IPSG is very thankful for the support. We would like to highlight Michele Rector and her dedication to Perthes disease. In her own words, she is “just a regular mom of a son who had Perthes. I always thought if we could bring more attention to this disease, maybe more funding would follow and the cause and a cure could finally be found.” She has made a goal to raise awareness and fundraise for Perthes disease with an amazing goal – run 50 marathons by age 60. Here is a brief update of her progress!
“Run 50 by 60 for Perthes” is going strong and Michele continues to run a marathon for the IPSG nearly every month! So far, she’s run the following states:
- Texas – Houston Marathon 9. Florida – Walt Disney World Marathon
- Oregon – Portland Marathon 10. Arkansas – Little Rock Marathon
- Nevada – Las Vegas Rock & Roll 11. Massachusetts – Boston Marathon (TCS)
- Alaska – Prince of Wales Marathon 12. Ohio – Flying Pig Marathon
- Minnesota – Grandma’s Marathon 13. Utah – Provo Valley Marathon
- Montana – Missoula Marathon 14. S. Dakota – Leading Ladies Marathon
- Nebraska – NE St. Fair Marathon 15. New Mex – Sandia Crest Marathon
- New York – TCS NYC Marathon (TCS) 16. Illinois – Chicago Marathon (TCS)
Still remaining this year are:
- Virginia – Marine Corps Marathon
- Hawaii, Arizona, or Mississippi (Dec TBD)
Last year, Michele’s sister, Tiane Kennedy, began sending Press Releases before each race. They realized that smaller races are best since there are fewer runners and, in small towns, there are fewer events with which to compete. So far, the IPSG and “Run 50 by 60 for Perthes” have appeared in several papers/online articles as well as an ABC evening news report on KOTA TV in Rapid City, SD!
In the news:
- Grand Island, Nebraska, Aug. 21, 2017 – Here
- Provo Utah, June 4, 2018 – Here There was a mistake in this article – it said Michele spoke at the POSNA conference instead of the IPSG conference last October. It’s been corrected in all articles since.
- Spearfish, SD, Aug. 17, 2018 – Here and a follow-up article on Aug. 20, 2018 Here
- ABC TV reporter Travis Cummings for KOTA TV in Rapid City – Here This was pretty exciting since it made it on the Rapid City evening news! And, when Michele was at Mt. Rushmore a couple days later, one of the Park Rangers recognized her from the news!
In South Dakota, Michele’s friend, Maureen Garrett, ran the half marathon for the IPSG and another friend, Callie Andra Pfaff, will be running the Marine Corps Marathon with Michele in October while also raising money for the IPSG!
Michele has been blessed to be included in Team TCS – a group of runners sponsored by Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) in TCS sponsored races. Last year she ran the TCS NYC Marathon with them, and this year they secured a spot in Boston and Chicago as well as a second NYC Marathon entry. Though she is running with Team TCS, they strongly encourage charity running and are very supportive of the “Run 50 by 60 for Perthes” mission and allow her to wear her usual green running gear for the IPSG.
Michele is having a great time and her circle of influence is growing with every race. Hopefully this means that more people are not only hearing and learning about Perthes disease, but are also compelled to give to the IPSG!
Michele is working on getting a website at runforperthes.org (not yet live) to help keep donors and friends more up-dated on giving and upcoming races.
Michele is especially grateful to Dr. Charles Mehlman who invited her to join him at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital the Monday following the Flying Pig race in May. She so enjoyed meeting his staff and having time to visit with a newly diagnosed Perthes patient and his mom and grandma. It was also a big treat to join Dr. Mehlman and his lovely wife, Elsi, who took her to a great Tex-Mex lunch the day before the race!
As always, it’s always a big encouragement to see the anyone in the Perthes “family” at a race event. If you would like to contact her, you can email her at Run50x60forPerthes@gmail.com or find her on Facebook