Melody Kinser
Kim Johnson, second from left, of Mechanicsville, inspired by her two young daughters, is training for the Marine Corps Marathon, which will benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Saying she is blessed to have two healthy daughters, the Henrico County police officer joins, from left, Randy West, also of Mechanicsville; Paul Fawcett, her fundraising mentor; and Tim Dey, the 40-member group’s coach. The marathon is set for Oct. 26.
With healthy daughters, mom trains for marathon to benefit cancer society
Published: July 22, 2008
By Melody Kinser
One is 4 years old and the other is 9 months old—and they are her motivation.
But this isn’t a story simply about a mother’s devotion to her daughters. This is about appreciation and inspiration.
Kim Johnson—the mother of two healthy girls—is training for a marathon in October to benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS). She couldn’t take for granted how fortunate she is, so she decided to help make a difference.
A Henrico County police officer who makes her home in Mechanicsville, she joined the Team in Training (TNT) in May to prepare for the Oct. 26 event.
Getting ready for the 26-mile trek has found the 40-member team rising early, as was the case Saturday morning when a little more than half started warming up near Paddleboat Lake at Byrd Park in Richmond.
After some instructions from their coach, Tim Dey, they split into groups targeting 8-, 10-, and 14-mile goals for the day. They started just after 6:30 a.m., with most expecting to log two hours run time as the summer heat was already inching toward the 80-degree mark.
“They did not have to recruit me,” Kim said. “I sought them out. I felt so overwhelmingly blessed to have two beautiful, healthy daughters that I longed to show my gratitude for that gift by giving some kind of hope or support to families that have not been as lucky as I have.”
She said she “did some research and learned that leukemia is the number one disease-related killer of children and young adults under the age of 20. I also learned that TNT is the largest fundraising activity of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, and it provides direct benefits to those battling blood cancers.”
She said she has “always had a goal of running a marathon and knew that running it for this cause was worth the sweat and tears that would go into training for such a difficult event.”
A small woman, the 34-year-old appears confident and ready for the rigors of the challenge.
A Hanover County educator, who also makes his home in Mechanicsville, joins Kim in the effort. Randy West, an assistant principal at Hanover County High School, lost his father-in-law, a cousin and a neighbor to lymphoma-related conditions. On the positive side, he noted “a good friend is a two-year survivor.”
Tim, coaching the team for a fifth season, became involved “because of my grandmother,” who is a non-Hodgkin’s disease survivor.
He said he stays involved because it’s “an awesome program. The patient honorees have amazing stories.” He said they are “truly inspirational.”
Tim said they train “as much as 50 miles a week,” with the norm being “25 and 30 miles a week.”
“Fifteen to 20 [team members] will come on any given Saturday,” he said.
This year’s marathon will include a triathlon and a 100-mile bike ride, providing “a range of events with the team,” Tim added.
According to Kim, the LLS works to find a cure for leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma, as well as trying to improve the quality of life of cancer patients and their families.
More than 747,000 Americans are living with a blood cancer and every 10 minutes a life is claimed by blood cancer.
“The good news is that the survival rate has risen from 4 percent in 1960 to 81 percent in the last decade,” Kim said. One of this year’s patient honorees, Emma McFeely, is now described as “a healthy, active 8-year-old who loves Hannah Montana (just like Kim’s daughter Holly), despite being given slim odds for survival after being diagnosed with an acute form of leukemia when she was just 10 weeks old.”
Emma is an example of how funds raised by the LLS aid researchers in the fight to find a cure for the disease. Her family has also received support from the LLS when they had to travel from Fredericksburg to Richmond when she was in the hospital.
The youngster’s mother had to quit her job so she could stay with her during her lengthy series of treatments.
“Seeing pictures then and now of Emma is amazing,” Kim said. “It motivates me to keep moving when I am out there.”
Since she started running with TNT, she has “been surprised by the number of people who have stepped forward and told me their personal stories about friends and family members who have fought the valiant fight against leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease or myeloma.
“It seems that nearly everyone I know has been touched by these diseases in some way. It makes this mission seem that much more personal to me now,” Kim said.
“I feel as though I am a soldier in a war, supporting a mission that affects us all. That is one of the reasons I chose the Marine Corps Marathon.” Kim will take part in the marathon around the time of daughter Sophie’s first birthday.
The Marine Corps Marathon, Kim said, is known as “The People’s Marathon,” because it is one of the only marathons in the nation that does not award cash prizes to its winners.
“People run this event for bragging rights – to say they did it. Because it is ‘The People’s Marathon,’ the organizers of the race (the United States Marine Corps) allow thousands of coveted race slots to be given to charity participants. I find that to be tremendously admirable.”
Kim said she has “made a life and a career out of serving others, and so this event was the perfect match for me.”
When she runs, she proudly wears a chain around her neck with a medallion engraved with a quote from Vince Lombardi: “I firmly believe that any man’s finest hour, the greatest fulfillment of all that he holds dear, is that moment when he has worked his heart out in a good cause and lies exhausted on the field of battle, victorious.”
As they sprinted toward the other team members, Kim, Randy, Tim and Kim’s mentor, Paul Fawcett, smiled and waved, knowing they were on the path to making a big difference in many lives.
Each TNT participant pledges to raise a certain amount of money during the five months they train for their event. Kim has set a goal of $2,100. To contribute, donations can be sent directly to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s Virginia Chapter, 511 Staples Mill Rd., Suite 202B, Richmond, VA 23228. Donors are asked to include Kim’s name on the memo line so they will be credited to her campaign. She is also accepting donations through her Web site: http://www.pages.teamtraining.org/va/corps08/kjohnovla
Her Web site also provides information on her training, the LLS and how her fundraising is progressing.
According to Kim, a minimum of 75 percent of every $1 spent by the Society goes directly to the mission and all donations are fully tax-deductible (as allowed by law). The Society is a recognized 501(c)(3) charitable organization. Its FIN is 13-5464916.
Once you are able to run 3 to 5 miles without stopping you’ll be on your way to the prestige of calling yourself a runner. Then, before you know it, you too will be able to run 7 to 10 miles several times a week and perhaps find yourself training in the zone.
