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Alumni run marathon to honor aunt battling cancer
Oct 30, 2007 12:00 AM
By Tannika King - Faculty
Written by Severo Avila, Rome News-Tribune Features Editor, published 10/28/07
Rome natives Jennifer Helbing ('98) and Beth Marek ('95) have a race to run. The sisters will join thousands upon thousands of fellow runners in the New York City Marathon on Nov. 4.
But while each runner has his own motivation for pushing his body to the limit over the challenging 26-mile course, Helbing and Marek (formerly Jennifer and Beth Brewster) are running in honor of a woman who is in a race of her own … against time and a disease she’s determined to beat.
Anne Somerville, a first grade teacher at Darlington's Lower School, is Helbing’s and Marek’s aunt. In 2000 she was diagnosed with breast cancer and is battling the disease with chemotherapy and other treatments each week.
“Beth and I have been running for years and years,” Jennifer said. “She has done marathons before but I’ve never done a full one. We picked the New York marathon to do because it’s just an amazing race. And we decided that we’d run to honor Anne whose strength is a big motivation to us. And we’re also raising money for breast cancer research.”
So far, Beth and Jennifer have raised $2,700 that will go toward breast cancer research at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.
The New York City Marathon course covers all five boroughs of the city. It begins on Staten Island and winds through Brooklyn and Queens, across the East River and into Manhattan. The race crosses briefly into the Bronx before returning to Manhattan then proceeds south through Harlem, down Fifth Avenue and finally into Central Park where runners finish outside the famed Tavern on the Green.
In all, runners must cover a grueling 26 miles in what is now the largest marathon race in the world with 37,866 finishers in 2006. Beth said she and Jennifer are thrilled to run the marathon but doing it in honor of Anne has given them a special motivation.
“It is so hard when someone you care so much about gets sick,” she said. “You just feel so helpless. When I found the opportunity to raise money to support breast cancer research and to run a marathon I couldn’t pass it up.
“I wanted Anne to know how much I cared about her and running this race for her and raising the money is all about that. This will always be a very special race because of that.”
Even though they’ve both been running for years, Beth and Jennifer both said that preparing for the New York City Marathon is a daunting task knowing that many people don’t even finish the race. Beth lives in Texas and Jennifer is a pre-k teacher at Darlington's Lower School. So without the benefit of a running partner for motivation, they’ve each developed their own routine for training.
For Beth, the “long runs” are the most important part of her regimen. Every weekend since she started to train for the marathon she has increased the mileage of each run and has gotten up to 20 miles consistently.
“I also ran lots of hilly courses because the marathon is supposed to be really hilly and I did runs where I practiced my race pace. I think rest and sleep are also very important while training.” Beth said she did a lot of swimming and biking on “rest days” to keep from getting hurt.
A Cartersville resident, Jennifer has been training for about five months. She runs everyday and does track workouts. Like Beth, her long runs get longer each time and she just recently got up to 22 miles. The hardest part about training for such a big race, she said, is finding the time and mustering the discipline.
“Being very goal-oriented, running and racing is a great way for me to channel my competitiveness,” she said. “While training for the marathon by running and strength training, I have never struggled so much physically and mentally. But at the same time I’ve never felt so exhilarated.”
And while the physical aspect of the race is challenging enough, there’s also an emotional element to their journey. Anne’s struggle is always on their minds.
“When they asked if they could do this for me I was overwhelmed,” Anne said. “And I continue to be amazed at their commitment.”
Beth and Jennifer will meet in New York City on Nov. 2. They’ll do some sightseeing and on the fourth, will wake up early in the morning for the start of perhaps the biggest race of their lives.
NBC Sports will air a one-hour highlight show of the marathon beginning 3 p.m. on Nov. 4. Anne said she’ll certainly be looking out for a possible glimpse of Beth and Jennifer.
The women have promised that however tough the race gets, they refuse to quit.
“Anne can’t give up so neither can we,” Jennifer said. “We both hope to run the entire way but if we have to walk we’ll do that. If we have to crawl across that finish line we’ll make sure we get across. This isn’t about us really. We’re doing this for a cause that’s much bigger than either of us. So there’s no giving up.”
Anne said when the girls approached her with the idea of running in her honor, she suddenly realized that her battle with cancer was like a marathon of her own.
“It takes courage and determination and it takes discipline and strength,” she said. “Yes it’s hard. Yes, I get tired and sometimes your body wants to give up, but I won’t. I have to finish the race God has set forth for me. It’s taken a lot out of me but I’m gonna finish.”
