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Fit Philanthropy

Staying physically active by participating in charitable athletic events is a win-win situation for people of all ages

By John Dunphy
   THE 1998 death of Ray Shea’s daughter, who had leukemia, spurred him to participate in a Leukemia & Lymphoma Society marathon event. The 65-year-old completed his first marathon in 2003, in Dublin, Ireland.
   ”It was just marvelous, probably one of the most powerful, emotional moments of my life,” says Mr. Shea, co-owner of Laurita Winery in New Egypt and a partner in the Jackson law firm Levin, Shea and Pfeffer.
   Since then he has participated in 15 charitable athletic events, fundraising and traveling to Rome, Bermuda and Walt Disney World, among other places. This summer, he will participate in the society’s “Rock and Roll Marathon” in San Diego, Calif. Marathons are 26.1 miles, while half-marathon events are just over 13 miles.
   ”I saw I could raise money for leukemia research and patient services by participating in events with Team in Training (the training arm of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society),” he says. “You train for four months to get ready for your first events. It builds confidence; they make a believer out of you.”
   There are many organizations, local and national, that hold athletic events once, twice, sometimes multiple times a year, to raise funds for their causes. These include the American Diabetes Association’s Tour de Cure; seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong’s “Livestrong” bike rides; the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s walks, bike rides, marathons and triathlons; and Mercer County-based Anchor House’s annual “Ride for Runaways,” a seven-day, 500-mile cycling journey across several states.
   Since creating the Team in Training program in 1988, the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society has raised millions of dollars in funding research and provided counseling for those suffering from blood cancers and their families.
   Participants may be required to raise several thousand dollars to partake in events that can take them all over the world, but many people often raise more than the minimum.
   Jessica Holland, campaign coordinator for Team in Training for the Southern New Jersey/Shore Region chapter, notes a southern New Jersey woman in her 60s who last summer raised $10,000 and walked a full marathon in Alaska. A participant in the society’s “America’s Most Beautiful Bike Ride” event in Lake Tahoe in June 2006 raised nearly $50,000. “This is a great way to be reminded of why people do these events,” Ms. Holland says.
   Ms. Holland says people such as the southern New Jersey woman and Mr. Shea, both eligible for retirement, remind those younger “why we shouldn’t be complaining. That someone is willing to take on these challenges is so inspirational.”
   And if inspiration is in short supply, talk to 70-year-old Ken Sharples, who has completed the 500-mile Anchor House ride for 21 straight years.
   ”When you consider you have seven days to do it and that’s all you have to do each day, the miles are not that significant,” the modest New Hope, Pa., resident says. “What’s tougher is the training.” The key to completing any charity ride, besides raising the required donations to participate, is always the training, says Mr. Shea.
   If it’s not the events but the raising of money in these tough economic conditions that has you breaking into a sweat, there are other options with lower minimums. American Diabetes Association’s metric century rides (63 miles, or 100 meters, as opposed to 100 miles, a true century) ask for a minimum $150 in donations to contribute. Rides will start in May and June from Basking Ridge, Brielle and Educational Testing Services’ campus in Lawrence Township. With these less costly fundraising events, however, training is usually up to you.
   However, if you can raise at least $750, and have a week to spare, Anchor House’s “Ride for Runaways,” which raises money for runaway children, from July 12 through 18 may be for you.
   Starting in Oswego, in upstate New York, participants will ride 70 miles a day on average and stay at hotels every night, eventually finishing in Mercer County. Event organizers will bus participants and their bikes to the starting point at no additional cost. Hotel stays also are free, provided participants stay four to a room.
   Kathy Drulis, 51, the event’s director of operations and a rider for eight years, says that over the event’s 31 years, many people return to repeat the ride. About 200 people participate annually.
   ”We have many riders over 50,” she says. “What’s so nice about this ride is you can tailor it to whatever you can do. So many people that are of so many different riding abilities participate. As long as you will put the time in to train and be on your bike, you can finish.”
   Besides raising money for a good cause and getting in probably the best shape of your life, Ms. Drulis notes the bonds that form between participants. “I’m just amazed at the number of people who participate who are now best friends,” she says.
   And that is at any age. “The age isn’t a factor,” Ms. Drulis says. “The whole thing we stress is, this is not a race. It’s a charity bike ride. We have support people to help you out. And those support people won’t come in until the last rider is through.”
   Mr. Shea, who now walks in the marathons, says, “I’m out there for a long time, but I get it done.”
   And despite being exhausted after riding 63 miles, 100 miles, 500 miles, or running or walking further than you ever thought you could do at one time, Mr. Shea says, “When you are entirely drained, you are simultaneously so fulfilled.”
For more information about the American Diabetes Association’s Tour de Cure, visit tour.diabetes.organchorhouseride.orgteamintraining.org/snjlivestrongchallenge.org