The Mission:

From Nov. 28th, 2008 to Feb. 8th, 2009 (12 weeks) I intend to run 13 races of marathon distance (26.2 miles) or greater to benefit the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. In total, if all goes as planned, approximately 388 miles will have been covered over a span of a 12 week time frame and a significant amount of money will have been raised for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

100% of donations will go directly to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

Monday, November 10, 2008

The Start

After 3 years of raising money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society via the Big Climb for Leukemia I've decided to attempt fundraising for them on my own. This idea came to me when a friend of mine was recently diagnosed with Leukemia, prior to then I had raised money for the LLS simply because it seemed like that's what you do when involved in an event for charity, but now I see it as personal.

The 13 races in 12 weeks idea was a thought I started batting around in early August of this year. Initially I was interested for 3 reasons, it sounded fun, it sounded difficult, and it would elevate me to Palladium Level in the Marathon Maniacs (silly, I know). As the plan hashed itself out further I recognized it as a potential opportunity to raise money for a good cause and so this begins...

For those unfamiliar, the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society is a national voluntary health agency dedicated to curing leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma, and to improving the quality of life of patients and their families. The LLS supports the following major programs: research, patient services, public and professional education, advocacy and community services.

Leukemia, a cancer of the body’s blood-forming organs, is the leading disease killer of children; yet for every child diagnosed, ten adults face this disease. Thanks to research supported by contributions to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, survival rates in both adult and childhood leukemia have dramatically improved.

Please consider supporting me as I log mile after mile in an effort to fight blood cancers. I will continue to fundraise from now until the 1st of February.

To donate, please see the Paypal "Donate" button on the right column of this blog.

$20 < $.06 cents per mile
$50 < $.13 cents per mile
$100 < $.26 cents per mile
-OR-
...for donations of $388 ($1 per mile) or more I'll do ridiculous things (terms to be discussed via email)... want me to wear a funny hat? Go shirtless in January? Something else even wackier? Email me at nicplemel@yahoo.com and we'll work something out...

I'll keep this blog updated by posting photos, race reports, and fundraising status updates. in the mean time, I have less than 3 weeks 'til my first triple (3 in 3 days), perhaps I should practice being sore now ;-)

Thank You!