Drake Well Marathon....for Eli...

Some weeks I struggle with getting the words out. Writing is something I have always treasured, even as a young child. I've always had a vivid imagination and no lack of ways to express it.

But looking at the picture of Eli, the 2 year old boy that I was running the Drake Well Marathon for, left me feeling speechless. I wish that I was able to share his photo on here. He comes from a very very remote village outside of Hamburg called Mgababa. The residents in Mgababa are people who, under apartheid, were removed from white farms in the old "Eastern Cape" and resettled in the middle of nowhere in the former Ciskei homeland. As a result, there is no community history going back more than 4 decades and the community roots are fragile.

There are basically no employment opportunities in the immediate vicinity and those community members who do earn wages have to go outside of the area to do so. Sadly the HIV infection rate is extremely high and the community suffers from many other health problems, such as tuberculosis. Children in this area have a lot of development problems due to poor nutrition and other factors, and endemic chronic illness such as hypertension, diabetes and heart disease. 

There are very young children in the village who are HIV positive and are receiving anti-retroviral treatment. It is essential that patients taking the treatment are adequately nourished and have regular meals. Many of these children live in families that are too poor to reliably provide such meals, and as a result their treatment is frequently interrupted or just stopped altogether.

Because of this, the community banded together and decided they wanted to create a nursery school for the 20 or so children in the village between the ages of 1-3 that are not in school, but who are orphans and ill. Eli is one of these children.

Just this spring 25:40 provided the community with the funds to establish the nursery school and continues to pay operating costs and a small stipend to the caregivers who attend the children. The caregivers feed them, monitor their medicine and play with them in a safe, warm and structured place during the day.


I looked at the picture of Eli as I pinned it to the back of my tank for the race and thought to myself, this marathon isn't just another race, it's hope for another day. My 26.2 means a child can play and grow in safety. It means proper medication. It means a meal he probably wouldn't otherwise get. And it means I need your help! Take heart and please donate if you can so this year of marathons can be a success for these kids! Every dollar counts, every child matters and for those of you who have donated thank you for being a part of my 52Beginnings!

I know how tight finances are for a lot of people and I find it difficult to come straight out and ask for help, but I also know how vital it is for these children that I finish this goal, and that means financially as well as physically.

I write this as I'm dealing with my own financial difficulties. I knew that taking on this challenge would mean taking on debt. I thoroughly investigated and calculated how much a dent the travel costs and other costs associated with running these marathons would leave. I knew this journey was something I needed to do, cost aside. I knew it meant working off the debt the next few years. I was fine with that. What I didn't account for was losing my job. After working with Anytime Fitness Gyms for the past 2+ years, my gym is in the process of closing and I worked my last day around the middle of August.  Like a lot of other businesses, Anytime Fitness found it impossible to keep up with the rent cost.

 Anytime Fitness will close for good on Aug 31

I've been looking for other job opportunities these past few weeks. There are lots of other gyms in the area, but my limited availability and weekly travel schedule has even further limited my options. I think I have found a possible fit, but this was one of those unforeseen life hurdles that brings a whole new level of stress to the mix. It also makes me that much more determined to push harder than ever before. I believe there is a purpose to everything, even in loss. And my purpose through these marathons isn't anywhere near finished.

Early Saturday morning my friend Nicole picked me up and we started on our 6 hour trek to Titusville, PA. It was a real blessing to have someone to go with for such a long drive, and the fact that she was willing to be the one to drive was extra awesome. I've done lots of crazy travel this year, and it's always great when someone else is willing to be crazy too! This was going to be Nicole's 13th marathon and my 31st on my 52 journey.

We got to Titusville, where in 1859 oil was successfully drilled, making it the birthplace of the modern oil industry. Oil related businesses quickly exploded on the scene and in the 1860's 8 refineries were built, growing the town from 250 to over 10,000. As Nicole and I went through our race packets, we found our own little bottle of crude oil! Not sure what I was going to do with it, but I knew my kids would find it pretty cool and I'll give the race points for it being my most unique race packet sample!

pre-race pasta dinner, with tickets being only $6 there was no way we could turn down a hot home cooked meal!

our train

 and inside

Going into this race I'd heard the first 8 miles had some significant hills and I was curious to see just how hilly it was going to get. We got started a little after 7am and interestingly enough the first 8 miles felt like they flew by. The hills were challenging no doubt, but not insane. Nicole and I ran the first mile side by side, but she pulled away and I was glad I wasn't going to hold her back. I knew she'd be running faster than me and especially on the hills I went slower to conserve energy.

 me

 and Nicole (why we didn't just ask someone to take our picture together I don't know!)

We ran through Titusville on our way to a mostly flat bike path where we would do an out and back stretch for the remainder of the race. Running through the downtown I enjoyed the architecture and small town charm. 

  hill in the distance

There were not a lot of residents out to cheer us on, but those that did were very uplifting. The temps were lovely, and aside from the humidity, it was almost perfect running weather.

one of many beautiful homes in this historic place

I found the bike path incredibly peaceful. Trees and moss, flowers and ground cover, benches and picnic tables with the sounds and views of the Oil Creek running along side us.

I also found myself lacking energy. As the later half of the marathon carried on, I began to regret my Friday evening run. I generally don't run on Friday's, but I had stupidly decided I was going to get a short run in while my kids were at football/cheerleading practice that night. I had every intention to go for a nice easy run. Somehow I got a little carried away and didn't stick to that plan and pushed a lot harder than I should have and now I was paying for it.

I took it a mile at a time and kept pressing on. Fatigue meant a slower pace, but as I came off the bike path and onto the track for the finishing lap I was quite pleasantly surprised when I saw the time clock said 4:37.

As much as I wanted to hang out and talk with the other runners, I had to make it short and quick. Nicole had finished a little over 10 minutes before me and with the long drive back it meant quick showers and preparing for a long sit (which might I add is not my favorite after a long run).

The Drake Well Marathon was quaint, fun and welcoming. And even with the long drive, I was glad to not have to be on a plane this weekend. It just wasn't such a pretty sight when we had to get out of the car!

Final Race Stats:

4:37:40 finishing time
57 of 84 overall
8 of 20 women
5 of 5 for my age group (25-29)