N. Aurora man tackles two marathons with daughter in mind
Since Carl Brazendale, of North Aurora, started training in December for his first marathon, he's had to wear ear muffs, hats, gloves, lots of layers and thick tights on his outdoor training runs.
Finally on April 6 he was able to join his team in Chicago wearing running shorts and a T-shirt.
He and the rest of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Team in Training are preparing for Nashville's Country Music Marathon set for April 26.
After Carl and Jennifer Brazendale's 2-year-old daughter Hannah was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia in September the Team in Training people contacted the Brazendales to see if they were interested in this fundraising and fitness opportunity.
"I've always had it in the back of my mind to do something like this," Brazendale, 37, said. He ran track and was a sprinter back home in Australia and played Australian Rules football but never ran a marathon before.
"I went to an informational meeting in Naperville in November and walked out after I signed up to do two marathons," he confessed.
Since the training for the Chicago marathon didn't start until May, Brazendale signed up for the Nashville event so he could begin training right away in December.
"For our first run we met in Glen Ellyn and ran four miles with snow and ice everywhere," he said.
Team in Training gives all the participants a training schedule to complete on their own every day and the team meets once a week on the weekends to go on the prescribed runs together as a team.
Brazendale said he definitely wants to break the four hour mark at the Nashville site. But he's heard that the course is very hilly.
Brazendale said he made a deal with his wife that he would be gone only once a week for training. He said he is usually home by 11 a.m. after his Saturday trainings to be with his family which also includes 5-year-old Luke.
Hannah's treatment schedule and health prevent the family from seeing Carl in Nashville but he will have support from his Chicago area and Aussie friends.
His former teammates from Chicago's Australian Rules football league had a game scheduled in Nashville the week after the race. They were able to switch the game to the day of the race so the team can root for Carl in the morning and he can attend their game later that afternoon.
"Those guys are great for him," said Carl's wife Jennifer. "It's a little piece of home. They're a good support group."
During the week Brazendale wakes up at 4:30 a.m. and gets to the treadmill at Provena Mercy Center Health and Wellness Club in Aurora at 5 a.m. to run for an hour before heading into Chicago to his job at Pershing LLC.
"I'm following the training schedule and I am doing 35 miles a week, sometimes a little more," he said.
Runners who sign on with Team in Training agree to raise money for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society in exchange for expert team training and also transportation and accommodations at the marathon sites.
Each participant is paired with a patient honoree. Of course, Brazendale is paired with his daughter.
His team hears about the successes and struggles of the honorees who are affected by blood-related cancers.
Brazendale said that the team is taught how to raise money and has goals to meet before each marathon they have signed up for.
"We have no shortage of motivation and people to help," he said. "We asked one woman how she kept raising money and she told us, 'Cancer is still happening, kids are still dying and I'm still running.'"
The Brazendales' friends and family from around the world and neighbors from the North Aurora Mothers Club have helped to contribute to the cause with fundraising and support.
Team in Training and Carl set out to raise $3,400 for the Nashville Race and $1,400 for the Chicago.
"We've raised over $10,000 and we haven't gone to the first marathon yet," Carl noted.
Check out Brazendale's training Web site for his progress and to help him reach his fundraising goals for Hannah and the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. www.active.com/donate/tntil/tntilCBrazen.