24 hour run

At the end of this Spring, my parents and friends joined me in my dream - a 24 hour run fundraiser for the CF Foundation. Here is a brief story about that:

My parents decided to drive from New Jersey to Maine and back in a weekend to support me during the 24 hour run. My dad stayed up the whole night, heating up tea and ramen noodle soup to keep me fed, awake, and nourished while I ran. I couldn’t have picked a better place, time, or crew for this run. I ran on a 3.2 mile gravel path on the Witch Hole Pond carriage trails. There are many pine forests, beaver ponds, mossy granite cut stones, and treasures in this area. As I ran into the sunset on Friday, I heard a natural chorus sing their own melodies. First were the ditonal thrush songs, complex and shrill. Then the bull frogs groaned together. Finally the small peepers peeped so loudly, I knew they were the soloists of the chorus. At morning, the order reversed – first I heard the peepers, then the bull frogs, and then the birds.

The night was long and lyrical. I sang loudly to keep the animals away, but then I found my muse and enjoyed creating songs spontaneously that kept myself occupied. One song went:

Kickin’ lots of stones,

Feel it in my bones

Through the night.

And when the sun rises,

I’ll be 50 miles round.

And when the sun rises,

I’ll wear a smile not a frown.

And when the sun rises,

After the night.

Another song goes:

Certainly the morning comes suddenly

The birds will sing so sweetly

And I will rise completely.

These songs kept me going through a very long and exhausting night. At midnight I felt so worn out, I was fearing I’d need a nap or three, when I ran into my friend Dan who’d come to see how I was doing. He shook me out of my sleepiness and ran a lap with me. In the morning, he took over the job of caring for me so my dad could finally sleep a little.

Saturday I had told everyone I knew to come out for a walkathon while I was finishing my run.  Thankfully, a few friends attended and walked and talked with me. Also, people came on Saturday to enjoy the day in the park, found out what I was doing, and donated on the spot. I was thrilled to hear that while running. Nearing the end, my tired mind and body ached for sleep. Luckily, my friend Elena came to my aid and ran the last two laps with me on Saturday afternoon.

After 24 hours, I had run 90 miles. We have raised about $3000 from this fundraiser run.