Team Captain

"I started running seriously as a mid-life crisis. And we just can’t afford to wait until our kids turn forty before they get inspired to exercise. There are so many artificial amusements for children these days, which distract them from what they would naturally love, namely, running around like maniacs. I’m happy to help bring the message to kids and schools that a little maniacal running around is a great thing."
Peter Sagal, Oak Park, Illinois

"I’ve been a runner for more than 10 years now, with my first marathon in 1996. This Chicago Marathon in 2007 will be my 14th. To me, running is a great combination of supporting my physical and emotional health. It strengthens my body while giving me the time to think and process. I enjoy running marathons because of the challenge.

"There are so many things we do in our day-to-day lives, whether at work or home, that don’t have a clear endpoint–and when one task ends, another just starts up. A marathon is a goal that you need to work hard toward achieving, and there is a clear moment when you cross the finish line and you know all the work you put into it paid off. In each marathon I’ve run, that moment has been very special and extremely rewarding. That’s probably why I keep coming back."
Mark B., Chicago, Illinois

"My interest in this very important topic was sparked by Morgan Spurlock’s “Super Size Me.” I believe a lot of health problems can be avoided with the formation of good eating habits. When younger children don’t have the capacity to do this on their own, it is our responsibility as adults to help children be healthy.

"I feel at peace when I am running. It enables me to sort through the things going on in my life and make sense of it all. Running makes me feel strong, independent, calm, and empowered. I am running for HSC because I strongly believe in their mission; children need to formulate proper eating habits now to ensure their health in the future."
Jennifer B., Chicago, Illinois

"After every run, I feel relaxed, energized, and like the weight of the day's stress has been lifted. But what I really love is knowing that I'm about to accomplish something that many people think is insane (including my father!) or impossible or simply a waste of time. I'm lucky to be surrounded by inspirational people and from each person, I take a little bit of their inspiration. What I find truly amazing is that the inspiration comes from so many different places and it helps me cope mentally with long runs, which is the hardest part. Every day I am awed by the people in my life and the great things they have achieved, and I look forward to keeping that circle going by inspiring others to achieve greatness by competing in my first marathon."
Kara C., Bolingbrook, Illinois

Julia (L), Sarah (R)

"We are committed to having our hard work make an impact beyond our personal lives. As an environmental health professional and an elementary educator, we feel strongly about this campaign. With your support, we can all work towards a healthy and safe environment for children."

Sarah Dreifuss: "As a teacher, I feel that keeping our students’ environment healthy should be our first priority."

Julia Gray: "I currently work in the Indoor Environments division at the Environmental Protection Agency in Washington, DC. Our division has a number of programs geared toward improving indoor environments. In particular, our "Tools for Schools" program provides detailed guidance as well as links to resources to help design new schools as well as repair, renovate and maintain existing facilities. I was excited to learn about your organization and to participate in raising funds and raise visibility for this issue. I feel strongly that a clean and healthy school environment is important."

Sarah D. & Julia G., Washington D.C.

"Childhood health and obesity is an important issue to me. As a child and up to three years ago, I was obese. In the fall of 2004, I decided enough was enough and started exercising. My sister, already a marathoner, introduced running to me, and two years and plenty of miles later, I have lost nearly 130 pounds, am healthy, happy and enthusiastic to help inspire others to do the same.

"As a child, I was not presented with a healthy school environment, nor was I given opportunities or education to make healthy choices for myself. This trend, I fear, led to my bad health and life outlook. I see the situation as worsening, especially in impoverished areas where children may eat all their meals, and/or receive their daily food allotment through the school system. The Healthy Schools Campaign meshes well with my personal story and my outlook at a terrifying situation. It is an honor to be a member of the 2007 Marathon Team, and even more so to help raise funds for this important cause."
Michael G., Jackson, Michigan

"For me running is both battle and retreat. It is conquering road, trail, hill, physical hurdle and mental hurdle. It is for forgetting the present, contemplating the past, and dreaming about the future. I am running this marathon to break the three hour barrier. As an educator who wants national school reform, running for the Healthy Schools Campaign makes the event less about me and more about how we all can take part in necessary change in our public schools.

