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MUSC instructor to take on half-marathon by Chris West Public Relations Alaska.  The last American frontier, the 49th state or Seward’s Folly, however you may refer to it, come this June it will be the stage and culmination of a five- month fundraising effort for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and MUSC will be represented and participating. Don Geddes, clinical assistant instructor in the Institute of Psychiatry, is set to tackle 26.2 miles of Alaskan wilderness in the Mayor’s Midnight Sun Marathon in Anchorage on June 22. The mission is to complete the race and to help fight blood-related cancers.  “My wife asked for a treadmill for Christmas and I’m glad I got it for her now,” Geddes said of his latest venture. “We’re both very interested in developing a lifestyle of eating right and being active, but I had never considered trying out for a marathon.” But one small holiday postcard from the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society would change his outlook on running all together. As a 50th birthday present to himself and a selfless contribution to countless victims of leukemia and lymphoma, Geddes made the decision to participate as a walker in the Alaskan marathon. “Where I am not a runner, I do love to walk,” Geddes said. “I am always walking from building to building here on campus and I realized that an hour break between patients could potentially be a 30 minute on-campus walking session.” Participating in the marathon would also bring another first for Geddes.  “As a therapist, I have the opportunity to see and get to know the people I am helping on a day to day basis,” Geddes said. “By raising money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society I’ll be helping people I will never meet. I won’t know the people whose life I will be affecting and that is new to me.” Crystie Melton holds her son Wyatt, 3. One of the people Geddes did meet was Wyatt Melton, this year’s honored patient for the Team-in- Training. Three-year-old Wyatt was diagnosed in April 2001 with Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. “Wyatt looked like a happy and energized little boy when I saw him and his parents last month, but his mother shared some of the life-threatening effects that the disease caused last year,” he said of the team’s inspiration to complete their marathon goals. But the first goal Geddes will have to tackle, beyond the far limits he will push his body in training, will be to raise the necessary funds for his sponsorship by the society. The $4,200 in funds would secure his place with the society and grant his entrance to the event. Currently he has raised more than half of the funds he needs, with two more fundraising events on the horizon.  Don Geddes “I have received permission from President Greenberg to host a Dress Down Day for Leukemia. Participants who purchase a $5 sticker are permitted to dress casually on Friday, March 22,” Geddes said. “The second is a sponsorship by James Island Middle School, which is participating in a Pennies for Patients drive. The class that raises the most amount of money will receive a free pizza or ice cream party.” Geddes joined Team in Training; a comprehensive endurance training program for runners and walkers which supports the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Last year, 500 South Carolina runners, walkers and tri-athletes participated in the Team in Training and raised more than 1.2 million dollars to support their mission of fighting blood-related cancers. Geddes is now deep into the conditioning for the upcoming event and to track their group and individual progress, the team holds meetings every other Tuesday in the Student Wellness Center. “It’s an informational meeting where we talk about the aspects of the marathon, such as commitment to the program, training, hydration and injury prevention. But one of the most helpful aspects of Team in Training is the coaching and support for those of us who never considered ourselves athletes,” Geddes said. “But that’s the easy part. The hard part lies in the training.” The team meets at Colonial Lake every Saturday at 6 a.m. After stretching and warm up, the team sets out to walk their goal of the week. Since the beginning of training, the team has progressively worked their way up to longer distances. They are currently walking eight miles of downtown Charleston in two hours and hope to be up to 22 miles as June comes closer. This weekly walk coupled with Geddes’ own weekly regiment of 10 miles per week has put him on a good pace of training. He admits the conditioning has started to show physically in that he has already lost two inches from his waistline but he feels healthy, capable and eager in the face of the feat he is will tackle in a few short months. And he may need all the health, capability and eagerness he can muster.  Seven miles of the course are true dirt and gravel pathways, but what do you expect from a state where half of the public roads are unpaved? But that aside, the weather may pose the key obstacle on race day. Team in Training coach Sarah Twill walked the marathon last year on a blustery 85 degree day, but that could change quickly considering the Alaskan town of Barrow is only 800 miles from the North Pole.  So is the team ready to face the distance and conditions that lie before them? “Today-no,” he said. “But we are very committed to our training and the whole concept. Thanks to the trainers, we have a good idea of what’s to come. And as long as we do our part, the trainers are going to make sure we cross the finish line. We may not win the race or set any records, but we will cross that finish line.” If you are interested in helping Geddes reach his fundraising goal, buy a Dress Down Day sticker or contact him at geddesd@musc.edu. Donations may be made out to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and are all tax deductible.