A fund-raising marathon in Alaska draws Rocky Hill resident to memorialize a special relationship.
By: Kara Fitzpatrick
ROCKY HILL In June, Judith Sweetman will travel to Alaska and attempt the most difficult physical test she has ever tried in her life.
No, Ms. Sweetman won’t be packing crampons, because she isn’t planning to climb to the top of Mount McKinley.
But she will run 26.2 miles while participating in the Mayor’s Midnight Sun Marathon in Anchorage to raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society in memory of a friend and loyal running partner who died of leukemia in 2003.
Marguerite Schwarz Podgalsky first introduced Ms. Sweetman to running in 2001, inviting her to run a 5K race in Freehold.
"I started running with her regularly," Ms. Sweetman said, speaking in a distinct British accent. "Partly through running, we became very firm friends."
So when Ms. Podgalsky died two summers ago, Ms. Sweetman, a Rocky Hill resident, decided to keep on running in her memory.
"I have carried on running and have decided that I want to go for the big one the marathon and at the same time raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society in her memory," said Ms. Sweetman, a native of England who moved to the United States six years ago.
Ms. Sweetman participating in the LLS’s Team in Training, a program that provides training for various physical feats being undertaken to raise money for the society has been training for the June 18 marathon since February.
"I had always wanted to go to Alaska," she said, so when she discovered an LLS Team in Training-sponsored event there, she decided that "that was the one I was going to do."
Ms. Sweetman has never attempted a physical task of this caliber.
"Until I started this training, I had never ran further than 7½ miles," said Ms. Sweetman, who considers herself an unlikely candidate for a marathon.
"I’m not really sporty, I’ve never been an athlete," said Ms. Sweetman, a mother of two.
Five years ago, she said, she "never would have believed" someone if she were told she was going to run a marathon some day. "I ran a half-marathon Saturday, and I can’t believe this is me," she said. "I feel like it was someone else."
The training requires about an hour a day of running three or four times per week and a long run on the weekends. Right now, Ms. Sweetman said, she is up to running 13 consecutive miles. Before the race, she will be able to run 20 straight miles.
"In the marathon, they say, the last 6 miles is all soul," Ms. Sweetman said.
Ms. Podgalsky, who had run two marathons herself, would most likely be delighted about her friend’s decision to run the 26-mile race, Ms. Sweetman said.
"She would say, ‘You go girl,’" Ms. Sweetman said. "I think she would be thrilled. I feel that (running) is a gift that she gave me. I absolutely only do it because Marguerite made me go to that (5K) race."
Ms. Sweetman said that when the day comes to lace up her shoes and approach the starting line, she might be nervous. But right now, she isn’t.
"I feel so committed to the training right now," she said. "I am sure on the day I will be nervous," adding that her Team in Training program has put her in "good hands."
The hardest part of the process so far, Ms. Sweetman said, was deciding to start. "Because there is a risk that I might fail, and to raise money means that you have to tell everybody what you’re doing," she said.
And so far, throughout training and fund-raising efforts around the community, Ms. Sweetman said she has received a tremendous amount of support. Her goal is to raise $5,000 for the LLS.
"People are very generous and understand the importance of the cause," she said. "So many people have been affected by cancer. Any research is really fantastic, it’s not just blood cancer that (the LLS) helps."
All of Ms. Sweetman’s time in the Last Frontier State won’t be spent sweating. She plans to take some time after the marathon to enjoy a vacation with her family, visiting Denali National Park and other sites across the state.
For more information about Ms. Sweetman’s efforts or to make a donation, go to www.active.com/donate/tntnonj/sweetman. For more information about the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, visit lls.org.