(As of 2010)

In my words…

This summer, when I got the brochure in the mail I was about to throw it away without a second glance like I typically do with things that come in the mail.  I honestly couldn’t tell you what made me think twice but I picked the purple pamphlet back up and something grabbed me.  I was an athlete in high school and have continued to dance in college, but I was NOT a runner.  I took the brochure back up to my room and something made me e-mail Megan Meyers for more information.  I couldn’t stop thinking about the prospect that I could actually train to run 13.1 miles while raising money for cancer all the while.  I started googling Team In Training and found lots of blogs from past participants saying they wouldn’t trade the experience for anything so I decided this was something I might be able to do.  My dad was actually in Ireland at the time but I texted him and said, “Sorry to interrupt the Guinness, but we are running a half marathon”.  I was hooked.

My dad and I went to the information meeting and we both knew it was something we could and had to do.  We signed up right then and there and had our fundraising letter sent a week later.  We set up our fundraising site in honor of and in memory of two amazing women, my mom’s cousins Bunny who lost her battle to Lymphoma years back and a good friend of mine’s cousin, a new wife and mother who had been battling lymphoma for 5 years.  The donations started pouring in and we were amazed by the support of family and friends.  We started running together before official training began and I barely made it through our first 2 mile run.  What had I got myself into!

When we finally got to meet Coach Kevin and the rest of the Disney Team I was so encouraged by this diverse group of people all working together toward the same goal.  As the miles on the trail began to add up, it was so great to be running and pass a teammate who would yell “GO TEAM!”.  We were all in it as a team and our fundraising efforts continued.  An avid Ravens’ fan, my father hosts a tailgate before every home game.  We began raffling off various sports items and memorabilia and people were so quick to help out.  Writing all those thank you notes got a bit rough but I was so happy to have so many to write!

About two months ago I was contacted by a girl who attends my old high school.  She told me that she had recently lost her best friend, Amanda, to ALL last May.  As I looked at the pictures of Amanda’s shining face and read her story, I remembered why I was doing this.  I run because I can.  I’m running for all those who are too sick to.  I run to give them a chance to run again one day soon.  Having my dad by my side every step of the way has been such an amazing bonding experience for us as we work together knowing we are changing lives.  We may never meet the people we are helping, but what we are doing is linking us to so many people out there who might have a second chance.  We have raised $12,000+ so far and I was so inspired by my Team In Training experience that I have recently signed up to run the Disney Princess Half in March as a part of Virtual Team In Training.  It’s been great to meet (on facebook) so many more great people who are fighting to save lives.  I will also be running and mentoring with the Maryland Team for the San Diego Marathon on June 6th!

We just completed our longest group run, 10 miles, this past weekend and if you would have told me 4 months ago that I would be running 10 miles (in 25 degree whether I might add) I would have honestly laughed and told you not to hold your breathe.  But I did it and I am loving every second of it.  Like so many of those blogs I read back in August when I got that purple brochure in the mail said, I now too know that Team In Training has changed my life and my experience with TNT is something I wouldn’t trade for anything.  I hope to stay involved for a long time to come…they got me hooked, now they’re stuck with me!

In Their Words…

Article HERE published by Disney Wide World of Sports

College Student, Katye McNulty, Makes a Difference as a Team In Training Member

Katye McNulty, 21, of Timonium, Maryland, was never much of a runner but this summer a purple brochure turned up in her mail that caught her eye. She almost tossed it but something made her look twice. Next thing she knew she had dragged her father to an information meeting for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Team In Training charity sports training program, and they were hooked. They signed up, along with her uncle, to do the WALT DISNEY WORLD® Half Marathon, which they completed on January 9. They worked out as part of a team for over four months, with high caliber certified coaches encouraging them every step of the way. In return, they raised $19,000 to support blood cancer research and patient services.

“I’m not exaggerating when I say my TNT journey changed my life,” McNulty says.

Now she is a mentor for the Maryland chapter of LLS Team in Training program, helping motivate newcomers to the program, giving them advice on fundraising.

McNulty is currently training for the Disney Princess Half Marathon in March. A student at Loyola University, McNulty opted for the Virtual Team In Training program, which offers all the benefits, from personalized training from certified coaches, fundraising support and transportation to the venue of your choice, but provides the coaching via an online component. Teammates can communicate with each other via social networking such as Facebook.

When Katye is training she has several close family friends in mind. There is Lindsey, a young mother and wife, battling lymphoma for the fifth time. There is her mother’s cousin, Bunny, who died from lymphoma several years ago. And a friend of a friend from high school, Amanda, who died at age 15 from acute myelogenous leukemia.

“My first attempt at “training” was a horrible two mile run/walk that I barely made it through. I wanted to give up but I remember the women I was honoring with this journey. If these three women could endure what they did, then heck I could push myself through these 13 miles!” Katye recalls.

Katye enjoyed her Disney experience so much the first time she chose to return for Disney’s Princess Half Marathon which will bring women of all ages together to participate in a magical event designed just for them. The Disney princesses are the inspiration for the weekend’s events, with a focus on the attributes each princess possesses: commitment, courage, determination, fantasy, perseverance and strength. The route will take participants from the Epcot Center parking lot through the Magic Kingdom® Theme Park, Tomorrowland and Cinderella Castle.

“I grew up thinking I was Belle (that’s actually what my boyfriend calls me) and the whole idea of an entire race based around the princess fantasy was just amazing,” says Katye. “I love that you get to pick your favorite princess for your bib and that the medal is a tiara! Two of my favorite things, princesses and TNT together!”