By Adam Cohen, Senior Events Manager
I am excited to introduce our new program, the Rally 46-Mile Challenge, for the month of September! Run, walk, cycle or dance 46 miles for the 46 kids diagnosed with childhood cancer every school day in the United States. When you sign up for the Rally 46-Mile Challenge, you commit to 46 miles between Sept. 1 – Sept. 30, all while fundraising and raising awareness for childhood cancer. It isn’t too early to go ahead and sign up – I, myself, have already signed up and raised $300!
You don’t have to be an Olympic athlete to join the 46-Mile Challenge. There are 30 days in September so that adds up to just around 1 ½ miles per day!
Our very own Rally Athlete Janet Milton has gone the distance and fought the cancer battle herself and, we hope, serves as motivation for you while you decide to make your commitment!
Rally Athlete Janet after she completed her race!
Janet serves as motivation for me, so I asked her some questions about her experience as a Rally Athlete at the Nashville Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon!
Why did you decide to raise money for cancer research?
I decided to raise money because I have battled cancer multiple times and lost my dad to cancer at the age of 52. I know the pain of going through treatment, the cost both financially and emotionally, and the impact it makes in a life and the lives of those you love.
Why did you choose to raise money for Rally, specifically?
I chose to run for Rally for multiple reasons:
- The lack of money that goes to researching childhood cancer as opposed to researching adult cancers is terrible. I was shocked by the statistics and stories about these kids.
- I wanted a way to celebrate my weight loss and healthier lifestyle that wasn’t all about me and to have a goal to work towards. This race was definitely out of my comfort zone.
- It was great to be able to share the experience of the training and race with my students. I wanted to show them that they can do anything!
- Most importantly, one of my students, Rally Kid Knox, had a Neuroepithelial tumor and is now in remission. Knox has never given up in any race I have given him in PE class.
To some people, fundraising is a daunting task. Was fundraising harder than training for the race?
I signed up for the Nashville Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon 5k and started fundraising. Social media played a huge roll in meeting my fundraising goals. By sharing my page and telling my story, I was able to raise more than $7500 for Rally!
Tell us about your experience with the race.
The race was a blast and I got to meet many people from the Atlanta area who were running for Rally as well. Rally was so supportive of me even though I was only doing the 5K and the other Rally Athletes were running the Half Marathon and Marathon! The course was hillier than I thought, but I was so encouraged by thinking about the Rally Kids I was running for, especially Knox. Thank you Rally for making it a great experience!
Like Janet, you can join Rally in the fight against childhood cancer by becoming a Rally Athlete and taking the 46-Mile challenge this September for the 46 kids diagnosed with childhood cancer every school day.