Running for Rotary

Bert Huelmann

Bert Huelmann, a member of Bellevue Sunrise Rotary is forming an organization to be known as “Running for Rotary.” Bert, a veteran of six marathons, is proposing Rotarians join together to “compete” at the Portland Marathon on October 5, 2003.

Bert points out that Rotarians can ‘run or walk.’ From his own personal experience, “I know that running a marathon can change your life. Six years ago I was smoking a pack of cigarettes a day, working in my office more than 50 hours a week, weighing 30 pounds more than today. Running a marathon would not have crossed my mind in my wildest dreams. But, slowly, I picked up walking, bicycling, weight lifting, jogging, and little by little, increased my fitness level.

“I’ve run 6 marathons since then, but I treasure my first finisher medal most. It was a hard piece of work to get in shape for it. I show the medal to everybody coming to my house. It is a reminder for me that I can do almost everything when I put my mind to it. Today, I can run up stairs without getting out of breath, taking 2 steps at a time; hike up Mt. Si without breaking a sweat; and have lost more than 30 pounds. Running my first marathon changed my life for the better; and I want to share this experience with fellow Rotarians.”

“Running for Rotary“ works together with the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society to help find a cure for blood-related cancers and because of their excellent marathon training program. Every year more than 100,000 people are diagnosed with blood-related cancers like leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease, and myeloma. Every year about 58,000 people die from these cancers. That means every nine minutes a child or adult dies from blood,related cancer. That’s 160 people every day. We might be very lucky that nobody in our families is affected by blood-related cancers, but who knows, any of us could be next.

As mentioned before, the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society has an excellent marathon training program called Team in Training. Together with Team in Training, runners and walkers are prepared for a marathon through expert coaching. This is a wonderful resource to make it to the finish line! The program starts with a 4- to 5-month comprehensive training program, daily training schedules, weekend group workouts, clinics on nutrition, injury prevention, equipment, and race strategy. It also includes round-trip transportation to the event, hotel accommodation for race weekend, and race entry registration. Thousands of people have finished a marathon with the help of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Team in Training.

Together, at “Running for Rotary,“ we can share the experience of preparing, participating, and finishing a marathon! We can work together to increase awareness for Rotary, help to find a cure for blood-related cancers, and improve personal health and fitness. Together we can make a difference in the lives of thousands of people and get into shape to walk or run a marathon! 

Please join “Running for Rotary“ to run or walk at the Portland Marathon in early October. For additional information or to sign up send email to info@RunningForRotary.com.