A Marathon with Megan in Mind

Ethan Avery will be doing more than lacing up his running shoes when he heads to the Marine Corps Marathon this fall. He’ll also be putting on his battle gear.

This year will be the third time the self-described soldier in the war against cancer is raising money for Team in Training. He trained for the 2007 Marine Corps Marathon, but got sidetracked by injury, then ran and completed the 2010 Marine Corps Marathon. This year’s Marine Corps Marathon will be Oct. 30.

Avery, of Rockville, got inspired after his youngest daughter, Megan, was diagnosed with acute lymphocytic leukemia in 2006.

He and his wife had been taking turns spending nights with Megan in the hospital, and one night while at the Ronald McDonald House Avery saw a stack of Team in Training brochures. Team in Training, started in 1998, raises money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

He attended a meeting, and found other parents and caregivers who were open, welcoming and encouraging. He signed up for the 2007 Marine Corps Marathon.

“It really helped me feel like I was contributing in trying to find a cure,” Avery said. “I was a soldier in the war.”

While Megan worked toward her own finish line—the end of her chemotherapy treatments and, hopefully, a cure—Avery raised money and trained for the race.

Avery said he was more of a casual runner before starting training; his typical run was in the three- to five-mile range. The training was geared toward the novice runner, and the long runs on weekends would gradually increase until they reached about 20 miles. Training with others was very helpful, he said.

“When I run alone, I’m running five, six or seven miles and concentrating on the distance,” Avery said. But as he nears the end of the run, he said, he starts to teeter. But running with others in training helps Avery go without realizing how much time has elapsed or how far they’ve run.

In addition to holding the training runs, Team in Training officials also help immensely with fund-raising, Avery said.

“They have a ton of ideas to help you fundraise,” he said.

Avery raised about $7,500 in 2007 and about $3,700 in 2010.

Megan is now 8 and has been cancer-free since she finished treatment in February 2009. And when Avery starts this year’s marathon, he’ll be thinking of her and all of the kids he’s met during Megan’s journey and his volunteer work at the children’s hospital. Kids who have every right to complain, but instead bravely face what’s ahead.

“Those kids keep me going,” he said.

For more information about Team in Training, go to teamintraining.org.