (4) information about the Maine Children's Cancer Program with a link to their donation page (5) a section for people to post comments and questions, (6) photo gallery, (7) information about a fundraising carbo-loading dinner and raffle to be held a few weeks before the Trials in Maine (8) information about the Olympic Trials - Women's Marathon which takes place on April 20th on Boston, MA.
My goal is to raise $52,400 (runners should understand the significance of that amount, as Maddie and I are now running two marathons) for the Maine Children's Cancer Program during the roughly 3-month period that the fundraiser will be running. Every dollar donated will go directly to the Maine Children's Cancer Program. The fundraiser will run (no pun intended) from January 18th, which is Maddie's 4th birthday, through the Olympic Trials on April 20th.
Why donate to this cause when there are so many great causes out there? Great question! Maybe you decide to give to this cause because you're a runner and understand the challenge of training for a big race under even the best of circumstances. Maybe you decide to give because you have been touched in some way by cancer. Maybe you decide to give because you want kids to be able to be kids. You want their biggest worry to be if they will be able to stay at the beach all day playing in the sand and salty ocean water and not if they will be stuck again with a needle, if their hair will fall out, or if they will even feel like playing in the sand at the beach again. Whatever your reason for giving, know that every donation (however big or small) helps us toward our ultimate goal. You can be a part of the journey through this new marathon and you can help us reach the finish line.
Posted by Alison Wade at 9:51 p.m. | Tags: Fundraising | Comments (2)
Jenny Crain's friends and colleagues have organized a benefit for her at the Milwaukee Ale House, 233 N. Water St., Milwaukee, WI 53202, with the doors opening at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, January 17. The All-Northwestern Mutual Band, "Say Van Delay," will provide the entertainment, beginning at 6:00 p.m. There is a $10.00 cover charge at the door and all proceeds from the event will go to the Jenny Crain "Make It Happen" Fund.
Posted by Alison Wade at 9:06 p.m. | Tags: Fundraising | Comments (0)
Donations in memory of Ryan Shay can be sent to:
The Ryan Shay Memorial Fund
5873 Leisure Lane
East Jordan, MI 49727
Posted by Alison Wade at 9:49 a.m. | Tags: Fundraising | Comments (4)
After being hit by a car while running on August 21st, Jenny Crain has undergone many surgeries and is still unconscious. For day-to-day updates on Crain's progress, visit JennyCrain.net.
Another way in which you can show your support for Crain is by sending a card with a donation to:
Jenny Crain – Make It Happen Fund
c/o M&I Bank – Mail 098-9120
Attn: Cathy Haukedahl
651 Nicollet Mall
Minneapolis, MN 55402
Posted by Alison Wade at 4:29 p.m. | Tags: Fundraising | Comments (0)
A memorial and fundraiser honoring the life of Margaret Bradley will take place tonight from 8:30-11:00 p.m. in Chicago. More information about the event, the Margaret Bradley Scholarship Fund, and Margaret's life can be found here.
Posted by Alison Wade at 1:37 p.m. | Tags: Fundraising | Comments (0)
Shoe4Africa founder Toby Tanser has sent along a link to a YouTube video about his organization's work. If you'd like to learn more after watching the video, visit the Shoe4Africa web site.
Posted by Alison Wade at 7:52 a.m. | Tags: Fundraising, Movies and Videos | Comments (0)