Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans Takes on Cancer at the Rock ‘n’ Roll San Diego Marathon & Half Marathon to Benefit The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
Started in 2008 because their jeans were too tight, The Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans is an online community of women (and a man or two) from all across the country with a common purpose – to support one another’s efforts to get fit, lose a few pounds and live a healthier lifestyle.
Like most of us, many in the group have been touched in some way by cancer – a best friend, a mother, an aunt, a colleague. About 19 members and counting signed on with The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s (LLS) Team In Training (TNT) program to take on the half marathon at the Rock ‘n’ Roll San Diego Marathon and Half Marathon to Benefit The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society ( www.teamintraining.org/rnrsandiego) in June. They are excited that The Competitor Group, Inc., (CGI), the race’s organizer, has for the first time added a half marathon to the course, which is famous for its live bands, cheerleaders and block party atmosphere.
Through TNT, the Team Shrinking Jeans participants are getting four to five months of training with certified coaches and the camaraderie of supportive team. Travel arrangements are taken care of. Many of the team members are taking advantage of the Virtual TNT program, where the coaching is provided online. In return they are raising money to support blood cancer research and critical services for patients and their families. The team has set a goal of raising at least $54,000.
One of the participants, Melissa Miller, of Anaheim, CA, is taking on the challenge to honor her father, who is a 20-year survivor of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Sisters Kelly Garr and Kristin Senn, of Dickinson, ND, are still mourning the recent death of their mother from brain cancer and will run in her memory. “During our many days of just talking I promised her that I would never stop fighting for her,” Kelly says. Melissa Anderson, one of the group’s online editors, says: “I joined TNT through the LLS Rocky Mountain Chapter in 2007 and it was one of the most rewarding experiences in my life. I am so excited to join again, this time with a bunch of friends from all over the country.”
You can read more about The Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans and their participation in Team In Training here. Most of the members will be meeting in person for the first time in San Diego.
To learn more about Team In Training visit www.teamintraining.org