UPDATE: Go Team!
UPDATE: Emily just finished the 2009 St. Jude Memphis Half Marathon right around 2:17:00…official results will be posted later today…will you donate $21.70 to help fight blood cancer?
My girlfriend Emily Passini, who competed in the 2009 Nation’s Triathlon in Washington, DC, is back at it again after a little break from swimming and biking (although she has continued to run, and is traveling to Memphis, TN today to race in the 2009 St. Jude Memphis Half Marathon): this coming April, she’ll be competing in the 2010 St. Anthony’s Triathlon in St. Petersburg, FL. This time, however, she is also serving as the Nashville Team Captain for Team in Training.
Emily completed the Nations Triathlon in 3:14:57. The race consisted of a 1600m swim in the Potomac River, a 40k bike ride on the Rock Creek Parkway, and a 10k run around the Tidal Basin (not to mention several 5am swim practices). I am so proud!
Emily trained with Team in Training for the Nation’s Triathlon, too, and leading up to race week, she raised $7,100 for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Race participants together raised in excess of $2.4 million to help fight blood cancers through research programs. She was honored as one of the top fundraisers in all of Tennessee at a special reception the night before the race!
Emily has begun training again, and will compete in Florida this coming April in remembrance of her childhood friend Becky Easterday and in honor of her friend Michael Gass. Becky lost her 5-month battle with leukemia in 1992, but thanks to supporters like you who help fund aggressive research and innovative treatments, Michael is a five-year cancer survivor. After being diagnosed with chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) in 2004, he began taking a revolutionary new treatment called Gleevec. Later this year, Michael will celebrate 5 years in remission, having never suffered the trials of chemotherapy, radiation, or really anything more uncomfortable than taking one pill per day.
Emily’s fundraising goal for the St. Anthony’s Triathlon is $3,500. As we draw nearer to the winter holidays, I ask that you consider donating $25, $50, $100, or $250 to Emily’s fundraising drive. All contributions go directly to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and are 100% tax-deductible. I know that everyone’s budget is a little bit tighter this year in a down economy, but please consider giving whatever amount you can afford. Click here to make your secure donation.
I cannot tell you how proud I am of Emily’s achievements, nor can I tell you how humbled I feel by her sacrifices and dedication to the eradication of these deadly diseases. I hope you will join me in helping her to reach (and beat!) her fundraising goal. There is a dedicated link on the right side of this page so you can check in with Emily and track her fundraising progress.
GO TEAM!
