By Kevin Fallon 25 Ames Street There are many reasons why people run marathons and probably just as many paths to the starting lines. I've been involved with the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society for the last five years. During this time, I have run two marathons and participated in two century rides. I ran Dublin in 1997, which I completed in 5:27 and Boston in 1999, which I finished in 4:49, convincing me that I needed to get faster. As I often put it: "I don't belong out on the road that long!"
It was around this time when I started getting more involved with CMS; attending the 5k's, volunteering at some of the races and just being in the running scene. Each year, I'd volunteer with the Team in Training group preparing for Boston and people would ask me, "Are you running this year?" My response was always, "I won't run another marathon until I can qualify." My times were steadily coming down in the shorter distances. After running Fred's Half last spring in 1:33, I knew I was getting close. The next day, I met up with some CMS people in Boston, we had breakfast, and then went off to view the parade coming in from Hopkinton. I was at mile 15 in Wellesley cheering on not only the Team in Training runners, but also everyone coming by. I would run along with people that I knew, offer encouragement, see if they were okay. I remember running in Newton Lower Falls with a friend of mine, Cynthia Lucero who, like everyone else, looked great. After everyone cleared through, I went into Boston where I would learn that Cynthia never made it to the finish line. She collapsed shortly after mile 22 and would never regain consciousness. Cynthia was only 27 years old and had just finished her doctoral dissertation in Psychology on Effects of a Marathon Training Program on Family Members and Friends of Cancer Patients. Her parents were up from Ecuador to share this important time in her life with her. It was in the first few days after Cynthia's passing that I discovered the extent of her generosity. For instance, Cynthia volunteered by counseling people at Logan Airport during the September 11th tragedy. After this, I knew somehow that I would be on the starting line of Boston the following year. This past summer, I trained and raced with a lot of fellow CMS runners. On October 12th, I found myself at the start of the Hartford Marathon with a qualifying time goal of 3:10:59 and potentially, sub 3 if the planets aligned. With a constant rain, somewhat windy conditions, and a picture of Cynthia on the back of my TnT singlet, I would split the marathon at 1:30:35/1:31:24 to qualify with 9 minutes to spare.
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17 Clarence Street My running path thus far has been a bit different than Kevin's. The beginning for me was the Baystate 1/2 Marathon in 2000 where I completed my first run over 9 miles. Along the way I came upon a purple singlet bearing the name "Apryl Cardwell."
I was familiar with this name as I had the opportunity to meet this young girl as a patient while employed at UMASS Medical Center a couple years earlier. She was quite sick at the time and I felt fortunate to have had her visit my department where we prepared Jello for her, as that was one food she could tolerate. I followed her progress through treatment, but resigned from my position prior to "an outcome" if there is such a thing. I thought of her often; it seemed like fate seeing her name on this singlet. I recognized the face but didn't really know him. So I introduced myself. At a later opportunity, almost afraid to ask, I questioned Kevin about Apryl and explained my connection. To my relief, I learned that Apryl was in full remission and living the life of a normal 12 year old. This past summer I had the opportunity to run with the TnT group on several occasions. The magic of the group of runners transforming into marathoners was unbelievable. I was drawn to the atmosphere during a time when I was uncertain of which direction I wanted my own training to go. And then it happened: On October 22, Kevin inquired if I would be interested in joining Team in Training as a qualified runner to prepare for Boston 2003. It seemed again that fate was directing me as ten years ago to the day, on October 22,1992; I lost my Nana to multiple myeloma. We have both joined up with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's Boston 2003 program as qualified runners. The Society's mission is to find a cure for leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease and myeloma, and to improve the quality of life of patients and their families. The Society receives 135 numbers from the BAA to distribute to nonqualified runners. These nonqualified numbers are highly coveted and go quickly. However, the qualified runners who join not only donate their time, but also bring their own entry number and represent the society. If anyone would like to contribute to our fundraising for leukemia research and patient aid or learn more about the opportunity to join as a qualified runner, please feel free to contact either of us. |
