Health & Fitness
Running Again for My Sister Mary
Running in memory of his sister, a weekend resident describes his experience in the recent Hampton half/full marathon event.
Last year, I wrote about my experience running for My Sister Mary Foundation, a charity set up to honor the memory of my sister, Mary E. (Fallon) Gistis. This year, a group of runners joined the effort and ran in the Hampton Smuttynose 'Rockfest' Half/Full Marathon on Sunday, October 6th. Although the weather for this year's race was the same (cold & wet), an overwhelming sense of pride and accomplishment was shared equally by all the runners.
Running in Hampton was especially motivational, offering frequent reminders of my sister along the route. We were energized along the way by family members and supporters 'cheering' us at various points throughout the course. After crossing the finish line, several other race runners even offered their congratulations, apparently recognizing me by the race shirt ("Running Wikid Hahd for My Sister Mary").
I especially wanted to thank the Hampton & N. Hampton residents who came out everywhere along the course to cheer on all the marathon runners, and who offered their words of encouragement. I wish I had my camera to take some photos of the crowds and their signs! There were some very funny and motivational words out there.
The best part of running this year was the number of people who pledged a runner on our team, helping us raise over $9,000 (and counting!) towards our $10,000 team goal! All of the funds raised go to cancer research and treatment facilities, something I'm sure my sister would have been flattered by doing in her memory.
To learn more about the charity, please visit www.mysistermary.org.