"I am motivated by the innate human promises that too often life ends before we can carve ourselves into written history; that perceived physical limits were meant to be broken and that only our imaginations limit our abilities. I am inspired by my beautiful bride and my two sons who I hope to make proud. The words that sustain me are from a first century theologian/philosopher named Paul who penned the goal of humankind into a letter, and urged us to run in such a way as to attain it."
Joel H., Memphis, Tennessee

"I run to stay in shape and for the camaraderie of the sport. I have met people from all walks of life in my few short years of running. As an athletic trainer, I am proud to be a member of the HSC Marathon Team. Now more than ever, we need to make health a priority for the next generation. As someone once said to me, "If you do not have your health, how can you take care of anything else?"
Scott H., Westfield, Indiana

"I took a hiatus from regular running when my three children were born, but as the years went by I found myself feeling less energetic and 'centered.' I knew running could be a tool to get my health and fitness back on track. Since I started my second running career in 2003, I have lost about 20 pounds and I continue to progress to new marathon personal records even as I have approached, and now passed age 40. It is hard to describe the positive energy I get from the experience of participating with 40,000 others in one of America's great marathon events.

"Running Chicago 2007 on behalf of the Healthy Schools Campaign is a natural for me, since it combines my pursuit of health through running with one of my core values, which is a healthy education for my children. With a little luck, I will be an elected member of my local school board by the time I toe the line in Chicago on October 7."
David J., Cambridge, Iowa

"I am a business manager at Chicago Public Schools. The Healthy Schools Campaign is a cause I can identify with being a part of the school system of Chicago."
Lotario J., Chicago, Illinois

"As a passionate advocate for kids and physical activity and an avid runner, this is the marriage of my two loves! I'm a former elementary PE teacher and believe in the mission of Healthy Schools Campaign. This is a way for me to do something for myself and to do something good for kids and their fitness. Every little bit helps, so please show your support for kids (and me!) with your contribution."
Karen L., Athens, Georgia

"This is an area that I am passionate about. I am a cardiologist in Mississippi and have been working with senior high school students as well as the American Heart Association locally on improving the health of our children. My most recent project has been on Anytime CPR and training 7th and 8th graders in CPR so that they in turn may train family members and hopefully reduce the rates of sudden death in the families in our area.

"We have also been tackling obesity in our children (Mississippi is one of the most obese states in the country) and have made progress in removing soft drink machines in our school systems as well as improving the food choices."
 Mike M., Ridgeland, Mississippi

"I joined the Healthy Schools Marathon Team to help promote childhood healthy lifestyles and to run the marathon."
DeWayne M., Middlebury, Indiana

"This October 7, days before our son Matthew's second birthday, I’ll run my seventh Chicago Marathon, hoping to improve on my epic 20,219th-place personal best. I'm training hard and may have a shot at winning if the Chicago area's top 20,000 runners all manage to oversleep. I've come a long way since my first marathon in Honolulu, in which my wife Paula and I narrowly defeated a man running the race backward while wearing a pink leotard.

"While my participation won’t cause Kenyan runners heartburn, my run has a purpose. As an environmental lawyer and father of two, I'm pleased that this year I’ll be fund-raising for a wonderful nonprofit group, the Healthy Schools Campaign. I'm far from a born athlete (in eighth grade, the football team created a third string just for me). But this run gives me a great chance to get reconnected, to my body, to family, and to the dazzling skyline and neighborhoods of my ancestral home. It also brings me to Chicago in October just in case the Cubs do the unthinkable for the first time in 99 years. Your contribution will ensure that regardless, there will still be an important victory."
Roger M., Oakland, California

