Over 8 months ago, I stumbled upon an opportunity to run the Chicago Marathon. I immediately came to the conclusion, that I was not going to run. I had accomplished the goal of running a marathon before, crossed it off my list and was satisfied. However, as the day went on, I could not get this Chicago Marathon opportunity out of my head. A friend, Liz Bursten and her story, kept bouncing around in my mind. She is the wife of one of my lifelong friends who has overcome adversity and risen to many challenges.

While we were in college, Liz started dating one of my best friends, Spencer Bursten. Liz was always a positive, determined person, who endured a lot of pain in her foot/ankle. There were many times when Liz was in a walking boot, on crutches and even having surgeries. Nothing seemed to help, but I remember her saying she was going to walk down the aisle on her own on her wedding day on her two feet. It was inspiring to watch Liz and Spencer walking down the aisle as a married couple and then dancing at their reception, all the time knowing that Liz was probably in a lot of pain. Shortly after the wedding, Liz and Spencer made a trip to Oklahoma City where Liz would have a below-knee amputation. That was in 2016. Fast forward to 2019 and Liz plays tennis, golf, runs track, is a mom, and does not let her below-knee amputation define her or what she does. This grit and determination has inspired me to push myself and help others.

Dare2Tri is an amazing organization that had a few spaces open for people to raise money for their cause and in return have the opportunity to run the Bank of America Chicago Marathon. Dare2Tri is a para-triathlon club with a tagline that could not be more true "One Inspires Many".

One Inspires Many… and when I thought about that more, I realized just how true that message was. Liz's story, and watching her never be satisfied with what life threw at her, inspired me to run and raise money for other athletes with disabilities and give them the opportunity to set and reach goals.

My goal is to raise $1,500 for Dare2Tri and any amount you donate will give many athletes with disabilities opportunities to reach their goals.