Josh Bauer Runs for the Cure

A letter from the Athlete...

 

I started running years ago as part of my daily routine to stay healthy and fit and to relieve the day to day stress of life. It didn’t take long for my competitive nature to push me to run farther and faster. What started as a couple short races eventually grew to triathlons and now marathons. Upon completing my first marathon in 2013 at the Denver Marathon, I decided that completing a marathon should be a yearly goal of mine. Many people in the world have barriers that limit their ability to run, so I feel very fortunate to live in a place that allows me to run without limitations. I’m determined to continue running as much as I can and to compete in many more races, and with that my next stop will be the Tokyo Marathon in 2015.

 

I didn't truly understand the impact of running in honor of someone with an illness until my first race. Observing all the runners with t-shirts, bracelets, shoes and signs that represent their loved ones had a big impact on me. I believe this is a great way to show how much you care for someone and to educate the community about unfortunate situations that people have to deal with all around the world. Whether you’ve seen it in the news or heard from people who have been impacted by such diseases, we all understand how hard it is to live with illnesses.

 

Through their struggles, however, many of these ill people find ways to express positivity through such terrible circumstances. My good friend Erin Monroe is no exception to this. Through her battle with breast cancer, she has found a way to continue to stay positive and smile every day, bring awareness to her community and help to raise money for various breast cancer organizations. Erin was handed an unfortunate situation that I’m sure she never dreamt of having, yet she has turned her situation into something positive. She is a unique individual that I respect very much and I can only hope that all of you have at least half the courage she does. For this I am ever so grateful to know Erin and to support her throughout her journey.

 

Running the 2015 Tokyo Marathon in honor of Erin Monroe and to raise funds for one of her beloved non-profit organizations, THE Breast Cancer Fundraiser, is just a small contribution that I can take part in today, but is something that I hope will make a significant and positive impact in her future.

 

- Josh Bauer