|
Brown to run marathon in memory of friends
By Justin Goble
For Sylva’s Jon Brown, the Marine Corps Marathon on Oct. 26 will not be just another race – it will be a way to honor two of his friends.
Brown is running the 26.2 mile race in Washington, D.C., as a member of Team in Training. The group helps participants train for races while runners raise funds to help support researching cures for blood cancers including leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma.
The marathon will be Brown’s second time running the 26.2 distance. His first was the DuPont Trail Marathon in 2006. Before that he had run several half-marathons.
“After I did my first half-marathon, I said there was no way I could do a full one,” he said. “But I kept training and realized it was something that I could do.”
Sylva’s Jon Brown, who recently competed in a half-marathon in Georgia, will take part in this year’s Marine Corps Marathon in Washington, D.C. Brown is taking donations for his run, with all proceeds going to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. For more information or to donate, visit http://pages.teamintraining.org/nc/corps08/jbrownyqag.
Brown had tried to run in the Outer Banks Marathon last year, but scheduling conflicts prevented him from doing so. Instead, he decided to focus his energies on the Marine Corps Marathon.
Around the time he began training for the race, Team in Training had sent out brochures about their program, but Brown at the time didn’t have a personal connection with the group’s cause. That all changed when he heard that his friend Brianne Tsavatewa had been diagnosed with leukemia.
“I had been praying a lot about it, trying to find some way to help others through running,” he said. “A lot of times, it feels like a very selfish thing. You get up early, you spend all this time training and you’re apart from your family and friends. I just wanted to do something so that it wasn’t just focusing on me.”
“Brianne is a longtime friend of mine,” he said. “I grew up with her, along with her mother, Brenda, and her brothers, Josh and Chris. I found out she had acute lymphoblastic leukemia, a form of leukemia that progresses quickly and is nearly impossible to cure. It was then and there I decided I had received my answer from the Lord concerning Team in Training. I joined up.”
Training for the marathon started in May, with Brown saying that he planned to run the race in honor of his friend; unfortunately, Brianne Tsavatewa died in June. Brown said he will be running the race in her memory and in honor of her family.
“Nine days before Bri passed on I was fortunate enough to make it down to Emory Hospital in Atlanta to see her,” he said. “We had a very nice visit, and I’m thankful to say she was so at peace with what she knew was coming soon. It really felt like we were saying ‘goodbye.’”
Now Brown is accepting donations for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, which will go towards research, patient services and education. Team in Training requested he raise $3,500, but Brown said he has set a personal goal of $5,000.
“It’s been great getting the word out about the organization,” he said. “They were a big help to Brianne and her family Thankfully I’ve been able to raise $3,800 so far. But I really want to get that extra $1,200 as well. LLS does a lot of good work and I want to raise as much money for them as I can. It’s all tax deductible for everyone who donates, and I’m not seeing one penny of it.”
Brown said donations can be made in honor/memory of someone else who has been diagnosed with cancer, and every name that is sent to him will be written on his legs the day of the race.
“Those names will keep me motivated throughout the race,” he said.
Brown also said he will be running the race in honor of Brian Letendre, one of his college friends who was killed while serving in Iraq.
It was Letendre who initially got Brown into distance running, he said. The two first met when Brown attended Milligan College to play soccer.
“I played soccer a lot,” he said. “I always enjoyed getting in shape for the high school soccer season. We’d run for that, but they wouldn’t be very long. When I went to college to play soccer, I made friends with Brian, who was really into distance running. He got me to start doing runs that were six to eight miles. I had never run that far before, but I found that I really enjoyed it. So he really got me started.”
Out of college, Brown said Letendre joined the U.S. Marine Corps and served two tours of duty in Iraq. During his second tour he was killed in action, leaving behind his wife, Autumn, and son, Dylan.
“Brian was a guy who I deeply respected,” he said. “I think he was very courageous. He’s buried in Arlington Cemetery, where the race ends. So that’s going to be a really emotional moment. Finishing a marathon is a very emotional moment – you’ve worked and trained for months to get to that point. But the fact that I’m running this race for Brianne, Brian and their families is going to make the finish really special.”
Despite the arduous training for the October race, Brown said he is looking forward to the event. Even though the Marine Corps Marathon is one of the biggest marathons in the country, he said it means a lot to him that he will be running to honor his friends and their families.
“That’s what keeps me going,” Brown said. “There’s that aspect that this is much bigger than just me. When I’m out on my training runs and there are those times where I start to feel pain in my legs, I think about Brianne’s chemotherapy treatments. I think about Autumn living without a husband and Dylan living without a dad. That makes the pain not seem bad at all. In fact, it just reminds me how small of a sacrifice I’m making – I’m not really doing anything that great.”
To make donations for Brown’s run, visit pages.teamintraining.org/nc/corps08/jbrownyqag. Donations may also be sent to Brown at 69 Ripple Run, Sylva, NC 28779. Checks should be made payable to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.
|
