I am not a runner!!!!  There is no question about that.  

I actually have said, “One thing I will NEVER do in my life is a marathon….I have no desire!” I do, however, have several friends who have committed to running marathons for Inheritance of Hope and I woke up at 3 am and stood in freezing conditions for hours to cheer them on during their route.

 God created me to be a cheerleader.  I like to stand on the sidelines and cheer (LOUDLY and EXCITEDLY) for people.  So, why am I now signed up and training to run (walk) 26.2 miles???  Two reasons:

 1) My best friend has been running a proverbial marathon for the past 8 years as she battles terminal liver cancer. She has devoted her life to sharing hope with other families in her circumstance through Inheritance of Hope. I saw her the weakest she has ever been this Fall and it scared the daylights out of me.  I knew God was in control but I was worried He was going to take her home and I would miss her so much! She is getting stronger everyday and she is going to participate in this race!!!  On October 30th I am going to wake up early and cheer on my friend. This time I am not going to cheer from the sidelines….I am going to encourage and cheer every step of the 26.2 miles as we do it together!!!  I will rejoice with each step as I celebrate God’s healing in her body.  FUN!!!

 2) Inheritance of Hope needs more support if we are going to continue serving young families with a parent battling a life-threatening illness.  I have made this my life’s work and it pains me to have families waiting to attend one of our Legacy Retreats but not enough funds to make it happen.  We need your help!  Through this marathon I hope to raise awareness of this awesome organization and gain support to help serve more families!!!

 I am STILL not a runner.  I am still a cheerleader.  I am a cheerleader with running shoes on. I have already started training and I can’t imagine going for 26.2 miles!!! It’s going to be a great adventure!