DetermiNation

“Great job everyone. My first run and first charity experience were both very positive. I’m glad they could coexist…I will continue to run for DetermiNation elsewhere if I can.” -- 2010 Madison Marathon DetermiNation Athlete

“First class experience and kudos to all that put this event together. I plan to run other DetermiNation events and my guess is that the bar is set a little too high in expectations based on my experiences in Madison.” -- 2010 Madison Marathon DetermiNation Athlete

“The team members and volunteers that I met were awesome and I am thankful for their support.” -- 2010 Madison Marathon DetermiNation Athlete

My name is Kate Golen and I'll be running my first half marathon in May as a DetermiNation athlete.

When I was just 11 years old, I lost my dad to a rare form of liver cancer. He was a strong man, eager to help his community and to make big changes in the world. After he died, I decided to follow in his footsteps and fight back for my community. I became an American Cancer Society volunteer through the Relay For Life event when I was 14 years old, and since then I've been a team participant, captain, committee member, and award-winning fundraiser.

After 8 years with Relay For Life, I decided that I wanted a new challenge for myself. Since I was a kid, I've never been the "athletic" type, however through my active involvement in the American Cancer Society, I know very well that healthy lifestyles reduce the risk of cancer, and here I was, not practicing what I preach.

Over the last year, I've been more active than I ever have, but I still wasn't pushing myself in the way that I knew I could. It was time to get serious and what a better way than to run a half marathon? DetermiNation was a perfect opportunity for me to continue to participate in and fundraise for the American Cancer Society in honor of my dad as well as work to fight back for a better me.

Joining DetermiNation has no doubt been one of the better decisions I've made. After contacting Adam about the program, I've received many kind and helpful emails from both him and the DetermiNation committee, and I couldn't be more grateful. While losing my father to cancer is my ultimate motivation for running this race, it's the support of the committee and other runners that I know will help me through my training.

If you have any further questions regarding the Madison Marathon DetermiNation program, please do not hesitate to contact Andrew Shannon at 1-877-423-9123 ext. 7547 or by email at andrew.shannon@cancer.org. If you are interested in joining our team please visit our website at www.acsdetermination.org/madisonmarathon to register.