For Sale: 26.2 Miles

On January 10, 2010, just sixty days from today, I will do something I never thought was humanly possible. I will run the Walt Disney World Marathon. Yes, it is true. Me, a girl that a year ago couldn't run a block let alone a mile, will run 26.2 miles. At one time. In less than 4 hours and 45 minutes. (I hope!)

Those of you who know me, or at least have been reading my blog, know why this non-athletic girl would want to run 26.2 miles. For those of you who don't, let me tell you why.

In March 2008, my sister-in-law, Amy Ellis Oliver, was diagnosed with breast cancer. Amy was amazing - she battled cancer head on. In the fall of 2008, we received the wonderful news, Amy was in remission! At that point, Amy, who was already a runner, made the decision to run the Disney World Marathon as her "I Beat Cancer Marathon." Two months later, we were devastated to learn that Amy's cancer was back and it had spread. Sitting there with my family that Christmas, I made the decision that if Amy could battle cancer, I could get off the side lines and run this marathon for her.

Amy passed away on March 9, 2009. She courageously battled cancer for nearly a year and during that time, she was blown away by the outpouring of love and support she received. Amy vowed that once she got well she would return the favour by helping other women battling breast cancer who were not as fortunate as she was to have the amazing support network she had.

On October 30, 2009, the day Amy would have turned 40, Amy's family founded The Amos Fund. Through this non-profit organization, Amy's dream of helping other women battling breast cancer lives on. The mission of The Amos Fund is to improve the lives of women who have been diagnosed with breast cancer by providing financial assistance and supportive services to help meet their needs and the needs of their family while they undergo cancer treatment, surgery and recovery.

On January 10, 2010, I will be lacing up my running shoes and preparing for the run of my lifetime. I ask you to join me as I celebrate the life of Amy Ellis Oliver.

You can ride along with me as I run the Walt Disney World Marathon. A donation to The Amos Fund in the amount of $26.20 buys you one mile with me - and you don't have do any training or even break a sweat! Through auctioning off each of the 26.2 miles I will run that day, I hope to raise nearly $700 for The Amos Fund.

Should you wish to take advantage of literally 12 months of training and over 400 miles of training runs, you can join me, from the comfort of your own home, as I run the Walt Disney World Marathon.

If you'd like to donate, email me at jennbreen@hotmail.com.