Let's Run Two (My Ernie Banks Tribute)

The odds of winning were way better than most lotteries I enter.  18% of the entrants would be drawn, versus the 1-in-200 million chance in PowerBall.  I was almost feeling confident, even though I knew the odds were still not in my favor.

At stake was entry into the New York City Marathon.  Not a free entry, mind you.  In this lottery, when you win you actually lose - roughly 300 bucks.  And you also get to torture yourself by running 26.2 miles.  So, you can see why I was so anxious.

Through a long day of selection, my name was not chosen.  I was a bit upset, but not completely dismayed.  There was another option - the Marine Corps Marathon held in Washington, DC, one week before the NYC Marathon.  This race seemed like a good fit for me - it's a little bit more of a drive, but I have only been to DC a handful of times in my life.  Besides, my father is a Marine and that just made it seem fitting.  (Note:  I would have said that he "was" a Marine, but then he would say, "Once a Marine, always a Marine," so let's just let him have that.)

Entry to the Marine Corps lottery was in mid-March. The drawing occurred last week, and though I didn't see the odds published, I felt as though they had to be better than they were for New York.  Yet again, my name went unselected.

WHAT DOES A GUY HAVE TO DO TO RUN 26.2 MILES AROUND HERE!?!?

Well... that answer is simple.  If you don't qualify for the race and your name doesn't get selected and you don't want to risk being arrested for kidnapping another runner and stealing their bib just before the start, then there's really only one way to get in: charity.

I got into the NYC Marathon last year by raising money for the American Cancer Society's DetermiNation team.  The experience they offered me was top-notch.  It included training schedules and access to a running coach and a fundraising mentor, both of whom helped me significantly.  There was a pre-race dinner where I carbed up, commiserated with fellow marathoners (some first timers and some veterans) and got to listen to speakers talk about the significance of our donations.  On race day, they offered buses to the starting line, a tent in the marathon village (with private port-a-potties, which you runners know is a tremendous benefit), and a place to meet up for drinks afterwards (which I didn't go to because my legs were killing me, but the gesture was nice).  My experience last year was amazing, so I thought why not try it again this year?

At the moment though I was still reeling a bit from bad my bad luck - especially after reading about friends who had entered these races and gotten in.  My new Twitter pal @goobermonkey78 (Gotta love Twitter) had entered 4 lotteries and was chosen EVERY TIME!  I have entered 4 lotteries myself, with an 0-for-4 record.  I was just sick and tired of my bad luck and realized that maybe sometimes you just have to make your own luck.  I thought, "Screw it... I can raise the money.  I did it once, I'll do it again."

Only, one issue came to mind - namely that last year I relied heavily upon the "fat guy loses weight and runs marathon," theme, and I think that helped me raise a lot of money.  This year, I don't really have that.  What could I do, what could I do...

So I reached out to my old pal Ramon Bermo at DetermiNation and PRESTO... This year I'll be running TWO marathons, the Marine Corps and New York City in back to back weeks!  How's that for one-upping the fat-guy storyline?  How ya like me now, LOTTERY!

I was feeling pretty proud of myself for taking on yet another personal challenge, especially for such a great cause.  If there was someone around to high-five me, it would have been fitting.  But that's when it really hit me:  Umm... I just agreed to run two marathons back-to-back.  AND.... there's the matter of me raising $5,000.  

I had better get to work.  My fundraising page is up, but I really haven't finished it yet.  I'm still editing (and it largely uses a lot of the same jokes from this blogpost.)  I'm not sure that what I've  gotten myself into has really sunken in, but I know I had better get started training and fundraising.  May the odds be ever in my favor.