Rome natives Jennifer Helbing ('98) and Beth Marek ('95) have a race to run. The sisters will join thousands upon thousands of fellow runners in the New York City Marathon on Nov. 4.
But while each runner has his own motivation for pushing his body to the limit over the challenging 26-mile course, Helbing and Marek (formerly Jennifer and Beth Brewster) are running in honor of a woman who is in a race of her own … against time and a disease she’s determined to beat.
Anne Somerville, a first grade teacher at Darlington's Lower School, is Helbing’s and Marek’s aunt. In 2000 she was diagnosed with breast cancer and is battling the disease with chemotherapy and other treatments each week.
“Beth and I have been running for years and years,” Jennifer said. “She has done marathons before but I’ve never done a full one. We picked the New York marathon to do because it’s just an amazing race. And we decided that we’d run to honor Anne whose strength is a big motivation to us. And we’re also raising money for breast cancer research.”
So far, Beth and Jennifer have raised $2,700 that will go toward breast cancer research at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.
The New York City Marathon course covers all five boroughs of the city. It begins on Staten Island and winds through Brooklyn and Queens, across the East River and into Manhattan. The race crosses briefly into the Bronx before returning to Manhattan then proceeds south through Harlem, down Fifth Avenue and finally into Central Park where runners finish outside the famed Tavern on the Green.
In all, runners must cover a grueling 26 miles in what is now the largest marathon race in the world with 37,866 finishers in 2006. Beth said she and Jennifer are thrilled to run the marathon but doing it in honor of Anne has given them a special motivation.
“It is so hard when someone you care so much about gets sick,” she said. “You just feel so helpless. When I found the opportunity to raise money to support breast cancer research and to run a marathon I couldn’t pass it up.
“I wanted Anne to know how much I cared about her and running this race for her and raising the money is all about that. This will always be a very special race because of that.”
Even though they’ve both been running for years, Beth and Jennifer both said that preparing for the New York City Marathon is a daunting task knowing that many people don’t even finish the race. Beth lives in Texas and Jennifer is a pre-k teacher at Darlington's Lower School. So without the benefit of a running partner for motivation, they’ve each developed their own routine for training.
For Beth, the “long runs” are the most important part of her regimen. Every weekend since she started to train for the marathon she has increased the mileage of each run and has gotten up to 20 miles consistently.
“I also ran lots of hilly courses because the marathon is supposed to be really hilly and I did runs where I practiced my race pace. I think rest and sleep are also very important while training.” Beth said she did a lot of swimming and biking on “rest days” to keep from getting hurt.
A Cartersville resident, Jennifer has been training for about five months. She runs everyday and does track workouts. Like Beth, her long runs get longer each time and she just recently got up to 22 miles. The hardest part about training for such a big race, she said, is finding the time and mustering the discipline.
“Being very goal-oriented, running and racing is a great way for me to channel my competitiveness,” she said. “While training for the marathon by running and strength training, I have never struggled so much physically and mentally. But at the same time I’ve never felt so exhilarated.”
And while the physical aspect of the race is challenging enough, there’s also an emotional element to their journey. Anne’s struggle is always on their minds.
“When they asked if they could do this for me I was overwhelmed,” Anne said. “And I continue to be amazed at their commitment.”
Beth and Jennifer will meet in New York City on Nov. 2. They’ll do some sightseeing and on the fourth, will wake up early in the morning for the start of perhaps the biggest race of their lives.
NBC Sports will air a one-hour highlight show of the marathon beginning 3 p.m. on Nov. 4. Anne said she’ll certainly be looking out for a possible glimpse of Beth and Jennifer.
The women have promised that however tough the race gets, they refuse to quit.
“Anne can’t give up so neither can we,” Jennifer said. “We both hope to run the entire way but if we have to walk we’ll do that. If we have to crawl across that finish line we’ll make sure we get across. This isn’t about us really. We’re doing this for a cause that’s much bigger than either of us. So there’s no giving up.”
Anne said when the girls approached her with the idea of running in her honor, she suddenly realized that her battle with cancer was like a marathon of her own.
“It takes courage and determination and it takes discipline and strength,” she said. “Yes it’s hard. Yes, I get tired and sometimes your body wants to give up, but I won’t. I have to finish the race God has set forth for me. It’s taken a lot out of me but I’m gonna finish.”
