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We’re just 5 weeks out from the 2013 Chicago Marathon and there’s a lot of work to be done – fundraising & training! A couple weeks ago my running buddy, Erin, and I hosted a successful fundraiser. If you’re looking for summer fundraiser ideas, this is a great option! We invited friends, teammates and coworkers to help us “spike out cancer” in a friendly game of beach volleyball.

Along with the cost to play/spectate, we sold burritos donated by Chipotle, drinks and held a silent auction for gift cards donated by local businesses. What was the most difficult part? Figuring out the player bracket.

Go team!

I’m gearing up to run the Chicago Marathon for the 2^ndyear (after skipping last year). What made me skip a year? It’s a huge commitment. What made me come back? It’s a huge commitment for the best cause and most amazing feeling of accomplishment.

It’s something I cannot explain to anyone unless you join me at 6 AM in the wet grass as a cancer survivor takes the bench to tell her story to a group of scrounge runners. I can’t explain the intense exhaustion you feel while you cross the 6, 10, 16, 20 mile markers; only to hear a supportive crowd of strangers scream your name. And unless you’ve experienced it, I definitely cannot explain the pure emotion you feel crossing the finish line after running 26.2 miles!

Former winner of the Boston Marathon, Amby Burfoot, once said, “Every mile is a gift.” Every second, every minute, every day is a gift and that’s why I’m running for the Leukemia and Lymphoma society. We’re an unstoppable purple army out to fight cancer for those we love and those we may not even know.

For more information, visit my page: http://pages.teamintraining.org/il/chicago13/jvandermolen