Every second counts; 50 mile race to beat kidney cancer

This June, I will finish the Mohican 50-mile endurance run/hike in the hills of central Ohio. Why? To prove something to myself, certainly. But I want to make it for something else, too.

First, I want it to again raise awareness that diagnosis doesn’t mean death – and that every minute counts in our lives. But second, I want to do it to raise money for the Cleveland Clinic’s kidney cancer research. The easy thing to do would be to ask for dollar donations. But that wouldn’t be enough fun. What’s fun is making a game of it for you, and an added motivation for me.
So here’s the plan: Fifty miles is a LONG way. If you started in my mom and dad’s in Grand Rapids… you’d run to the Indiana border, and keep going two miles. If you started in my driveway in BG it would put you at Cedar Point. If you went straight up, you’d only be 12 miles from space. SPACE!!!
Now, let’s establish that I am really SLOW. Erosion moves faster than me. It took me 6 hours, 36 minutes to finish my marathon, which was a mere 26.2 miles. So, let’s do some math…
6 hours 36 minutes = 396 minutes… 396 min / 26.2 miles = 15.2 minutes/mile
Let’s be honest: I’m not going to be anywhere near that “fast” for a race that is hilly, on single-path trail, twice as long, and probably hot, possibly rainy. Not even close. As I pulled up results from last year’s 50-miler, the last guy in across the finish line took a smidge over 19 hours. Let’s go to the math!
19 hours, ten minutes = 1,140 minutes = 21.6 minutes / mile. 

I don’t think I will be THAT slow. But I don’t know how much faster I can be. I DO know that I’ll need a good kick in the butt to keep going when every part of my body will be telling me to quit.

So let’s make it interesting. I need a speed goal to shoot for, and you all want to help beat kidney cancer.

How much will you pledge, per minute, to motivate me to get under 1,140 minutes? Let’s say that the fastest I can go is my marathon pace, 15.2 min/mile. That would bring me in at 760 minutes or 380 minutes under the 1,140 limit. So if you bet a dollar a minute, you’d be on the hook for $380 (380 x $1.00). If you bet 50 cents a minute, $190 (380 x $ .50=$190). A quarter would d cost you $95 (380 x .25= $95)– and that’s if I am the fastest I’ve been. So you’ll likely be on the hook for WAY less than that. I don’t care if you bet a dime, nickel, penny, whatever. What I need is some motivation while I’m out there, and if I can convince myself when my calf is cramping that I need to keep going to raise some coin for a cure, it’ll get me through the lulls. Every minute will truly count.  The race is just under three months away, and I need some motivation to get out and train, too!

This is how it works:
Click here to fill out the online form so we can gather pledges. 

After the race, we’ll calculate how much you’re in for and remind you to fulfill your pledge. Your actual donation will NOT come through me, but will go directly through the secure Cleveland Clinic website. The Clinic has set up a fundraising page for this effort.