As we emerge from isolation, inactivity, and weakened muscles, the LA Marathon Charity Challenge Half Marathon on November 7 provides motivation to overcome inertia and resume our lives as runners (okay, joggers) while supporting the good work of Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA).  This is a chance to boost the physical health of hospitalized kids as well as ourselves, and we invite you to please join us with your donation.  Our goal is for each of the four of us to raise $100 per mile, or $5,240 altogether!

A desire for an active, healthy lifestyle first brought us together for a variety of runs in the past.  For us, the half marathon proved daunting enough to require disciplined training yet achievable enough to also allow time for work, family, and other activities.  A while back, however, various events, injuries, and health challenges interrupted our exercise, and running became more and more infrequent.  Then, an air-borne global pandemic put a hard stop to any and all runs in 2020. 

Did you know that CHLA is the oldest freestanding pediatric hospital in California?  That this non-profit, independent pediatric community hospital (unaided by university financing) ranks among the top five in the U.S.?  That it’s a safety-net to one of the largest, most diverse and complex populations in the country?  And that the invaluable world-class medical care, fueled by an extraordinarily talented and dedicated team, is only possible through generous philanthropic gifts – large and small?

Your support provides much needed encouragement to four former runners striving to recondition their bodies through six-months of endurance training in order to finish 13.1 miles on race day.  Please join us by making a donation and bring hope, compassion, and healing to children and families in need!

Thank you,

- Jan Saiget, John Clouse, Stephanie Stone, and Bonnie Spence