Run With Purpose
My name is Makayla and I live in New England with my husband, our two kids (a 4 and 6 year old), and our dog. Other than wife and mother, the primary way I would describe myself is as a runner. If you knew me in high school, college, or even in my early 20s, you would know that I didn’t always consider myself a runner. In fact, you could’ve called me running-averse. In those days, I preferred sleeping to running. Watching TV to sweating. I still remember walking the track and just barely passing my physical fitness tests in high school. Or running 1/2 a mile without stopping my sophomore year in college and feeling so proud that I posted about it on Facebook. Fast forward to 2016. I was pregnant with my first kiddo and was one of the unlucky women who developed gestational diabetes. The doctor I met with gave me some hard-to-accept statistics—primarily that many women who have gestational diabetes will go on to develop Type 2 diabetes within 5 years. That was a terrifying thought to me, so I decided I was going to take my sedentary ways and throw them out the window. I chose running as my mode of fitness and added in some HIIT and strength training as my fitness journey continued. Although I started off running 2-3 miles a few days a week as simply a means of staying healthy, somewhere along the way, I fell in love with it. I found myself craving my daily runs and the feeling of strength it gave me. So I decided to see if I could push myself further. The result was running the Marine Corps 10k with my dad in 2018.
From there I set my sights on even longer distances. I signed up for a half marathon in 2020 that was eventually cancelled due to COVID. Undeterred, I ran it virtually around my neighborhood. Though it wasn’t fast and took me almost 2.5 hours to complete, I was just proud to have completed something I never thought I’d be able to do. Since then I’ve run a lot of neighborhood miles and completed one other half marathon. This time in under 2 hours. Now I’ve decided to challenge myself even more by running a full marathon. On October 29th of this year, I will be running 26.2 miles in the Marine Corps Marathon. I cannot wait to lace up my sneakers and tackle this mental and physical challenge. But I knew I wanted all the time and miles to mean something more. So I decided to start this fundraiser for K9s For Warriors.
Why K9s For Warriors?
Given the fact that I will be running the Marine Corps Marathon, and because I'm the daughter and granddaughter of two very amazing Marines, I wanted to choose a charity whose mission was to help those servicemen and women who returned from their time of service with physical and/or emotional struggles. We are all well aware of the heavy toll that can come along with being in the armed services and how the mind and body can be forever changed as a result. This reality is one that cannot, and should not, be ignored. These men and women sacrifice so much for the people of this country, and they deserve not just our respect and gratitude, but also our help in navigating their lives post-service. That is where K9s For Warriors comes in. The benefits of dog-assisted therapy is well documented in both the general population (see here ) and the veteran community (see here and here). K9s For Warriors works to save shelter dogs, train them to become service dogs, and then pair them with a military veteran in need. Given the benefits that having a specially trained dog can have for those struggling with a myriad of issues, and the fact that I am a die-hard dog lover who would love to take home all the shelter dogs, the decision to fundraise for K9s For Warriors was a no-brainer.
How much am I trying to raise?
You’ll notice that the title of this fundraiser is “Run with Purpose.” I firmly believe that we should live our lives by this very phrase. Everything we do should be intentional and purposeful. As I embark on this marathon training adventure, I intend to do just that. That is why I am trying to raise at least $2500 for K9s For Warriors by race day—October 29th. If you are able to donate, I would really appreciate it. If you’re unable, that’s okay too. Times are hard and I get that. I would just ask that you pass along the link to this page so that it can spread out wider than my own small net.
Determined to end veteran suicide, K9s For Warriors provides highly-trained Service Dogs to military veterans suffering from PTSD, traumatic brain injury and/or military sexual trauma. With the majority of dogs coming from high-kill rescue shelters, this innovative program allows the K9/Warrior team to build an unwavering bond that facilitates their collective healing and recovery.
