Mark’s Blog Has Been Hijacked
For the mere price of being the first donor to Mark’s 2011 fundraising, I get the privilege of talking about Mark, and there’s not a thing he can do about it. Because he knows that if he edits this post, or takes it down early, I’ll kick his a$$.
So, for those of you who are regular readers of the Audacity to Lope, or infrequent visitors, here are three things about Mark Loranger that you should know and that he would never write himself:
1. Mark is hysterically funny. And unfortunately for you readers, that humor only occasionally slips into the blog. He can drip sarcasm better than just about anyone I know, and I think you – his loyal readers – should demand more from him. Write on his facebook wall, post a comment here, and ask for more of this (and more pictures…). Tell Mark to stop worrying about offending people he may not have ever met who might be reading the blog, and to be himself.
2. Exactly a year ago this weekend, Mark’s doctor confirmed the stress fracture that would take him out of the running (pun intended) for the 2010 Boston Marathon. His disappointment was, well, I can’t think of a word that can sufficiently explain. Yet, as upset as he was, Mark still stood outside in the cold, watching training runs, cheering on his Dana-Farber teammates. His support meant the world to us, and you should be proud and honored to support a guy like this.
3. Mark is hard core, or at least puts on a good show: when he picked out Tuck, he got a dog that likes to run – on purpose! He cut his ice fishing trip short in order to run 18 miles in freezing, windy weather. He ran overnight this summer. He runs in TIGHTS (with courtesy shorts, of course). He doesn’t let a little snow, wind, or rain slow his training.
Mark is the most quietly committed person to running and fundraising for Dana-Farber that I know. He had his 2011 Boston Marathon bib number and could have run with anyone, but he chose Dana-Farber again, despite steep fundraising minimums, memories of a painful 2010 season, and a handful of friends like me who just won’t leave him alone. He wants this bad. For his Mom, for his donors, for Dana-Farber, and for himself.
Show your faith, confidence, and pride in Mark by getting him closer to his $10,000 goal. This is his website:www.rundfmc.org/2011/markl.
And then please tell him to write more funny blogs, with pictures.
-A fellow runner and Dana-Farber supporter.
