Emotional marathon — Your Health 2-13-09

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By Yaffi Spodek

Feb. 13, 2009 / 19 Shevat 5769

Tova Plaut of Cedarhurst and her children, Jake and Raquel, were among 230 other runners on Team Lifeline who participated in a marathon held in Miami, FL on Jan. 25 to raise money for Chai Lifeline. Howard Adelsberg of Great Neck also ran together with his son, Jonah, a 10th grader at HAFTR who raised the most money of any Team Lifeline member.

“When we decided to run the marathon, it was in essence a way for us to give back and say thanks for all that Chai Lifeline has done for us and the hundreds of families that have benefited from their services over the years,” Tova Plaut wrote in an e-mail to friends and family after the race. “But in true Chai Lifeline form, they managed to turn it around on us and we walked away from the marathon indebted to them for the experience.”

The experience included four months of training, sometimes up to eight hours per week, and raising thousands of dollars for the cause. Members of Team Lifeline also enjoyed spending a weekend together before the race.

“One mom spoke about her son Luke and Chai Lifeline and I am not embarrassed to admit my tears were real and mixed with both the pain (for his illness) and the joy she so eloquently spoke of (brought by Chai Lifeline and the counselors,” Plaut recounted.

“I walked away from that dinner realizing I was not only running for my son, but hers too, and any other boy or girl who needs Chai Lifeline.”

Plaut was proud of her family’s success in finishing the race, and was inspired by the overwhelming amount of support they received along the way from fellow runners and spectators urging them to continue on when they were feeling tired.

“What touched me the most was seeing my children work together and encourage each other to go on,” Plaut wrote. “They did it with humor, they did it with spirit and they did it with love. And best of all we crossed that finish line together. Arm in arm, one family, one team and one goal... to give back to Chai Lifeline a little of what they gave us... But of course they gave to us, again, this incredible experience, pride in our accomplishment and another smile on Jake’s face.”