"I joined the Healthy Schools Campaign’s Marathon Team to support a very worthy cause."
Adam O., Chicago, Illinois

"I am a physical education teacher and feel strongly about this cause." Beth P., Bethlehem, Georgia

Luis R., Chicago, Illinois

"People often ask me, ‘Where do you find the time in your busy schedule to train for a marathon?’  What they don’t understand is that it’s the benefits of the training which allow me to keep a busy schedule.  Training for a race forces me to be disciplined in eating, exercising and planning my weekly schedules.  Running, eating well and living a healthy lifestyle gives me the energy to work hard and play hard.  Since I started running marathons, my life has become more balanced.

"This year I’m running The LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon to benefit Healthy Schools Campaign.  As a professional and a volunteer dedicated to improving the health and well being of children in school, this year’s marathon blends my personal and professional passions and is helping motivate me to cross the finish line."  
Rob R., Inverness, Illinois

"One of the main reasons that I'm running the Chicago Marathon this year is the sense of accomplishment that's waiting at the finish line. Running for the Healthy Schools Campaign increases my motivation because it means that I'm not only running for myself but for a great organization and the kids that it helps. I also draw a tremendous amount of motivation and support from the entire running community, including my friends and family who are running the marathon. My goal for this year's marathon is simply to be able to run the entire way without crashing at mile twenty."
Andy S., Evanston, Illinois

"I started running in high school because my best friend at the time, Blake Phillips (now Blake Russell, who has gone on to become a professional runner), encouraged me to run. As I grew up, I continued the running because it became my alone, thinking time. I still use my runs as an opportunity to reflect and sort through whatever is going on in my life.

"I started signing up for the New York Marathon in 2000. My father ran the New York Marathon in 1969 and still talks about what a great experience it was. I was rejected for four years through the lottery system before I was finally accepted. I ran my first marathon in 2005 and realized through the training that running a marathon is one part strength and ninety-nine parts determination. I decided I will run one marathon a year for as long as I feel capable.

"I signed up for the Healthy Schools Campaign because I believe in healthy lifestyles. My mother raised my siblings and me to exercise regularly and to love sports. (My mother's dream was to be a professional football player.) I think healthy living is a habit that should be formed during childhood. It is very hard to change habits as you grow older. I am thrilled to be running for a cause that teaches children and parents how to take care of themselves and as a result to feel better and live better."
Susan S., Brooklyn, New York

"I am going to be running my first marathon this October. Upping my mileage considerably has allowed my mind to wander a lot when I am running. And the one thought (besides how much I would love to walk) that kept on creeping up was how I should couple my training with a way to help the community.

"Thankfully, the Chicago Marathon organizers enable its participants to sign up to sponsor a charity in addition to signing up to run the marathon. I chose to support the Healthy Schools Campaign. Because food is such a huge and influential part of life in this country, especially for children, I believe it is important for the community to provide a healthy and nurturing environment for children to grow up in."
Tamara S., Saline, Michigan

"Of all the organizations listed on the Chicago Marathon’s website, the Healthy Schools Campaign is the most appealing to me. I couldn’t agree more with the issues you cite and the campaign you’ve mounted."
Bill S., Encinitas, California

"I work in pediatric health care and am very concerned about the lack of exercise and healthy meals in schools. New research shows that exercise improves learning. Mind and body function as one unit and should be exercised together. This is my first marathon, and I've enjoyed the training immensely."
Clare T., Chicago, Illinois

"I joined the Healthy Schools Campaign’s Marathon Team to expand awareness around empowering today’s youth."
Sima T., San Francisco, California

"I was motivated by the HSC marathon team and Rob Rogers to start running again after twenty years or so. After all the months of sore knees, calves, ankles, knees again and various other body parts, I am now ready to give it up again. No, actually even with all the rough days I feel much better than I have in a long time and I also I get to help HSC to create a healthier school environment for our children."
Paul T., Skokie, Illinois