Twin Cities Group is Ready to Run for a Cause

Editor's Note: Today, Patch is debuting the second of four new video series. “Superstar Next Door” highlights notable athletes and teams in community sports leagues. New editions of Superstar Next Door appear every Tuesday.

You can tell who they are by the ribbons on their running shoes.

The pastel strips of fabric flap in the wind to remind them why they are covering so many miles—each ribbon a symbol of someone who’s been affected by blood cancer.

“It’s when the miles start getting long and my feet really start hurting that I really think about Tony,” said Eva Nelson, referring to a friend who died from Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. “They went through hell. I can run 13 miles. It’s not the end of the world.”

The runners are training for marathons and half marathons with Team in Training—a fundraising effort for . Participants, many of them new to running, work together and raise money for the society. Along the way, Team in Training coaches give the runners the support they need to meet their goals.

The organization also offers programs for walkers, triathletes, cyclists and hikers.

“It’s been going on strong for a good 22 years, and in the 22 years, there’s been over $1 billion raised for blood cancer research,” said Kristen Kelroy, a society campaign manager who works with Team in Training programs.

That’s a little extra motivation as the runners are ticking off the miles. 

“You’re out there for a long time running for 26 miles, so there’s a lot to think about. It’s easy to quit sometimes—you get tired, sore, bored,” said Mik Gusenius, who’s wife was cleared of leukemia after five rounds of chemotherapy. “But when I think about what my wife went through and how hard that was for her, it makes it seem a little bit easier.”

There are teams like this all over the metro, including here in St. Michael-Albertville. St. Micahel Patch reporter Lisa Peterson is organizing a team to run the Twin Cities Marathon on Sunday Oct. 2.  

"We are running as TEAM WORLD VISION – raising money for World Vision and all the wonderful work they do all over the world," Peterson wrote. "World Vision provides water to desert communities, food for refugees, help to the Japanese quake survivors and help to our own neighbors here in the Twin Cities."

We'll be following the Team World Vision efforts here on St. Michael Patch until the squad's big run this fall.