The journey to Falmouth was life changing for me in many ways (of which I will share more of in my forthcoming Falmouth recap). So much so that I decided to take an even bigger step and, at the urging of many of you, apply for the 2015 Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge (DFMC)! If granted a spot on the DFMC roster, I will continue raising funds for the Claudia Adams Barr Program in Innovative Basic Cancer Research while training for the 119th Boston Marathon to be held on Monday, April 20, 2015. This will be the 26th year that DFMC has partnered with the BAA to offer charitable entries, which I find fitting given I will be tackling 26.2 miles if accepted! To date, the DFMC has helped raise more than $69 million funding over 200 innovative research projects! That is a lot of money raised and a lot of miles ran towards the ultimate finish line - a world without cancer! Incredible and truly inspiring.
It will take several weeks for the DFMC team to review the flood of applications from so many talented and inspirational candidates, and the application process is understandably extensive as they aim to fill a roster of runners who will not only train to tackle Boston's fabled course, but also fulfill this year's team goal of raising $5.2 million (or more!). I am still sort of in shock that I submitted an application and am now being considered for a spot on this team. But, I know that there is no other program I would rather support while tackling this goal. And if so many people can bravely face and fight cancer each day, then I can certainly lace up my sneakers and tackle 26.2 miles.
And now to wait. Luckily I have my training for the Boston Half Marathon (which also benefits Dana-Farber) to keep me busy until October when they announce the team...
Falmouth Road Race 2014 - just before the finish line
2014 Dana-Farber Falmouth team - we raised over $600,000!