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STAMFORD, Conn. Christina Brown figures shell have no trouble finding inspiration every step of the way in the ING New York City Marathon on Nov. 6. The Stamford woman is running for Freds Team, a charitable organization affiliated with the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York.
But Brown, a former tennis player at the University of Connecticut, is running for much more than the cancer center. She is running for her family. Her grandmother was diagnosed with leukemia in 2007. Her grandfather has been battling prostate cancer since 2006. Her brothers father-in-law is battling thyroid cancer. A beloved family friend died in June from non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Another family friend celebrated 20 years of living cancer free.
All of them are special to Brown. Considering their health issues, Brown figures battling for more than four hours to run a 26.2-mile race is no big deal. Thinking about them, she said, made running a marathon not so challenging.
People can contribute to Browns charity by visiting her fundraising page. This is her third marathon, but first in New York and the first time she is running for a charity. It has given her an entirely new perspective.
It feels better, Brown said. Its better to be running for something bigger than you, knowing you are helping to make a difference."
Brown, who grew up in Fairfield and Wallingford, started running marathons three years ago. She also competes in triathlons, and she raced in the Jarden Westchester Triathlon in September. Even during her training, she found inspiration from her family. When youre running 18, 19, 20 miles, you ask yourself why am I doing this, Brown said. Then you remember the fight of others, and your fight doesnt seem so hard.
She has prepared for the marathon with the help of a trainer, Jerry Edwards of Peak Performance Training, and limited her running to three days a week. She hopes to finish in about 4 hours and 30 minutes, but time is not her objective. She is remembering people who are important to her. The longer shes out there, the more time shell have to soak it all in and reflect on the reasons for why shes running. Shell also have an army of supporters cheering her on.
I think having my family there is what Im looking forward to the most, Brown said. My parents havent seen any of my marathons. All of my girl friends will be there. I work with some high school girls at Trinity Church in Greenwich, and they said they wanted to come watch, too. Youre friends and family arent judging you on your time. They dont put any pressure on you about your time. The only person who does that is you.
Read more profiles of runners in Main Street Connect communities by clicking on the 2011 New York City Marathon tag below!
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