In November 2009, my daughter, Kelly, proclaimed this news to me over the phone. Now, we are all proud of our children, but it's hard not to brag about a daughter who left her home in Pennsylvania to attend the University of South Carolina, without knowing a soul at a major university some 600 miles away. There, she not only succeeded, but thrived. She served as an intern for a South Carolina state representative. She graduated Magna Cum Laude, in just three years, earning her Master's Degree a year later. Now, like her daddy, she teaches social studies at Eastern York High School, and serves as the chairman of the department. Kelly has always been academic, hard working, and driven to succeed in whatever endeavor she sets out to complete.
She had, never, however, been a runner. In fact, the sight of her father's bruised and gnarled toenails had convinced her, as a youth, that the sport definitely was NOT for her.
Naturally, I was elated by her ambition, but skeptical at the thought of going from zero miles a week to a 26.2 mile race in seven months.
She was inspired by Team in Training, a fundraising arm of the Leukemia Lymphoma Society. Joining the team, and with the help of some capable coaches, she slowly became a runner, and in June 2010, she ran the San Diego Marathon. Along the way, she raised over $3000 for the Leukemia Lymphoma Society.
Like so many of us, she was bitten by the running bug, and decided that she would continue to run and race. She competes in races, covering all distances, a couple of times each month.
One of my proudest moments came in 2010, when we both ran the Philadelphia Marathon.
On Sunday, Kelly will run her sixth marathon, joining over 40,000 at the Chicago Marathon. This one will be the most meaningful of all. She and her fiancé, Mike Silvestrini will run the race for a very special cause.
Mike, a terrific guy, who in an old school gentlemanly manner, asked for my daughter's hand in marriage back in June, lost his mother to leukemia, two years ago. He ran his first marathon last October. This summer, he and Kelly decided to dedicate their race on Sunday to the memory of Millie Silvestrini.
Over the past few months, through fundraising efforts ranging from car washes to egg roll sales, they raised over $6000, in the name of "Miles for Millie." The proceeds will go to the Leukemia Lymphoma Society.
In May, Mike and Kelly will be married in Dewey Beach, Delaware. I'm sure, sometime, amidst the bustle of the weekend, we will all find time for a run.
I wish them the best of luck in the race. The weather forecast looks good. Good luck to all the runners in the Chicago Marathon.
Another running friend from Grenada, Mississippi, Felix Shipp, is running Chicago for the benefit of Saint Jude's Children's Hospital. Good luck Felix!
Yes, I am a proud father, and soon to be a proud father-in-law. Running is a wonderful sport, and it is sometimes bigger than ourselves
Kelly and Mike are proof of that.
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