Sometimes there’s some things that catch your heart and make you suck in your breath as you read. One where before you know it your totally engulfed in the story and you can’t stop reading and then before you can stop your fingers your googling it and wondering if it’s all really true. One of my good friend’s Tommy alerted me to this cool benefit that is happening. They have a bunch of stuff up for auction on Facebook and being a runner, some of these things are AMAZING. To some they may just be another autograph, but to those of us who train, and who know the time it takes and how much dedication and perseverance these people have, it’s a piece of inspiration that can never be replaced. I wanted to share it with you guys because some of this stuff is seriously special and one of a kind opportunity, and helping out the cause and hearing Jenny’s story is one to share to remind us all that we need to be careful while running and to remember to enjoy the fact that we can run.

You can read her entire story at Runner’s World here, and I advise you to take the ten minutes to do so. It truly is heartbreaking.

I read it and here’s a brief glimpse of the things that truly touched my heart. Jenny was a world-class athlete that shows a lot of guts and worked incredibly hard. She raced cross country in high school and placed very well. Though not as successful in college, she worked hard and still was a standout. By the beginning of 1995, Jenny, then 27, seemed solidly launched on her professional and personal paths. Despite her success, she felt haunted by the Olympic dreams of her childhood, and made a New Year’s resolution to qualify for the 1996 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials. That December, at the Tucson Marathon, Jenny made good on her vow, barely meeting the Trials qualifying time with a 2:50:01 performance. Nine weeks later, she finished 84th in the Trials in Columbia, South Carolina.

She steadily improved over the next few years, running a 1:15:05 PR at the 1997 World Half-Marathon Championships. In 2000, she finished 14th in the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials and four years later, at the 2004 trials, finished 11th with a 2:37:36 PR. That race formed the first part of a trilogy of peak midcareer performances: in the fall of 2004, at age 36, her 2:41:06 clocking at the New York City Marathon placed her 15th overall and first among American women; a year later at the World Championships in Helsinki, she finished 36th in 2:39:02.

In August 2007, at age 39, Jenny was beginning to focus on the next spring’s Olympic Marathon Trials, and to look ahead to a career on the masters’ circuit when something tragic happened. While out on her run, she was hit by a car going 30 mph. She experienced substantial brain damage and the trauma to Jenny’s parietal lobe, located at the top of her head, created a loss of spatial awareness; the one-time national-class distance runner, who was also an accomplished cyclist and swimmer, now struggles to grasp a tea cup. Injuries to Jenny’s occipital lobe, meanwhile, located at the back of her head, limit her ability to read. Her short-term memory impairment results from her injured temporal lobes, while her difficulty with walking results from the trauma to one whole hemisphere of her brain that integrates sensory perception and motor skills. Damage to her brain stem, finally, restricts both her sense of balance and her ability to swallow.

There is also this article about her and this site with updates of the benefits and things going on for her and her family.

They say that Jenny “Makes it Happen” every day. I think that is a great motto to keep in the back of your mind. What are you doing to make it happen? They are continuing to raise money for Jenny and her family and have some incredible things up for auction on facebook. They have a lot of cool stuff, like some concert tickets, event tickets, but some of the ‘running’ prizes are amazing. I highlighted just a few but PLEASE become a fan on facebook to be updated on any new auctions and benefits going on. You can find the facebook page HERE.

The items will be offered on-line only and those that are available for pre-bid. We have established a (modest) minimum bid for each item but certainly expect that the items will ultimately be released at bids in excess of the minimums

Bids will be accepted using an e-mail address set up exclusively for this purpose – [email protected] When indicating your interest in an item or items, please be VERY specific about the item number and (to be safe) include a short description of the item. We will up-date the bids at least once a day and will note the current bid in the item description. Once you have been awarded the item, we will provide the link to the payment site and will release the item to you upon confirmation of the payment. If you have questions regarding an item, please contact [email protected] – do not use the bid e-mail address.

This seems really cool because you get elite status for the bay to breakers. That is a once in a life time opportunity.

99th ING Bay to Breakers 12k – Item Closes March 1, 2010 6pm CST – Speaking of iconic races…Bay to Breakers defines the term. This race starts in downtown San Francisco and finishes in Golden Gate Park – this is the race famous for the centipedes, outrageous costumes, nak** runners, and everything else that San Francisco has to offer. This is a race that sells out, leaving many runners disappointed and whining… Want to run in 2010? Not to worry, we have 2 “Run with the Elites” packages for the May 16, 2010 race. This package includes 2 guaranteed seeded bibs to start with elites, press conference & lunch, training run, race am breakfast and transportation back to start all with elites; VIP access to post race elite tent; and technical shirts. Almost priceless but available to a generous bidder.

Minimum bid: $200
Current bid $250

The following Milwaukee-area items close on February 3, 2010 at 6pm CST.

