Help Paul raise money

I started running in November 2024 because I wanted to improve my health. I slowly fell in love with it and ended up running a half marathon in September 2025 and my first full marathon in October 2025. 

In the middle of my full marathon, I decided that I would never run another marathon again. It was one of the hardest things I have ever done, both mentally and physically, to keep running and complete the race. But I did it, and I was able to meet my goal of running the whole race without walking. 

The more time that passed after the race, the more I started getting the itch to run another marathon. It wasn’t so much the race itself that I longed for, but the sense of accomplishment that I gained from checking off another hard training week in preparation for the race. 

I started to look around at local marathons, and the Twin Cites Marathon became the obvious choice for my second marathon. When I found out that you can raise money for a charity while running and that one of the charity options was Special Olympics Minnesota, that was the clincher.

My daughter, Holly, has a rare genetic condition called Mosaic Trisomy 9, which means that some of the cells in her body have an extra 9th chromosome. For her, this means that she has cognitive delays, developmental delays, and low muscle tone throughout her body. She has been working hard to learn and grow in speech therapy, occupational therapy, and physical therapy since the age of 18 months.

Overall, things are just harder for her. She can’t do all of the things that typically developing kids can do. Organizations like Special Olympics give her the support she needs to participate in activities that she wouldn't be able to otherwise, and that brings her so much joy. Seeing her get to have the experience of participating in a sport or activity as a part of a team is an amazing feeling. She has gotten to play Miracle League baseball and also has been able to take a class called Special Olympics Young Athletes. In both of these activities, she gets to play alongside peers of many different abilities, aided by the wonderful volunteers with the Special Olympics program. 

Special Olympics also has an incredible program called Unified, which is a partnership with participating school districts. Our school district is a Unified Champion district, which means that, from Pre-K all the way through 12th grade, a culture of true inclusion is cultivated in the schools. Activities are planned and carried out that give students with cognitive and/or mobility challenges the opportunity to engage and form authentic friendships with their peers in the general education setting. We have seen the fruits of this program firsthand in our lives as we hear stories of kids reaching out to include Holly in their games and giving her a helping hand when needed, completely independent of any direction from a teacher. We also constantly hear, “Hi, Holly!” when we’re out in the community as we run into other kids who attend the same school. We are beyond grateful to Special Olympics Minnesota for the Unified program and the difference it has made in Holly’s life. 

I would love to be able to use this race as an opportunity to financially support and raise awareness for this incredible organization, and I need your help. Any amount that you can donate is greatly appreciated and will truly make a difference in making the world a more inclusive place. Thank you!