A Linn County man is preparing to run 50 miles to help raise money for the American Cancer Society. Dave Martin says the journey will involve 250 laps around the floor of the UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls. The feat will take place between 6 p.m. Friday April, 11 and 6 a.m. Saturday, April 12 – during the 6th annual Relay for Life of UNI.
The 52-year-old Martin says he’s not sure how many days it will take him to recover from a 50 mile run. "But that’s part of the parallel I’m trying to make. The point is that this is going to be a short term situation for me, while a cancer patient, many times, doesn’t have that luxury to say I’m going to be okay in a little bit," Martin told Radio Iowa.
The veteran of 43 marathons has challenged Relay for Life of UNI teams to get 50 pledges or donations of $50 or more. "I don’t want to run 250 times around (the track) for just a couple dollars," Martin said. "I want it to be a pretty good amount of money so I feel it’s worth the effort."
Last year, Martin ran the equivalent of four marathons in a seven-week period to raise money in Relay for Life events. His daughter, Samantha, is a Relay for Life of UNI Committee member. Martin says there are several people that inspired him to get involved in the fight against cancer, most notably, his father.
"I lost my father (to cancer) about 29 years ago. I’ve outlived him now by about three years and that’s just not right," Martin said. The Relay for Life of UNI Committee has set a goal of raising $100,000 for the American Cancer Society.