Thomas Yu is fundraising
Chicago Marathon For TANG
Hi all,
I am happy to announce that on October 13th, I will be running in the Chicago Marathon and raising money for Taiwanese American Next Generation. I can’t think of any non-profit organization I would rather raise money for that would bring my marathon experience full-circle. The money received will go towards supporting a volunteer organization that is dedicated to the development of Taiwanese American youth and engaging the Taiwanese American community across all generations.
My goal is to raise at least $2620. If we get to this mark, I will donate $500. Upon finishing the marathon, I’ll donate $262. If I hit my “stretch” marathon goal time of 3:59:59, I will donate another $500.
They say the last 6 miles is where the marathon race really begins. It becomes more of a mental race than a physical one. It’s during these last miles that mentally I will reflect back to those who have donated and sent positive vibes my way. Thank you in advance for your support.
Running Story
Running a marathon was on my bucket list but the dream was taken away from me when I foolishly injured myself. Years ago, my college friends and I were going to run the Rutgers Half Marathon. I didn’t know anything about long distance running. I injured my IT band trying to run more than I should have. Since then, I couldn’t run more than a mile without feeling pain. So I decided, my running days were over.
Years past, I moved to Chicago and watch the Chicago Marathon every year. Every year, a part of me desires to run, but I know I just can’t. One day, I was listening to a random podcast about 70 year olds running marathon distance, barefoot! The seed is planted. Maybe I am just holding myself back. Maybe my legs can heal and adapt. After watching the Chicago Marathon come and gone for a fourth time and a little encouragement from a coworker, I decided to train for the Chicago Spring Half-Marathon.
I trained slowly. I started off with very short distances and ran a couple times a week. Before I knew it, I was back to running 5K distances and running per week than I ever have, pain free! I applied for the Chicago Marathon on the last day on a whim. They can’t select me, I thought. Receiving my marathon acceptance email was one of the most exciting yet terrifying things I have received. I haven’t even run a half-marathon yet!
Over the past year, running has unsuspectingly become a large part of me. The training is painful and annoyingly constant. Every week, I push myself to run at least 4 times. Every week, I am push to run farther or run faster than before. It’s mentally draining. There have been setbacks, challenges, and hardships along the way. Yet, I find the journey so rewarding when I look back from where I was. I am proud to call myself a runner.
Special thanks to my wife Grace. With a new baby, my personal time has become even less. If not for my wife, I couldn’t be living two of dreams, being a father and marathoner.
I am happy to announce that on October 13th, I will be running in the Chicago Marathon and raising money for Taiwanese American Next Generation. I can’t think of any non-profit organization I would rather raise money for that would bring my marathon experience full-circle. The money received will go towards supporting a volunteer organization that is dedicated to the development of Taiwanese American youth and engaging the Taiwanese American community across all generations.
My goal is to raise at least $2620. If we get to this mark, I will donate $500. Upon finishing the marathon, I’ll donate $262. If I hit my “stretch” marathon goal time of 3:59:59, I will donate another $500.
They say the last 6 miles is where the marathon race really begins. It becomes more of a mental race than a physical one. It’s during these last miles that mentally I will reflect back to those who have donated and sent positive vibes my way. Thank you in advance for your support.
Running Story
Running a marathon was on my bucket list but the dream was taken away from me when I foolishly injured myself. Years ago, my college friends and I were going to run the Rutgers Half Marathon. I didn’t know anything about long distance running. I injured my IT band trying to run more than I should have. Since then, I couldn’t run more than a mile without feeling pain. So I decided, my running days were over.
Years past, I moved to Chicago and watch the Chicago Marathon every year. Every year, a part of me desires to run, but I know I just can’t. One day, I was listening to a random podcast about 70 year olds running marathon distance, barefoot! The seed is planted. Maybe I am just holding myself back. Maybe my legs can heal and adapt. After watching the Chicago Marathon come and gone for a fourth time and a little encouragement from a coworker, I decided to train for the Chicago Spring Half-Marathon.
I trained slowly. I started off with very short distances and ran a couple times a week. Before I knew it, I was back to running 5K distances and running per week than I ever have, pain free! I applied for the Chicago Marathon on the last day on a whim. They can’t select me, I thought. Receiving my marathon acceptance email was one of the most exciting yet terrifying things I have received. I haven’t even run a half-marathon yet!
Over the past year, running has unsuspectingly become a large part of me. The training is painful and annoyingly constant. Every week, I push myself to run at least 4 times. Every week, I am push to run farther or run faster than before. It’s mentally draining. There have been setbacks, challenges, and hardships along the way. Yet, I find the journey so rewarding when I look back from where I was. I am proud to call myself a runner.
Special thanks to my wife Grace. With a new baby, my personal time has become even less. If not for my wife, I couldn’t be living two of dreams, being a father and marathoner.
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36 supporters
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