Tim runs 100 miles for his sister

Tim is a friend of mine. I was with him for hours at the medical headquarters in Death Valley at the 2005 Badwater Ultramarathon. He ended up having to drop because his kidneys weren't processing fluids well. He vowed to return in 2006 to finish the 135-mile road race through the 130 degree temps in Death Valley, California.

And that he did! But not without the help of his family who crewed for him.

About a month after the race, Tim called me to tell me that his sister Wendy, who crewed for him at Badwater, died shortly after the race from a blood disorder called TTP - Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura. He told me about Wendy and how much of a fighter she was. He told me she was one of the toughest people he knew. He was stricken by her death.

Tim decided to do something in honor of his sister and raise money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. He decided to run 100-miles in her honor. And on Thursday, November 17th, he ran from Clark County Fire Station 18 in Las Vegas, NV (where he is captain) to Fire Station 74 in Overton, NV via the North Shore Road along Lake Mead. He followed up that 73.8 mile distance by running the Valley of Fire Marathon (26.2 miles) the next day for an even 100 miles.

His total time for the 100 miles was about 27:15. He left Station 18 at 7:15 am Thursday and arrived at Station 74 in Overton at 4:45 am Friday. This was a few hours longer than he planned (he had hoped to break 24 hours) but unexpected knee pain knee at mile 50 caused him to have to walk the last 20 miles. To make it even tougher, the temperature dropped into the low 30's in the wee hours of the morning. (cold for Las Vegas residents, warm for us Washingtonians!) He said, "There was some major unplanned suffering going on (I guess that's supposed to happen when you run for a charity?)." After his 73.8 mile jaunt on Friday, Tim finished the Valley of Fire Marathon on Saturday in 5:41. He said said of his finish, "Having many family members there, it was an emotional finale."

Please take a moment to watch this excellent news video about Tim's run for his sister:

http://www.fox5vegas.com/video/10337250/index.html

Also, please check out Tim's website:

http://www.active.com/donate/ltnLasVe/2006_timkjenstad

Way to go, Tim! I'll see you at Badwater again in 2007.

Love, Lisa