the audacity to lope

So you’re telling me there’s a chance

5 days till the big day, and I’m not feeling nervous for this race. Should I be? Maybe it’s because I’ve got so much going on in my life that running seems like a much-needed break from reality. Or maybe it’s because I’m too naive/ignorant/arrogant to really grasp how hard this is going to be. I’m certainly confident and prepared, but I also know that there are 1,000 things that could go wrong over the course of the 4 hours that commence in Hopkinton and end on Boylston Street.

But maybe - just maybe - I shouldn’t be nervous at all. Perspective tells me that the outcome of the actual marathon is only a small piece of the story. It’s a story about friendships and teamwork; volunteers and fundraising. A story about the cold and the ice; the wind and the snow. It’s a story about perseverance. Above all, for me and many of my teammates, it’s a story about remembrance. These are the things that make the DFMC so special. What I couldn’t quite grasp last year - but what I now can appreciate - is that the actual marathon is just a small inflection point in a monumental life experience.

Last year, a friend shared a quote with me about failure (and honor) when I learned that my 2010 marathon hopes were finished. This year, a different friend shared a different quote. I’m glad to have literate friends, because the right quote at the right time can be quite touching.

“To fly as fast as thought, you must begin by knowing that you have already arrived”
Richard Bach - Jonathan Livingston Seagull
I’ve run over 1,000 miles and have raised over $10,000 to get here, and I plan on enjoying every second of Marathon Monday. Thanks for coming along for the ride.

The 2011 Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge

Dear Friends,

One month from today, I’ll be running the 115th Boston Marathon as a member of the Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge. The DFMC raises funding for innovative cancer research at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, one of the world’s leading cancer research hospitals. My goal is to raise $10,000 for this cause, and this letter is to ask for your support in doing so. If you’re already convinced, you can stop reading now and visit my fundraising page to donate: www.rundfmc.org/2011/markl. However, if you need a little more persuasion, please keep reading to learn about the DFMC and my motivations behind attempting to run my first marathon.

My motivation? Cancer sucks. I don’t need to remind any of you about the devastating effects of cancer - not only on the patients, but also on their family, friends and colleagues. For me, the most direct impact cancer has had was the loss of my Mom, who passed away on April 19, 2009. The marathon this year is on April 18, which is nearly two years to the day of her passing. I’m running because I refuse to let this loss define my experience with this terrible disease. So I’m doing what I can to fight back by raising money to support the efforts of the scientists on the front lines of the war against cancer.

Why Dana-Farber? Most people are familiar with the Dana-Farber as a premier cancer treatment center, but behind these treatments are incredible scientists working on tomorrow’s cures. The DFMC raises funds for the Claudia Adams Barr Program, fostering scientific breakthroughs by advancing the work of these gifted researchers in a variety of basic research disciplines. Since its inception, the DFMC has raised over $47 million for the Barr Program and its researchers. Perhaps most interesting are the actual results of projects funded by the Barr Program, some of which are in hospitals today and are further detailed here. Every penny that I raise goes directly to this research. I truly believe that the knowledge and discoveries resulting from the work we’re helping to fund will one day lead to improved treatments, better cure rates, and perhaps even a real cure.

I ask that you join me by contributing to this effort in any way that you can. If you have the means, please sponsor me by visiting my personal fundraising page at www.rundfmc.org/2011/markl. No amount is too small. If you prefer to write a check, please make it out to the Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge and send it to my address: 286 River St, Unit 1, Cambridge, MA 02139. We’ve all experienced cancer in one way or another and each person has a story to tell, many with a happy ending. With your help, more and more of these stories will be of survival and healing, and one day we will reach the ultimate goal of the DFMC: a world without cancer.

Thank you!
Mark Loranger

* Please feel free to pass this message along to anyone who you think would be interested in donating!