Runner's illness delaying Wheaton 'Reflection Run'
Because of an ill-timed case of the flu, the organizer of the eighth annual New Year's Eve Reflection Run in downtown Wheaton has changed the plan.
Instead of running 54 kilometers on Sunday to reflect on his 54th birthday, Steve Spear, director of endurance for a Christian humanitarian organization called Team World Vision, said he plans to run for 54 minutes beginning at 9:30 a.m. Monday.
He'll keep the route the same - a 1-kilometer path around a few blocks in downtown Wheaton, starting at the Wheaton 121 apartments, 121 Cross St. And he'll keep the purpose the same - raising money to bring clean water to more people in Africa.
Spear's fundraising goal for his eighth annual run is $2,700 - enough to bring water to 54 more people. As of Saturday afternoon, Spear and his supporters had raised $1,050 on a fundraising page at teamworldvision.org.