WHAT IT TAKES TO...
Set an ultra record at 80
LEO LIGHTNER is as quick as his name
suggests. In November, the 80-year-old
from Rocky River, Ohio, ran the JFK 50-
Miler in 12 hours, 55 minutes, setting an
age-group record. The retired statistician,
who has run more than 60 ultras, also
ran the Umstead 100-miler in April.
“My secret is that I look forward to how good I’ll feel at the
finish. I like ultras because they are social. The pace is not too
fast for o -and-on talking with other runners.”
Spend a night
in a porta-potty,
then win a race
JUSTIN WEBER, 18, a
college freshman from
Charlotte, North Carolina,
couldn’t a ord a hotel stay
before the Folly Beach
10-Miler near Charleston,
South Carolina, in November. A rainstorm kept him
from camping outside. So
Weber spent the night in a
porta-potty. The cramped
quarters didn’t hurt his
race time: He won in 1:02.
“I sat on the seat lid and
leaned back against the wall.
I actually got a good night’s
sleep. The stall was clean,
and I was right by the beach,
so it was soothing listening
to the waves.”
Run 295 miles (and raise $10,000)
KELSEY DIXON, 24, a student in New
York City, ran from Ground Zero in Manhattan to Washington, D.C., in eight days.
She averaged 36 miles a day to raise
money to fund educational programs in
Pakistan and Afghanistan.
“By the third day, my Achilles and quads
killed. I did self-massage, but what really got me through was
a positive attitude. I was doing something I dreamed about and
helping others less fortunate.”—TEXT BY GAIL KISLEVITZ
[Send nominations to whatittakes@runnersworld.com.]
F OOTPRINTS
Jenny Rice used her
GPS to ask You Tube
viewers to sponsor her.
Creative
Fund-Raising
Runners with great ideas for good causes
O NE OF THE HARDEST THINGS about running during
a recession is coughing up race-entry fees. For those
who choose to raise money for charities, the hunt for
cash—in the form of donations—has become even more of a
challenge. Luckily, runners aren’t put o by adversity. Here are
three making great strides for their causes. —Erin Strout
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: COURTESY LEO LIGHTNER, JENNY RICE, CODY WESTMEIMER, RITA HAWKS, KELSEY DIXON
JENNY RICE, 23, London
MONEYMAKER A GPS unit and You Tube. Rice used her
Garmin to map out and run a route that spelled out her Web site
address and “I am running the London Marathon. Please sponsor me.” A friend filmed her and they put the video on You Tube.
PAYOFF Rice raised 1,388,600 Uganda shillings ($690) for the
Living Hope Children’s Development Center in Uganda. “I got
donations from people who don’t know me,” Rice says.
CODY WESTHEIMER, 30, Los Angeles
MONEYMAKER A video camera. A er his father died of brain cancer, Westheimer signed up
for a marathon and documented his training in a
26.2-minute movie, Running for My Father.
PAYOFF By donating the DVD sales profits and
collecting money at screenings, Westheimer
raised $6,300 for the National Brain Tumor Society.
RITA HAWKS, 42, Gilbert, Arizona
MONEYMAKER A theme party. Hawks
hosted a bash at a Hard Rock Cafe that
featured Guitar Hero and Rock Band video
game competitions. She also auctioned
items such as guitars signed by Jordin
Sparks and members of Maroon 5.
PAYOFF Hawks raised $20,000 for the Leukemia & Lymphoma
Society. “The Hard Rock Cafe made so much from food and
alcohol, they decided not to charge me,” she says.
