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Health & Fitness

Running The ING NYC Marathon and Trying to Cure Cancer Along The Way

Scott Iwata is a Bellevue native who has become a marathoner in New York. He chronicles his running journey en route to the NYC Marathon Nov. 6 and is raising money to help cure cancer

When I first heard about a marathon it was with my temp job with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS) back in Seattle.

I had just graduated from Central Washington University and one of my best friends was working as a campaign coordinator for Team in Training on a team that coaches and trains runners for marathons and triathlons in exchange for fundraising. She told me they were looking for some help.

My first thoughts about running a marathon were filled with short one-word quips: insane, crazy, dumb. And a lastly a question: Why? I eventually got a job in online advertising that moved me out to New York.

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After going through a tough spot in my personal life I was feeling really down and felt like I needed to do something to get myself going again. That’s when my friend, who told me about the temp job at the LLS, called me and asked me the question I always thought I would laugh hysterically at if ever asked:

“Hey Scott, have you ever thought about running a marathon?”

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Instead of sarcasm and a witty retort, I said the words I never thought I’d hear out of my mouth if asked about this:

“No, but I’m interested. Tell me more.”

From there she put me in touch with the NYC LLS Chapter and I found myself at a meeting with a room full of other people who thought this would be a good idea. I never looked back. I met some of the most amazing people. People recovering from cancer, people on the rebound from divorce, and people who just wanted to make a difference by doing something bigger than themselves. I should mention I was out of shape; at 5-feet, 10-inches tall I weighed around 220 lbs. Running was something I did, at most, from the mailbox to my apartment on a cold day.

These people inspired me. I trained with them every week for four months. Through snowy nights and early Saturday mornings at Central Park. We would sacrifice our Friday nights so we could sleep in order to get up early enough for the 8 a.m. practice. I raised around $3,200 that year for cancer research. It felt amazing crossing the finish line of my first marathon. I remember yelling as loud as I could -- I’m told it wasn’t very loud in reality, with my arms raised high above my head as I crossed the finish line. All the weight I felt I was carrying from all the stresses in my personal life suddenly didn’t feel as big, but more importantly than what I got out of it, was the comfort of knowing I was doing something that helped other people, people I would never get an opportunity to meet.

I always thought my first marathon would be my last. Yet here I am preparing for marathon number six and my fifth with Team in Training. I don’t run fast, I am fine with not making a sub-10-minute mile pace for my marathon, or that I enjoy going out to brunch with my teammates after our Saturday morning practices. Running can be fun, it can be social, and one doesn’t have to be fast to finish. The most important thing, I think, we can do is something bigger than ourselves. Give to causes and do something for others even if we never get a chance to hear a thank you. We all have our struggles in life, and while I’ve been largely fortunate to never have had Leukemia or Lymphoma directly affect my family, I run and raise money to keep it that way. In my five marathons with Team in Training, I’ve raised approximately $10,000 thanks to the kindness of my friends, family, and coworkers.

Making a difference doesn’t mean you have to run a marathon, it just means you have to do something, even a little something, to something or someone. I am proud to work at a company that is trying to raise $100,000 for the LLS this season.

Running a marathon is scary, no doubt about it. There’s a big-time commitment to getting yourself in shape, early mornings, and sacrificing Friday nights but put it in perspective: Where any aches or pains you may experience are temporary, cancer patients are constantly fighting battles for their lives. The least I can do is give up a few Friday nights and Saturday mornings and ask my friends, family and coworkers and anyone else to help me help them.

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