Other ADVANCE Feature Story Ideas for the
2011 Milwaukee Lakefront Marathon
To schedule interviews with any of these runners please contact:
Heidi Fendos, PR Counsel, 414.778.0766 office, 414.403.0744 cell or Heidi@fendospr.com
At 357 Pounds, She knew it was Time for a Change
In February 2011, weighing 357 pounds and being diagnosed with high blood pressure at the age of 26, Tabitha Alise knew it was time for a change. She was a pack-a-day smoker, a regular drinker and used food as an emotional crutch. Then, something when off in her head. She decided she was better than she was allowing herself to be, and that she was not valuing her life enough. Something had to change.
Inspired by Biggest Loser contestant Courtney Crozier, who had lost more than 120 lbs. before the Biggest Loser season, Alise used Crozier’s comment “You don’t have to be on Biggest Loser to lose your weight,” as her ignition.
Tabitha started keeping a food diary, joined a downtown health club and hired a personal trainer, Judy. Within 50 days she lost 50 lbs. Within four months, she lost 100 lbs., and was no longer at risk for hypertension. Then she started running and decided that this October 2 she would run the 31st Annual Milwaukee Lakefront Marathon. She currently weighs 242 lbs., so she has lost 112 pounds. She is running 4 days a week, following the Runner’s World marathon plan. She is forever a changed woman and she isn’t going to look back.
Celebrating Turning 50 Years Young
West Bend resident Mary Kay von Brendal is celebrating turning 50 in a unique way. She will be running her first marathon, the Milwaukee Lakefront Marathon, on October 2 with her eyes set on qualifying for the Boston Marathon.
Von Brendal decided to do this challenge after a chance encounter with a man named Jerry from West Bend. The elderly gentleman showed her with pride a picture of himself climbing trees with his grandchildren for his 80th birthday and told her on his 90th birthday he went parachuting and that on his 100th he would like to orbit the earth. She left his side truly inspired, thinking, “I have a milestone birthday coming up...what is something I have always wanted to do?” Her answer: Run the Boston Marathon. Hopefully this year’s Milwaukee Lakefront Marathon will be her qualifying ticket into it.
At Age 52 the Milwaukee Lakefront Marathon will be his 60th Marathon
When Mark Gershman of Scottsdale, AZ started running in college, he was 5’ 10” and weighed 230 pounds. He knew he needed to adopt a healthier lifestyle and that meant getting moving. Fast forward 20 years: At the age of 40, Gershman decided to run his first marathon. Then he set a goal of running 50 marathons before he turned 50. Now, at the age of 53, weighing a fit 144 lbs., Gershman will be traveling to Wisconsin to run his 60th marathon on October 2, at the 31st Annual Milwaukee Lakefront Marathon. He will be running with Peter Klein, a friend from Oconomowoc, and he will be proudly wearing a racing bib with his name on it to celebrate the occasion.
Gershman says that running is a sport that gives back way more than it takes. He has met many new lifelong friends and has amassed countless memories all along the way. He has been able to see the USA up close and personal. He also sees running marathons as a metaphor for his personal and professional life. He’s committed, he perseveres, he’s patient, and he’s in it for the long haul. Aside from working full-time, Gershman works part-time at running store because he enjoys motivating others and keeping runners on-task, focused, and trying to help them navigate all that comes their way.
He used to run between 5 and 8 marathons a year. However, with the tougher financial times, he’s had to dial it back a bit. Still, he manages to bundle vacations with marathon runs. His hope now is to complete 100 marathons in the next 4 to 5 years and to run marathons in all 50 states. After the Milwaukee Lakefront Marathon, he’ll be headed to Chicago for his #61 marathon a week later. Some say he’s just like the Energizer bunny that just doesn’t quit.
Runner’s World Legend Bart Yasso to talk at Expo
Dubbed the "Mayor of Running," Bart Yasso is one of the best-known figures in the running world. He is the author of “My Life on the Run,” which chronicles the heatstroke and frostbite, heartache and triumphs he's experienced while competing in more than 1,000 competitive races during his nearly 30 years with Runner's World magazine.
