57 year-old grandmother travels to Atacama Desert to run first of four Ultramarathons for charity
Linda Quirk of Run7on7.com Fame Attempts to Become the First Woman to Complete the 4 Deserts in Under a Year for Drug and Alcohol Addiction and Recovery
On March 7th Linda Quirk will begin her voyage across Chile’s Atacama Desert in an attempt to become the first woman in history to complete the 4 Deserts in under a year. Named TIME magazine’s second most arduous event in the world, the 4 Deserts is a series of six-day, 150-mile ultramarathons that sends endurance athletes across the Atacama, Gobi, Sahara, and Antarctica deserts. Linda’s mission comes at the heels of her most recent accomplishment, running a marathon on each of the seven continents in under a year for charity. To date, her Run7on7.com website has raised over $370,000 for drug and alcohol addiction treatment and recovery. This year she hopes to raise $1 million, while generating a much-needed dialogue about addiction treatment and recovery.
“After running marathons around the world I have seen and heard firsthand how the disease of addiction is without boundaries,” says Quirk. “It is imperative that we inform the people of the world struggling with addictions that treatment exists and that long-term recovery is possible.”
Linda’s www.run7on7.com website is raising funds for Caron’s program, which provides financial assistance to families in need of addiction treatment. She chose Caron after witnessing the effectiveness of its innovative treatment and how it, not only saved her stepdaughter’s life, but how it saved so many other families.
“We desperately need more donations,” says Quirk. “The money we’ve raised is already saving lives and helping families in need of treatment. But there are so many more families out there who still need our support. “
Caron is a nonprofit addiction treatment center that helps those affected by alcohol and drugs and their families begin a new life. Linda’s stepdaughter, Katherine, began her journey from methamphetamine addiction to recovery at Caron Renaissance in Florida, something Linda is forever grateful for.
Seven volunteer runners have joined to run one of the 4 Deserts with Linda. The volunteers were tasked to raise a minimum of $5,000 for the scholarship fund and to train extremely hard to prepare for the journey ahead. Some have never run a half-marathon let alone 150-miles. Their stories (including one volunteer who has lost 45 pounds in six months) are remarkable and can be followed on www.run7on7.com over the course of the year, so stay tuned.
“We all are extremely touched and inspired by Linda’s dedication to raise awareness about addiction and funds to support treatment for families,” says Missy Orlando, Chief Marketing Officer at Caron Treatment Centers. “Many families will benefit from her contributions to our scholarship fund. She’s really helping to enlighten people everywhere that addiction is a disease and that there is hope for a successful recovery.”
Source: www.Run7on7.com
New York Most Popular City to Run a Marathon
Reasons to run a marathon’ research reveals European minds
The world of running is experiencing an incredible boom, and 2009 heralds the continuing growth in popularity of this sport. As the number of runners (in particular women) strengthens by the day, so does the ever-increasing appeal of marathons around the world. ASICS’ recent ‘Reasons to Run’ research revealed that, of the 85% of Europe’s 80 million runners who have not yet run a marathon, 37% plan to do so in the near future. With the imminent New York marathon in mind (November 1st), it is also worth knowing that this is a marathon in which 15.2 million European runners aspire to run.
2009 also marks the 60th anniversary of Japanese sportswear brand ASICS. Turning 60 is an extremely symbolic event in Japan, and a milestone ASICS is extremely proud to have reached. Sixty years of continuous research and technological innovation has led ASICS to be considered the most valued running shoe amongst serious runners. The New York marathon is a perfect example to highlight this point. Since 2005, around 50% of New York’s participants have run in ASICS shoes. *
The evolution of marathons
The marathon is the most iconic individual achievement of our time, and these days simply being accepted in to a major marathon is a feat in itself. It has evolved from the elite, ’super-athletes only’ race to a mass phenomenon where the number of marathons and the amount of runners taking part around the world increases every year. In the last decade, the New York marathon itself has seen a growth of approximately 20,000 participants, and is now considered to be the most coveted race to run amongst 19% of European runners.
ASICS’ participation in marathons
No other brand can lay claim to the fact that the majority of marathon participants worldwide wear their shoes. The shoe count at the last two New York marathons alone showed that 55% (2007) and 51%(2008)* chose to wear ASICS. For this year’s event, ASICS has organised yet another ’shoe count team’ to see just how many hardcore runners choose to run such a demanding race in ASICS shoes.
Providing the best at every level
Since its launch in 1949, ASICS has grown from a small sports-shoe company founded in Japan to a highly regarded, award-winning international sportswear brand. ASICS’ founder, Mr. Kihachiro Onitsuka deeply believed in the fact that exercise leads to the development of a healthier body, and that a sound body is the cradle for a sound mind. When it came to naming his company, Mr. Onitsuka opted for the initials of a Latin quote that summarised his belief: Anima Sana In Corpore Sano (a sound mind in a sound body). Nothing epitomises his philosophy more than running a marathon, as this is the ultimate event where body and mind must work together in harmony in order to complete those long and arduous 42.195 kilometres.
But it is not just the body and mind that are tested to their max, as a marathon also stretches sports products to their limit in the most extreme way. And that is why, after sixty years of determination to provide athletes of all levels with the best possible products, ASICS is still so popular at marathons the world over. Whether an elite runner or a first-time finisher, those wearing ASICS can run safe in the knowledge that they’ve put their trust in the most dedicated running brand.
* ASICS employees count one specific brand of footwear each during the 2.5 hours after the winner crosses the marathon finish line. The resulting percentage indicates that ASICS is the preferred brand of footwear among serious marathon runners.
Source: ASICS Europe B.V.
Sudden Cardiac Arrest Association says deaths of three Detroit Marathon runners underscore need for more public awareness
The tragic deaths of three runners in Sunday’s Detroit Marathon underscore how frequently and indiscriminately sudden cardiac arrest strikes Americans, the Sudden Cardiac Arrest Association said.
“Sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) can happen any time and anywhere, even impacting seemingly healthy athletes, young adults, and those without any known signs of heart disease,” said Dr. Vince Mosesso, medical director for the Sudden Cardiac Arrest Association (SCAA). “Our sympathies are extended to the families of the three Detroit runners, and we will defer to the local medical examiner for conclusive reports on the cause of death, but the collapse of three runners in one race only heightens the importance of greater public education and awareness about sudden cardiac arrest.”
Mosesso said that nearly 300,000 U.S. deaths are attributed to SCA each year, resulting in the collapse of an American about once every two minutes. While early bystander and immediate CPR and AED use have been shown to significantly improve survival, still many SCA victims do not receive treatment fast enough and the overall survival rate remains tragically low at eight percent.
He urged the public to remember these basic facts about sudden cardiac arrest:
– SCA is different than a heart attack, and involves an electrical disruption of the heart that results in a very rapid but extremely weak heart beat, prohibiting the heart from circulating blood and oxygen to the body (as compared to a pumping malfunction from a blocked artery that is often the cause of a heart attack)
– SCA requires immediate CPR and often the shock of a defibrillator to restore the heart’s natural rhythm
– A previous heart attack, coronary artery disease and a family history of sudden death or unexplained syncope (fainting) are among the risk factors that should always be shared with a personal physician, as well as other risk factors such as obesity, smoking and diabetes
– Implanted cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) provide round-the-clock protection for more than a million Americans identified as at risk of SCA.
www.suddencardiacarrest.org
Source: Sudden Cardiac Arrest Association