What started as a dare for a group of moms training for the Patrick Henry Half Marathon ended as a major fund raiser for a local charity with Roger Reynolds wearing a pink running skirt for the entire 26.2 miles of the SunTrust Richmond Marathon.
Several months ago, Reynolds signed up for both the Chicago and Richmond Marathons as part of the “Double Marathon Challenge.” The races are scheduled about a month apart (Chicago in October and Richmond in November) and he set a goal to raise $10,000 in pledges for CJ’s Thumbs Up Foundation (CJSTUF.org).
“Everyone, including me, questioned my sanity.” says Reynolds (44). “I‟ve done marathons before and it has taken me quite a long time to recover afterwards. I wasn‟t sure how I was going to do two in a month.
Which is why he recruited trainer, Rachel Pustilnik. Pustilnik operates a local Stroller Strides group and a running club called The Mother Runners, and included Reynolds in their Saturday morning training runs. With sound advice from Pustilnik and strong support from “The Mothers” as they are sometimes known, Reynolds steadily increased his weekly mileage. “I‟ve actually come to view 10 miles as a good solid run and not something to be scared of,” Reynolds stated, “and I give a great deal of the credit to The Mothers.”
Reynolds runs not only to try to stay in shape, but also as a form of therapy to help him deal with the January loss of his and his wife’s, Rachel’s, 4-year old daughter Charlotte Jennie to a brain tumor. They founded CJSTUF.org to assist other families going through similar experiences.
While training with the Mother Runners, Reynolds challenged them to raise $1,000 for CJSTUF.org via the Double Marathon Challenge. If they did, he would wear a pink running skirt during an upcoming race. Needless to say, via an online auction and individual donations, the Mothers came up with the cash and RunningSkirts.com donated the skirt so on Sept 18, Reynolds wore it during the ReeseStrong 5K in Mechanicsville.
But that didn‟t end it. Reynolds decided to go one further. As the date for the Richmond Marathon drew near, he announced that if he hit his $10,000 goal for CJSTUF.org, he’d wear the skirt for entire 26.2 miles of the marathon. “That last week was a little bit of a nail biter as we still had almost $3,000 to go to reach the goal. Once we announced the deal with the skirt, though, it was off to the races!”
Although totals are still being tallied, it is certain that the $10,000 mark was reached a couple days before the race and the pink skirt once again made an appearance.
During the race, Reynolds was greeted by whoops and hollers by spectators along the route. “Probably the most common things I heard were cheers for the skirt and, “It takes a real man to wear a pink skirt.‟ It was really very comfortable and I don‟t get embarrassed very easily.”
What ended up being most difficult for him was the last three miles of the race. His knees were causing him extreme pain and the fatigue of the combined 52.4 miles had been setting in for several miles. “I could hardly lift my feet off the ground and even small cracks in the pavement were sizable obstacles. And Oh! That last downhill…If this had happened before January 2009 (when Charlotte‟s brain tumor was diagnosed), I would have said it was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. As it is, thinking about Charlotte’s strength and what she went through for a year made my discomfort seem almost trivial. She’s the reason I run.”
Rachel Pustilnik of the Mother Runners had this to say, ”No one can begin to understand the inner strength it took to get across that finish line…But [he] dug deep, and with CJ by [him] every step of the way, [he] did it.”
Because of the $10,000+ raised, CJSTUF.org will be able to dramatically increase the amount of financial assistance they distribute to families of children in the hospital.
“I‟ll be thanking everyone for the rest of my life,” Reynolds said. “I‟m surrounded by amazing people who helped me do this; especially my wife, Rachel. We‟re definitely in this together.”
Not resting on their laurels, CJ’s Thumbs Up Foundation is holding a “Citations For CJ” event at Henry Clay Elementary School in Ashland this Saturday, November 20 from 9am-noon. Motorists can drive through the bus rotunda and be given a “ticket” by Ashland Police Chief Doug Goodman. “Fines” (otherwise known as “donations”) can range from $5 for a basic infraction to $25 for a complete sobriety check. There will also be a “jail”, strolling music supplied by Susan Greenbaum and other local musicians, celebrity judges Mark Joy and Ashland Mayor Faye Prichard, and the Chick-fil-A cow. Go to www.cjstuf.org/citationsforcj for more details.
