I was never a runner. I played goalie on my high school soccer team to avoid running. But in late 2009, I found out you could run a marathon through all four Disney parks, and I decided I would run it. 10 years, many races, and a few marathon registrations later, the 26.2 has still eluded me. I was scheduled to run the 2019 Chicago Marathon, when last summer, I found out that I had a severely deviated septum, which was contributing to my difficulty with training and breathing. My ENT was surprised I had been able to do half's at all, with how bad it was. So I deferred my race entry to 2020, and had surgery to correct the issue. So, here we are - 2020. Will my marathon by delayed due to COVID-19? Maybe. Will I run 26.2 miles in October no matter what? Absolutely.

Team CASA members use the incredible experience of training for and running one of the world’s largest marathons to raise awareness and funds for the most vulnerable individuals in Chicago–children in the Cook County foster care system who have experienced abuse and/or neglect. Each runner has a goal of raising $2,300, or the cost of providing CASA services for one child for one year. Team CASA members directly impact the life of a child who will receive individual advocacy in court by a trained CASA volunteer. The advocacy that they receive has been shown to shorten the time they are in foster care and ensure they receive needed medical, educational, and social services while in care. The ultimate goal of CASA is to help each child find a safe, permanent home. The trajectory of these children’s lives are changed because they have a committed adult CASA volunteer who is with them throughout the most traumatic time in their lives. Thank you for being on our team and helping a child find a safe, permanent home.