Ten Runners, 24 Hours, and One Fight for a Cure
NEIRAD enilno edition
In 2006, Darien High School’s top runners joined together for the first ever DHS 24-Hour Relay. This year, 10 top distance runners will unite to do it again on June 27 at Darien High School. The 24-Hour Relay is a run to raise money for the Logan McGovern Foundation in coordination with the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.
Cystic fibrosis is a life-threatening genetic disease that affects about 30,000 children and adults in the United States. The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation has been the driving force behind the pursuit of a cure for this disease. Logan McGovern is a young victim of CF who lives in Darien. On the Laps for Logan II Web Site, Logan’s father, Mark McGovern, is quoted: “ Cystic Fibrosis is a disease whose treatment has come a long way in a relatively short period of time. It wasn’t long ago that children diagnosed with CF did not live much past their teens. Today it is not unusual for people with CF live well into their 40’s and 50’s, and the credit for this has to go to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation is a leader in financing drug studies and moving these new treatments forward to patients. It is amazing what they do with so little. I am sure we will see a cure for CF in Logan’s lifetime due to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation’s efforts.”
Logan will be entering the 4 th Grade at Ox Ridge Elementary School next fall. “ Logan is a very enthusiastic and energetic boy,” junior Jake McCauley said. He has high hopes for this year’s relay and is excited to see the team run.
The 2009 squad is made up of seniors Stuart Austin, Cam Bogie, James Carroll, Robert Hendrickson, Garrett Loeffelman, Pat Luongo, Artem Skobrev, Peter Watson, and Cam Webster, and juniors Jake McCauley, Alex Reynoso and Tommy Ross. The final 10-man team will be determined by fitness at race time. These participants will take part in an extremely grueling physical feat.
Each runner will run a one-mile leg on the DHS track before handing off to the next runner. With 10 runners participating, the competitors will run a mile approximately once every hour.
For the week leading up to the intense night, all members of the relay team are going to be eating a large quantity of carbohydrates and drinking tons of water. The team will continue through the entire night with little rest in between. “We may get about 40 minutes for sleeping in between if we’re lucky,” McCauley said.
The idea of the relay is that there is always one teammate running a mile at any given time during the 24 hours. The 2006 team ran 241 miles, averaging a little less than six minutes per mile. “My personal goal is to get under six minutes for every leg,” James Carroll said. “That’s basically the team’s goal average.”
The team has been raising money through fundraising efforts throughout town. Donors can pledge a donation per mile for a runner, the whole team based on the number of total miles run, or make a general donation to the Logan McGovern foundation. The runners have a Web site where people can make donations. Prospective donors can visit www.cff.org to find out how to give money. The 2006 relay raised more than $17,000 for Cystic Fibrosis. This year’s team is hoping their efforts will produce even more.
Shortly after the school year comes to a close, 10 brave runners will participate in the battle against Cystic Fibrosis. Don’t forget to stop by the DHS track on Saturday June 27 th to cheer on our runners and support a great cause!
Information courtesy of Laps for Logan II Web Site
