Introduction.

I lost my stepfather on July 9, 2011. He died after a sudden and short illness that included liver failure and cancer. Although I live in Washington DC and he lived in Eugene, OR, I was able to spend much of his final two months with him. Throughout that time, he was sometimes in better condition than others, he seemed to come into and out of awareness. He was only 52 years old. The highlight of the last few weeks with him, if such a thing could exist, was the 4th of July. Most of his family visited, we spent time together, there were fireworks, and he seemed genuinely happy. It was one of the last times he would seem to be in a normal mental state, aware of the situation and also able to talk to each of us.

This year, on the 4th of July, I will be running the Foot Traffic Flat Marathon. When I signed up, I knew I wanted to raise money for something in his honor and memory, but it wasn't immediately clear what that would be. After some soul searching about Tim, I decided that his love for the McKenzie River would guide my choice, and I reached out to the McKenzie River Trust. After sharing our story, the trust agreed to accept any donations I could generate as a tribute donation in Tim's memory.

I have two major goals: The first is to raise $1,000 in memory of Tim for the McKenzie River Trust. I think their work to conserve the beauty surrounding the river is a cause that Tim would have supported with all of his heart. The second is to run a personal record marathon time. Actually, to shatter my current record of 3 hours and 39 minutes, running closer to 3 hours flat, and qualifying for the Boston Marathon. This blog will be my way to track both goals, and interim goals as I progress. Please check out the links to the McKenzie River Trust and my donation page on the left, and thanks for any support you can give.

-Steven

Tim at Sahalie Falls with Missy