Employees' marathon quest helps to fight leukemia

Team in Training members from Cornell, from left, Steve Chichester, Sally Lederer and Linda Callahan, stretch out at Courtside Racket and Fitness Club before one of their Sunday runs last month. Charles Harrington/University Photography

By Casey Morse '00

What could be more thrilling than finishing a 26-mile marathon? How about knowing that by simply competing, you are helping to combat leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease and myeloma?

The concept making that possible is called Team in Training, a program run up by the Leukemia Society of America. It provides runners, walkers and cyclists with professional coaching, a four-to-six-month training program and complete travel, accommodations and entry fees for the world's major marathons and century bicycle rides. In return, participants raise money for the organization and its programs to help fight leukemia and related cancers.

Those participating in Team in Training last year raised more than $50 million for the Leukemia Society of America. More than 16,000 people are expected to participate this year, nationwide.

Three Cornell employees, Sally Lederer, lecturer in Engineering Communications; Linda Callahan, associate director at the Theory Center; and Stephen Chichester, gardener for the Grounds Department, are among those now participating in an 18-week marathon training program under the guidance of a Team in Training coach. They've joined about 40 other runners from Ithaca, Elmira and Binghamton gearing up for a series of marathons this spring.

The program's participants are of all ages and skill levels, from amateurs to experienced runners.

"I was not an experienced runner when I started running with Team in Training a year-and-a-half ago," said Tony Ciccone, a past participant and the Ithaca runners' coach. "The program really works."

Running in a marathon requires not only physical but also mental and emotional preparation. The Team in Training program, said Callahan, covers all the bases, plus a lot more.

"One of the things I really like is that [Team in Training] connects you with a leukemia patient in whose honor you run during the race," she said.

The honored patient Callahan is paired with is Meaghan, a teenager living in Waterloo, N.Y. Callahan plans to turn a picture of Meaghan into a button she can wear for inspiration during her marathon. She also will be running for Jared, a kindergartner and leukemia survivor, and Josh, a young boy just recently diagnosed with leukemia.

Chichester will be running in honor of Chad, 21, from Locke, N.Y. He also will be running in memory of Eric Skrobac, his original honored patient, who succumbed in his battle with the disease. Lederer's honored patient is Kyle, a 4-year-old from Oswego, N.Y.

In exchange for the training and support the weekend athletes receive from the Team in Training program, they agree to raise funds for the Leukemia Society and its services.

The Ithaca runners each will raise between $1,800 and $4,200, determined by the distance to their events. Lederer will be running in the Vermont City Marathon, May 30, while Chichester will compete in the Alaska Marathon in Anchorage, June 19. Callahan is training to run in the Rock 'N' Roll Marathon in San Diego, May 23.

All three Cornell runners say they have been overwhelmed by the response they've received so far.

"I have been very moved at the generosity of the people I have asked for donations," Callahan said.

The actual training for the marathons includes a weekly "long run" in addition to the individual training runners do on their own during the week. Each runner is encouraged to run at least five days a week. The length of the long run varies from week to week, depending on the particular marathon and training schedule. For example, for the long run scheduled on March 28, the Alaska runners were scheduled for 11 to 14 miles, the Vermont runners 12 to 15 and the San Diego runners 14 to 17.

Each of the participants said the support from their team members makes their task easier. "The training schedule builds up distance gradually, and the group runs provide moral support for the longest runs, so it's not really difficult," Callahan said. She currently is running 20 miles a week, in addition to the long run each Sunday.

Said Lederer, "I do feel fortunate to be involved with the Team in Training for my first marathon. I'd recommend it -- it's great camaraderie as well as providing good support and advice for anyone wanting to try their first marathon. "

To sponsor any of the Cornell runners or to make further donations to the Leukemia Society, contact Tony Ciccone at 898-3911. For more information about the Team in Training program, call Suzanne at the Central New York chapter of the Leukemia Society, (800) 690-8944, or visit the web at http://www.lsa-teamintraining.org/.