I have written about my “brothers”, Mark and Dan, who are not related to me by blood but are closer to me than my own siblings ever were. Mark is a crazy athlete, running marathons and pushing himself to do things beyond what my body considers normal, mostly just to see if he can. He taught me to ski, by and large by sending me down intermediate slopes with skis too long for my ability, and then telling ski patrol he’d never seen me before when I fell over the edge of the mountain. And he gave Steve and me the best wedding toast ever.

He taught me to ski, by and large by sending me down intermediate slopes with skis too long for my ability, and then telling ski patrol he’d never seen me before when I fell over the edge of the mountain.

Mark contacted me yesterday with the message below:

So tomorrow I am racing the Augusta 1/2 Ironman. As many of you know I normally try and raise funds for a charity as part of my training program. I have decided to raise funds this year for a wonderful program called “Girls on the Run”. The goal of the program is to unleash confidence through accomplishment while establishing a lifetime appreciation of health and fitness for young ladies who are in the 3rd-8th grade. I know it may seem weird that I am choosing to launch this campaign the day before the race, but candidly I have been concerned about my ability to finish this race. But the time has come and I will absolutely do my best.

So I am racing tomorrow in honor of all the amazing strong women in my life – my amazing wife Jan who tolerates me and keeps me grounded in life and love – to Carol Parker, my mom who is always providing unconditional love – to my sister 🙂 Deb, writer, gourmet cook and best friend, to Carol Ross my sister in-law who grows stronger everyday – To my training partners Kerry Edwards, Angela Blanch and Naomi Leeman: thank you for letting me share this experience with you, your support and encouragement has made this possible.

I hope that you will consider making a donation to “Girls on the Run” and while you can never be sure what tomorrow will bring you can be sure I will be thankful for your support and I will appreciate every stroke, peddle and step I take tomorrow.

Please see the link to my fundraising page below.

Thanks,
Mark

Mark’s 1/2 Iron Man Page

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Yes, he’s nuts, but I love him. So if you can spare a few bucks for a great cause I urge you to support Girls on the Run, and my brother from another mother.

Deborah