Thanks for visiting my fundraising page and for considering supporting a great cause.  So many of you supported me last year during my first marathon, both through fundraising and through your cheers during the race.  Thanks to your support I crushed my fundraising goal and I think 15 or so groups of you showed up to scream at me as I pushed by with my head down (seeing or not seeing you). I can't say how much that meant, and how much your continued support means.  The race was an amazing experience, and to my surprise I posted a time that qualified me for the Boston Marathon, which I hope to attend in 2019.

This year I've taken inspiration from your support, and with the goal of paying it forward, signed up to be a peer mentor for newly injured spinal cord patients at Shirley Ryan Abilities Lab.  It's quite the process to get certified, but I'll be introduced to my first peers in the next month and hope that I can share some of the same quality of support that my peer mentors shared with me.  The goal of the program is to share whatever experience and wisdom I can with newly injured individuals to offer hope and perspective that only someone that has been through the muck can offer.

My marathon goal is to beat last year's time and finish ahead of all the runners.  Last year I got passed by the elite group at mile 20 or so (after my 10min head start) and I'd like for that not to happen again, but damn they're fast.

The money I raise is going to “Unite to Fight Paralysis,” which has carried on the Chicago Marathon tradition from a pretty awesome charity called "Spinal Cord Injury Sucks" - a bit on the nose, but definitely accurate. These two organizations are small and nimble enough to put the money where it will count in the effort to help restore function to those with spinal cord injuries, many of whom don't have the opportunity to race in the marathon.

Thank you so much for your continued support! I hope to see you at the finish!

Unite 2 Fight Paralysis is proud to be an official charity team for the Bank of America Chicago Marathon in 2018. Team U2FP is a group of passionate, hard working runners and wheelchair racers committed to racing the 26.2 miles and fundraising to advance research towards a cure for spinal cord injury.

The team raised over $105,000 in the past three years. All funds directly support our mission: to cure paralysis through advocacy, education, and support for research. Thank you for your support!