There will come a day (Kaiser SF Half Marathon)

There will come a day (Kaiser SF Half Marathon)

(Originally posted on MySpce, 2/8/2009. I'm trying the locate the photos)

There will come a day when good people will ignore the call for help - when those in need will wish for miracles and there are none to be found.

Today is not that day.

The Winter 2009 East Bay Team in Training Marathon team descended on Golden Gate Park in San Francisco at 6:00 AM. This is the biggest draw for the winter season, not a surprise since it's local and because of the tough fundraising environment this year.


Compared to last year, the weather was superb, lows in the high 40's at the gun, finishing in the low 60's around noon.  This is the group of walkers during the last minute pep talk.

"Some of you came here with a connection to the cause, wanting to do something for the greater good. When you cross the finish line today, I want you to be proud of the individual accomplishment.

"Some of you came here to prove that you can achieve this goal. I want you to look around at the sea of purple shirts today and be proud of what you're a part of today.

"Run, walk, limp, crawl - we WILL see you cross the finish line today and in doing so, it'll change your life."

I'm sure I said something like that. I usually make it up as the spirit hits me.


There were 8000 participants including the thousand or so doing the 5K fun run. The course is a couple of out-and-back half loops that take the runners and walkers through the panhandle and through some of the nice sections of Golden Gate park.


On the way to the Great Highway, I saw this sign. Good philosophy.


I didn't get nearly as many pictures this year, and for some reason, not nearly as many stories.  So here are just a few memories for our team.

Coach "Mama" Lisa and Coach Al Kirsinikas.  If you've been to a Team in Training event, you'll see them.  Mama Lisa  sweeps many a full marathon after completing a 100 mile race the week (and sometimes the day) before.  Coach Al K is relocating to San Diego for a job opportunity. I hope that the San Diego/Hawaii chapter take advantage of the wealth of knowledge and leadership he can bring them.


I can't ever remember who this was, but it reminds us why we do what we do. Thoughts go out to Honorees like baby Harry - home from the hospital this past Christmas for the first time after spending most of his life at the hospital.


Our nickname this season was Team Fearless.  Our mascot, Alex the Lion, gives some encouragement up the last half mile to the finish (photo courtesy our web captain, Phillip Lee).


Half-marathons are over all to quickly for my liking, but I spend my time trying to remember all the good we're doing.  This is a picture of Marc, our Honoree speaker at the Friday night pasta party. He was diagnosed with an extremely rare form of leukemia in 2005 with only 400 cases on record.  Miraculously, he was given a drug that put his cancer into remission in a week. It was so fast, his hair didn't have time to fall out.  It was funded in large part by research grants from Team in Training. Marc is celebrating his fourth year cancer free by doing 4 endurance events - a half marathon, a full marathon and two triathlons - in the first four months of 2009.



The numbers:
81 participants: runners and walkers, from the San Francisco/Marin, Bayside and Diablo Valley regions.
$259,000 raised for the fight against blood related cancers
Another 20 or so runners are left to finish the season in Napa and Rome.

Susan and I are not fundraising this season, so I'd like to give a plug to two of my MySpace friends.  I know times are tough, but this is when the dollars can really help.

My friend [megan] is raising money for the Shamrock Marathon at the end of March with Team in Training.  Megan moved to a new city and could really use some help from her friends.

Kim THE Psycho Princess is only a few hundred dollars from her goal for this year's MS Challenge Walk.  I still have yet to make my donation, and with our help, she'll make that goal and more.

There will come a day when I won't wake up at 5AM to support a race. That will be the day there will be no need for Team in Training because we've wiped out cancer.

Today is not that day... but I hope to see it in my lifetime.