However, few people know why he started running competitively, how it changed his life, or how his brush with a crippling illness nearly ended his career a decade ago. Yasso will be speaking at this year’s Milwaukee Lake Front Marathon Health & Fitness Expo on September 30, Presentation Time TBD and October 1, Presentation Time TBD at MSOE’s Kern Center.
Yasso will be giving valuable and practical advice on how to become a runner for life and continually draw joy from the sport. He will also offer practical guidance for beginners, intermediate and advanced runners.
Taking the Milwaukee Lakefront Marathon to Heart
Delevan resident Dana DePuydt Foucault, is about to tackle running her first marathon at the age 36. But for Foucault, the race isn’t really about her because she’s running it in honor of her hero, her son James. Now age 5, James was born with a congenital heart defect (CHD), having a single ventricle defect and has undergone three open heart surgeries already in his short lifetime.
Foucalt is part of the Ironheart Racing Team, a group of runners who are trying to raise awareness and money for CHD research, a disease which receives very little federal funding for research despite being the #1 birth defect in children.
Foucault began casually running about 13 years ago, and said up until a year ago she would run casually with her kids in the jogger and an occasional 5K or 10K race. However, last year she ramped it up and ran two half marathons and decided she should use her love for running to help raise awareness for CHD and to also raise funds for continued CHD research.
The Ironheart Racing Team was created less than two years ago by David Watkins, a heart disease survivor living in Seattle. It’s made up of elites to beginner racers from around the world. Athletes compete in everything from 5K fun runs to Ironman triathlons and beyond to help spread awareness of CHD and healthy heart living through exercise and competition. Focault says many of the athletes are CHD survivors and are truly as inspiring as her son James!
For more information on how you can donate to The Children’s Heart Foundation on behalf of Dana’s run in this year’s Milwaukee Lakefront Marathon visit www.active.com/donate/ironheartracingteam1/DanaFoucault
At Age 71, This Colon Cancer Survivor is looking forward to Running Marathon with his Two Kids and Son-Law
William Gull, age 71, formerly of Brookfield and now a resident of Cape Coral Florida, has run marathons before but this year’s Milwaukee Lakefront Marathon will be extra special for him. The colon cancer survivor will be running it with his son Spencer, age 23 of Cedarburg, daughter Megan Gull Lane age 25 and new son-in-law Kevin Lane of West Allis. According to his children, this race is about showing their dad how much they love him since they have grown up hearing him talk about how much he loves running with his family.
As She Prepares to Turn 40, This Mom is Getting Her Kids Involved in Her 1st Marathon Run
Stay-at-home-mom Jen Carew Nemec of Menomonee Falls has been running for 15 years. However this year, with her 40th birthday right around the corner, she has decided to notch it up and participate in the Milwaukee Lakefront Marathon on October 2. She has participated in four half marathons but knows that the full marathon will require a new type of discipline and training. She has been running with her neighbor and friend Suzette Zimmerman, who will also be running her 1st full marathon, and Susan Krueger of Milwaukee.
Nemec says she doing the marathon not only for herself but also to help instill the love of running in her children. All three of her kids, Maddy age 9, Max age 7 and Matthew age 4, are actually signed up for the Lakefront Kids Marathon on Saturday, October 1 at 3 p.m. The kids have been running with other kids from their neighborhood to log 25 miles prior to their race day. They will run the last 1.2 miles of their special marathon on the Lakefront Marathon course and cross the same finish line that their moms will cross on Sunday, Oct. 2.
Marathon Unites 10 Family Members to Run with Their 63 Year-Old Mom
The 2011 Milwaukee Lakefront Marathon will be particularly special for Beverly Brunner of South Milwaukee. The 52 year-old runner with 11 years of experience and 15 marathons under her belt including two Boston Marathons will be getting her one running wish granted. She will be running the marathon with every one of her 8 kids and one of her daughters-in-law.
