Well, this all started a few years ago...
Jules and I at the Lincoln Marathon 2010
It’s crazy to think about how running had disappeared from my life after High School—especially given how much time I spend doing it now. But after my first return from Iraq and meeting my future wife Julia, I decided to give it another go. In order to provide a little more incentive to keep at it, I choose a 5k race in December of 2006 as my first goal. This race also served as a fundraiser for the Arthritis Foundation, so I also raised $260.00 for them in the process. The next year, Jules joined me for her first 5k race, The Race for the Cure, where we raised $310.00 for the Susan G Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.
So, we’ve both been running since. I ran my first marathon in November of 2007, and Jules ran her first half-marathon in August of 2008. For those of you who have never had a chance to participate in any running events, from 5ks to marathons, you don’t know what you’re missing.
2008 was also a big year since we decided to really dive into running for charity. Before, it was just a side note to our running. Now it is the focus of one event we run each year.
In 2008, we traveled to Nashville for the Country Music Marathon in Tennessee. Since St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital was only a short hop away in Memphis, I decided to attempt to raise $1000 for them. When all was said and done, 36 people donated $1585.00 for this first run.
2008: St Jude Children's Research Hospital & The Country Music Marathon
In 2009, I returned from my second tour in Iraq in time to run a Fall marathon. Appropriately, Jules and I decided on the Philadelphia Marathon because it was not only late in the year, but it was also the site of my first marathon ever. Given the military theme of the last year of our lives, we decided to raise money for a military charity. I asked a friend of mine who was wounded during my first tour about the charities that supported him for the duration of his recovery and one of the many charities that helped him was the Wounded Warrior Project (WWP). So, our decision was made, and 41 people donated $2045.00 to WWP in Honor of Ed.
2009: Wounded Warrior Project & The Philadelphia Marathon
In 2010, a close friend of ours lost her lifelong battle with Cystic Fibrosis shortly after our wedding. In memory of her, we helped the Gulf Coast Chapter of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation raise over $27,000 during the Houston Marathon. Twenty Five people donated $1,559.44 to CFF in memory of Katie.
2010: Cystic Fibrosis Foundation & The Houston Marathon
So, we’ve both been running since. I ran my first marathon in November of 2007, and Jules ran her first half-marathon in August of 2008. For those of you who have never had a chance to participate in any running events, from 5ks to marathons, you don’t know what you’re missing.
2008 was also a big year since we decided to really dive into running for charity. Before, it was just a side note to our running. Now it is the focus of one event we run each year.
In 2008, we traveled to Nashville for the Country Music Marathon in Tennessee. Since St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital was only a short hop away in Memphis, I decided to attempt to raise $1000 for them. When all was said and done, 36 people donated $1585.00 for this first run.
2008: St Jude Children's Research Hospital & The Country Music Marathon
In 2009, I returned from my second tour in Iraq in time to run a Fall marathon. Appropriately, Jules and I decided on the Philadelphia Marathon because it was not only late in the year, but it was also the site of my first marathon ever. Given the military theme of the last year of our lives, we decided to raise money for a military charity. I asked a friend of mine who was wounded during my first tour about the charities that supported him for the duration of his recovery and one of the many charities that helped him was the Wounded Warrior Project (WWP). So, our decision was made, and 41 people donated $2045.00 to WWP in Honor of Ed.
2009: Wounded Warrior Project & The Philadelphia Marathon
In 2010, a close friend of ours lost her lifelong battle with Cystic Fibrosis shortly after our wedding. In memory of her, we helped the Gulf Coast Chapter of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation raise over $27,000 during the Houston Marathon. Twenty Five people donated $1,559.44 to CFF in memory of Katie.
2010: Cystic Fibrosis Foundation & The Houston Marathon