I started running in dress shoes (true story) as an overweight freshman in college. My two mile loop on the U of M campus took me 2 months to be able to finish without stopping, but I didn't give up. Throughout the next years I worked up to a ten mile race and always thought that would be enough. After graduating college I moved to Washington DC where I continued running and was diagnosed with anemia. After recieving my diagnosis and then working to mitigate the symptoms of anemia I really started pushing myself. I read every book about running and marathoning I could find. My love to running extended to the amount of miles I ran and soon I signed up for my first marathon, 5 1/2 years after I started running. With that first marathon I qualified for Boston and my love of long runs has never ceased.

My small struggles with anemia pale in comparison with the struggles faced by children facing heart conditions. I know that every day might seem like an unending struggle and that working to even finish the next 10 steps can seem to a task similar to Mt. Everest, but I want to support them and run for them even if they can only experience the race through my story. 

Running builds community and I hope the community I have built reach out and touch the lives of the Children of Minnesota.