Day 22

Pierre, SD ➡️ Mitchell, SD

Today was another 12-mile day, and I ran for Xenia and Nathaniel.

Each morning, we read a story from someone who has been positively impacted by the Ulman Foundation or just wants to share his/her story. Each and every one of these stories is touching, and the individuals sharing their stories (or the story of a loved one) show such strength and resilience. Today we read Xenia’s story; Xenia is a cancer survivor and has overcome so much through her treatments for endometrial cancer, so I dedicated my miles to her. I also dedicated my miles to Nathaniel, the son of a woman I met at a fundraising event. After I shared about my dad and the Ulman Foundation’s cause, she came up to me and shared that her son had recently been diagnosed with leukemia and that she was touched by the 4K for Cancer’s cause. Today was for Nathaniel and Xenia!

It was a day filled with a lot of hills - during one leg there was a solid 4-mile stretch of uphill that my partner and I ran - so Xenia and Nathaniel kept me motivated. I have thoroughly enjoyed being able to run for so many others affected by cancer, and for the loved ones of every person on this team. During a meeting yesterday, we were discussing how our “why” for doing 4K has changed or grown over the past few weeks, and most of us said something about how we did not expect to be so incredibly touched by each other’s stories. We knew that we would be running for so many people we don’t know and those we would meet along the way, but we have gotten to know each other so well that teammates’ stories are becoming internal and personal motivators, not just external. The relationships we are forming with each other add another incredibly touching layer to this journey; it’s been a great opportunity for personal growth as well as growth in and through other people.