All Close for pre-bids on February 3, 2010 at 6pm CST and become part of the auction at the Benefit on 2/4. Note that the newest items are posted first – scroll down for more items and see the photo album for items available at the event.

Lance Armstrong autographed Trek RIDE FOR HOPE jersey – size small. Imagine a LANCE ARMSTRONG jersey! This is truly a spectacular item and definitely suitable for framing!

Minimum bid: $100
Current bid: $150

3 month Bronze Star Coaching Program – Coach Darren De Rueck. Darren De Reuck has been coaching runners for 22 years. Beginning in 1988, he coached club level as well as elite runners in his native South Africa. In 1993, he began serving as a training partner to his wife, Colleen De Reuck, always advising the Coach and later becoming her coach.

Minimum bid: $150
Current bid:

2010 Boston Marathon VIP Spectator Package – Race day seating in bleachers at the Boston Marathon finish line + two race day hospitality invitations. A priceless gift for that special partner or friend who has supported you in your Boston Marathon training.

Minimum bid: $300
Current bid: $400

2009 New York City Marathon Poster – An official 2009 NYC Marathon poster signed by all four marathon Winners – Meb Keflezighi, Derartu Tulu, Kurt Fearnley, and Edith Hunkeler. View a copy of the poster in the Auction Photo Album.

Minimum bid: $150
Current bid: $150

This is like the dream of all dreams. How insane would this be?!

Weekend in Portland, OR for a “Day in the Life of the Oregon Project” – Another priceless opportunity. The winning bidder and a lucky friend will be hosted by Amy Yoder Begley (http://www.yoderbegley.com/) for a weekend in Portland, OR to experience a “Day in the life of the Oregon Project” – this is the group led by Alberto Salazar and includes Adam & Kara Goucher, Matt Tegenkamp, and others. These athletes are training at the highest level. The winning bidder and a friend will be able to watch workouts, meet athletes, tour the Nike campus, and have the opportunity to shop at the Nike employee store. This item includes air travel via Southwest Airlines frequent flyer tickets and hotel for the weekend. The winning bidder will make schedule arrangements directly with Amy. Note that Amy will probably not be available for the tour from June-September.

Minimum bid: $500
Current bid: $800

Elite Level Personal Coaching for the Marathon or Race of Your Choice – How would you like to have Elite Runner and Elite Coach Brad Hudson coach you to a great performance in the marathon or race of your choice? You may not recognize Brad’s name but you will certainly recognize the runners he has coached and is coaching – the likes of Shayne Culpepper and Dathan Ritzenheim. Note this recent article from the New York Road Runners page http://www.nyrr.org/races/pro/interview/2009/Hudson052108.asp. Brad is also the author of “Run Faster from 5K to the Marathon”. This item will include a personal training plan and personal telephone coaching access to Brad – a value of $150/month.

Minimum bid: $250
Current bid: $500

1979 Boston Marathon Poster signed by Winner Bill Rodgers – Perhaps you were at Boston that year; maybe you have met Bill; or maybe you have admired his tenacity, love of running and love of runners. Bill is a special person in our sport and understands how special Jenny is to all of us – hence his donation of this very special item. It can be yours.

Minimum bid: $100
Current bid: $200

Mammoth Track Club Women’s Hooded Sweatshirt (M) Signed by Club Members + photos signed by Deena Kastor and Anna Pierce – Take a look at these items in the Auction Photo Gallery. This sweatshirt is signed by people that we only read about in magazines – Meb Keflezighi, Deena Kastor, Jen Rhines, Ryan Hall, and so many others. Understand that these items were sent especially for our auction. Additional items from the Mammoth Track Club will be available at the event.

Minimum bid: $100

Current bid: $100

Ekiden Uniform signed by Jenny and her Ekiden Team – Many people in the US are not familiar with this special type of marathon relay. It is very popular in Japan – Jenny competed in these events representing the US. We have a generous donation of a set of team “sweats” that they wore when the traveled – the uniform is signed by all team members and coaches, including Jenny. The uniform is men’s size L.

Minimum bid: $100
Current bid: $100

Mammoth Track Club Men’s Hooded Sweatshirt (M) Signed by Club Members + Poster signed by Meb Keflezighi – Take a look at these items in the Auction Photo Gallery. This sweatshirt is signed by people that we only read about in magazines – Meb Keflezighi, Deena Kastor, Jen Rhines, Ryan Hall, and so many others. Understand that these items were sent especially for our auction. Additional items from the Mammoth Track Club will be available at the event.

Minimum bid: $100
Current bid:

I wish I had the money for some of this stuff, because seriously it’s amazing, and Jenny’s story can remind us all to be alert out there and to cherish each breathe we take, and to enjoy running.You can find all the things up for auction here and here, and also there is a lot more other cool running related memorabilia in there, some things just are amazing! Check it out for yourself or a running friend. Tomorrow I’ll post some new jams to listen to as well!

xoxo

View Original Post at chicrunner.com

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