IZZA NATURAL TING · STORY
The hills and valleys of life
I completed the 128th Boston Marathon as a member of Team Lingzi. I could not have done it without you.
I completed the 128th Boston Marathon as a member of Team Lingzi. I was fundraising for the Lingzi Foundation, named for Lingzi Lu, a college student who was killed in the Boston Marathon bombing. If you know me at all, you know that running for this cause was meaningful to me in all the ways you can think of.
Getting that spot in Boston started with Susan Hurley. I saw the last name Hurley, thought it was cool, and reached out long before the charity applications opened. Susan founded CharityTeams, which helps charities with their marathon teams. She said she would let me know when applications opened, and she did. I applied and got into Team Lingzi.
One of my friends helped with the fundraising through her company’s ten-times matching. So even though Boston was a lot of money to raise, fundraising for it was stress-free. Once I got to Boston, I took the opportunity to explore and met a lot of cool people too.
Race day was hot! My muscles cramped, everything hurt, and I wanted to quit. It wasn’t easy, but I persevered and carried the legacy of Lingzi Lu with me all the way to the finish line. Thoughts of everyone who had supported me helped me keep going.
I could not have done it without you. Thank you for your encouragement, your trust in me, your donations, and your belief in the mission of the Lingzi Foundation.
I’m thankful for family, community, charity, prayers, and support. For the sunny days, the challenging days, the early mornings, the night runs, the solo runs, and the group runs. And for the health, ability, privilege, and opportunity to run Boston and celebrate the hills and valleys of life.
A note about Susan
Susan Hurley has since passed away. I only knew her through our interactions in CharityTeams, but she followed through when I reached out and was supportive through the process of getting to Boston, and that meant a lot to me. She was an icon in Boston’s charity-running community, helping so many people get to that start line and raise money for causes that mattered to them. That deserves recognition.
