CHARITY PROGRAM: FEATURING TEAM IN TRAINING
More than $14.5 million dollars has been raised for charities at the BMO Vancouver Marathon through the non-profit Vancouver International Marathon Society’s Run4Hope program.
My name is Tess McCarthy and this is my 11th season running with Team in Training and the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. However, this is my first with the BC Yukon Canada team. I just moved to Vancouver in late September from New York City. I joined Team in Training Canada immediately, as I could think of no better way to get to know the city and make friends in a caring fitness community, all while raising funds for a charity I truly believe is doing amazing work. And what better race to run than the world-renowned BMO Vancouver Marathon?
It was just about five years ago that I first signed up for Team in Training to run my first half marathon in San Diego. I signed up at the urging of my sister who was part of the team in Los Angeles. She couldn’t stop going on about the great teammates, the fun events and the inspiring cause. I had run a bit on my own doing 5km and 10km races but had never trained with a group or even truly thought of running a half marathon. However, I liked the idea of having a coach and a training plan and a good group of people to run with. I wanted to get better at running, and this seemed to be a fun way to do so. I had some success in the previous years raising funds for charity walks in New York, so while somewhat daunted, I thought I could do it. And so on a snowy Saturday in February, I went for a run with a group of people who would turn into family, raising money for a cause that would quickly become close to my heart.
In the five years I have been a part of the team in New York City, I have made a slew of friends (aka my running family); volunteered at the Hope Lodge and Ronald McDonald House serving dinner for patients receiving cancer treatment; became a mentor and then a coach and helped others reach their fundraising and running goals; met, listened to and was inspired by caregivers and cancer survivors; and participated or coached so many races that I can’t even keep track of them. I was excited to begin training with the BC Yukon team and so far, I have had an amazing time with our coach, our TNT manager, our honored teammates and my new Canadian friends. And I have learned that while I loved running around NYC, almost nothing can beat the views here in Vancouver!
All of us on Team in Training are raising funds to help stop leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma from taking more lives. I’m completing this event in honor of all individuals who are battling blood cancers, in celebration of the survivors and in memory of those who have lost their battle. These people are the real heroes on our team, and we need your support to cross the ultimate finish line – a cure! Join us! Go Team!
The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of Canada is a voluntary health agency dedicated to finding a cure to leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma.
The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society directly supports our RUN4HOPE charity runners to help make your fundraising a success. RUN4HOPE charity runners will be contacted by the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society with fundraising details soon after registration. Please join us in making a fundamental difference in the lives of patients and their families!
Facebook: The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of Canada
Twitter: @LLSCanada
Website: www.llscanada.org