Ranging in age from 24 to 40, four of the children are first time marathoners and the other five have previous experience. Those joining their mom include Brian Brunner, Philip Brunner, Peter Brunner, Neil Brunner and Jenn Brunner (daughter-in-law), all of South Milwaukee; Andy Brunner of Brookfield; Joanne Cain and Wendi Quetin of Oak Creek; and Brenda Hojnacki of Muskego.
The group, which will be wearing “team Mom” running shirts with their birth order on them, will be competing for the fastest family marathon time (it is currently 3:38.02). They will also have a nice cheering section with their dad, in-laws, grandchildren (in team Grandma shirts!) and friends cheering them on for support. It is guaranteed to be a special day that the family will always remember.
He’s Running 262 Miles in 30 Days (26.2 of which is the Milwaukee Lakefront Marathon) to Support Native American Youth
Dirk Whitebreast, a 31-year-old member of Sac & Fox Tribe of the Mississippi in Iowa, is taking on the challenge of running 10 marathons in 30 days (The Milwaukee Lakefront Marathon is #6 out of 10 http://www.aspeninstitute.org/policy-work/native-american-youth/whats-new/center-announces-dirk-s-262-mile-run-support-native-youth) in an effort to raise awareness of the tragic level of youth suicide in Indian Country and other challenges faced by Native youth. All the money raised for Dirk’s 262 Mile Run will be donated to support the Center for Native American Youth.
On March 28, 2003, Dirk suffered the tragic loss of his 18 year old sister, Darcy Jo Keahna, to suicide. At that moment, in an effort to cope with the loss of his sibling, Dirk decided to take control of his life and become a healthier, stronger leader for his family, tribe and the entire community. Dirk’s running career began in the fall of 2003 and it didn’t take long for running to become his passion.
Running is important to the culture of many Indian tribes across the United States. It is a challenge to one’s body, mind, and spirit. Dirk ran his first marathon in April of 2006 and after that race he was hooked. To date, Dirk has run 29 marathons in 17 states. Today, Dirk serves as the Secretary of the Sac & Fox Tribal Council and is in his 8th year of alcohol sobriety.
Dirk hopes to share his experience of running marathons with Native youth, tribal leaders, and other organizations. Through his running, Dirk aims to first and foremost honor his sister, promote healthy living in Indian Country, and set an example of commitment, motivation, hard work and leadership for all Native American youth. Dirk’s 262 mile challenge is a symbol of strength and endurance for Indian Country, and will create hope for Native youth while playing a part in preventing and raising awareness of the tragedy of youth suicide.
Eastside Brothers and their Wives to Run Marathon Together
Todd Dunsirn and his wife Kim Forbeck of Shorewood love to run. Todd’s younger brother, Tim and his wife Megan of Whitefish Bay also have a passion for the sport. So this year they all decided that they should all run the 31st Lakefront Marathon together.
Todd, who has been running since 2007, will be running the marathon for the 4th time. He trains regularly with his wife, Kim. However, because they have 3 boys and Tim and Megan have four young daughters under the age of 9, they haven’t been able to train much together. But all say they are inspired to train knowing that they will be running the event together.
She Ran her first 5K in Jan. 2010 and Now She’s Running a Marathon
Candy Whalen of Milwaukee ran in her first 5K race in January 2010 at the age of 43 after participating in the Milwaukee Adventure Boot Camp. From that point on she was hooked. In 2010, she then went on to compete in six 5K races, one 10K, one 10 mile race, one 15K and one 50 mile relay with her Zilber LTD co-workers Tracey Repa, Shirley Zelinski, Jana Cervantes and Janet Wnuk, and one half marathon with a friend and former co-worker Cheryl Myszka of Menomonee Falls. And, although she swore she would NEVER run a marathon, when she went to cheer on some friends running in the 2010 Lakefront Marathon she got caught up in the excitement.
This year she will be running the 2011 Milwaukee Lakefront Marathon with her friend Cheryl Myszka. She says she reviews her training plan daily and feels such a sense of accomplishment already for her commitment to running this marathon. Her only goal is to finish strong knowing that she did everything she possibly could to train for it.