Some More Q&A about TNT

Update and Fund Raising Message of November 4, 2007

Hi again.

As my Team in Training efforts start to accelerate, I wanted to give an update about how things are going. The main focus of this note will be some additional questions I sometimes get about TNT.

The Arizona Marathon is about ten weeks away right now, and the next ten weeks will tell whether or not I can attain my training and fund-raising goals. I am giving it my best shot. If you want to check my training updates, updated photo, honoree list, and/or make a donation, you can do so at this link:

http://www.active.com/donate/tntva/tntvaARitter2007

Thanks again to the 78 individual donors and one corporate donor who have contributed to date, as well as to the nine companies / individuals who donated items to the TNT Silent Auction on my behalf. Thanks to these donors, I have reached 35% of my fund-raising goal, and have raised nearly $2,000 in the last month. By the way, if you live in the Richmond area, we are having another Silent Auction this coming Thursday, November 8. It is at Champs Restaurant and Bar at the Stony Point Fashion Park from 7PM to 9PM.

My training had some more setbacks this past week, but I am hoping to be back on track soon, and did 10 miles yesterday.

Now, here are some questions I get, and my answers.

What is the rain date for the marathon? If it rains the day of the race, we sleep in until 10AM, are gently awakened by the scent of special aromatic candles and the sounds of soft music and ocean surf recordings, are served a huge breakfast in bed with Champaign and the finest chocolate truffles, and get a free deluxe spa treatment and massage. NOT! The rain date of the marathon is the date of the marathon. In my first marathon in Anchorage, Alaska, it rained about 22 of the 26.2 miles. That is why we train in all types of weather, other than thunderstorms. Getting electrocuted is not considered to be a desirable outcome of Team in Training.

Why not just raise money by asking people to donate to a good cause without doing the marathon? This is a tough one to answer, because people donate to good causes all the time without an endurance event being involved. However, Team in Training is the oldest and most successful fund raising and endurance event competition, and its success has led to many imitators. I think people generally respond to a great cause like curing blood cancers and providing services to cancer patients, but maybe they respond even more so if someone is willing to sacrifice for this cause by going through the rigors of marathon preparation and all that entails.

Do you think it is good for you to do a marathon? To that I would say: “compared to what?” In comparison to sitting on a sofa all day eating a couple of bags of chips and drinking a six pack, then yes, doing a marathon is good for you. But compared to a more moderate exercise, say a half marathon, I’m not sure if a marathon is good for you or not. I’m not a doctor, but I know doctors who do marathons (as well as “iron man” triathlons). So I guess at least it cannot be horrible for you. I will say that at about mile 21 or 22, you vow to never do another one. But then, when you cross the finish line just four or five miles later, you start thinking about the next one.

Why do you set your fund raising goal so high? Since I work so hard at this, and only do it every year or so, I want to maximize the amount of funds coming in to this important cause. So I set my goal high, $15,555.55 this year in celebration of surviving five years, and work as hard as I can to reach it. Politicians who raise millions for their campaigns would laugh at the amount of money that I am trying to raise, as they can get that much cash by looking under the sofa cushions of one of their wealthy donors. But I don’t know rich and famous people, nor can I offer special access or political favors in exchange for a donation, so I do it one donation at a time from ordinary people.

Do you get to keep any of the money that you raise as a bonus? Absolutely not! Whether a donation is by credit card, check, or cash, every single red cent goes to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and its mission.

Didn’t you ask me for a donation last year? There is a good chance I did, because this is the third straight year, more or less, that I have done Team in Training. Cancer has not gone away this year, and that is why I am putting my body through this a third time, and why I am again humbly asking for donations of any amount to LLS. Thank you!

Thanks for taking the time to read my note, and special thanks again if you have made, or plan to make, a donation to LLS through my Team in Training Efforts.
Carpe Diem!
Art