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Run, WLF, Run!

On Sunday March 21, WLF sponsored its third annual New York City Half-Marathon running team to raise money for asthma treatment. Christina Baldini—who is wife of WLF's CEO and a first-time Half-Marathon runner—shared how she got "tricked" into running, what motivated her training, and her experience being on the WLF team.

After a family dinner one night late last year, my husband asked if anyone wanted to run with him in the NYC Half Marathon, as part of the World Lung Foundation team. I thought that he was directing his question to my sister Danielle, who has run half marathons in the past, so it wasn't a surprise to hear that she agreed to run on the team. My husband didn't stop there though; he turned towards ME and asked the question again. I circled around to confirm that he was directing the question at me and with a smile and wink, I joked that I would do it. Since he knew that I have never run in any race farther than 5K, I was sure he took "my joke" as it was intended. However, the next week I received an email from WLF that listed me as a team member. My husband is a man of action!

Once I saw my name on the "team" and read more about the WLF's mission to raise funds to support the treatment of asthma, which afflicts nearly 300 million people around the world and causes more than 200,000 deaths each year, I decided I was going to do this for two reasons: My husband and I have been blessed with healthy children, but I have known several parents who deal with the challenges and fear of raising a child with asthma, and in 1997, a family friend, for whom I babysat many years ago, died from an asthma attack. He was alone in his apartment and couldn't get the help he needed. I often thought of him as I began my training. My second reason was more of a personal one: At 45, I had never run this far before, and I wanted to see if I could do it.

Even though running outdoors was difficult, since the weather didn't cooperate through February and March, I logged my miles on the treadmill. I began feeling very nervous about whether I was ready for the run outside. On a few occasions, I thought about having a pickup truck pull a flatbed with a treadmill on it, so I could run on that during the race!

The mileage added up, though, and I reached my fundraising goal by reaching out to family and friends. What was amazing to me was that so many of the individuals who supported my run with a donation had a personal story to share about a child or relative with asthma. It was very motivating to have the support of such a wide variety of friends and family, some who had just a few dollars to give but still wanted to support the effort. It truly gave me a much-needed push to keep training and get ready for the race.

I'm sure my family would tell you that there were days that my nerves got the best of me and I questioned why I ever agreed to this, but race day was getting closer and with nerves also came excitement. My sister, husband and I joined the rest of the WLF team at Tony Di Napoli's restaurant for a great pasta dinner the night before the race. The table was filled with experienced runners and new-comers like me. It was a wonderful way to relax and laugh with friends before the next morning. Even though the weather didn't cooperate during my training, race day ended up to be a perfect day to run.

Arriving with my sister and husband and meeting the other WLF runners, all dressed in our yellow team shirts, added to the excitement. I've been at the race before as a volunteer to cheer on my husband and his team, but actually being ON the team was amazing. Having the WLF staff, volunteers and friends, all donned in their yellow knit caps, waving and yelling our names as we made our way through Central Park and down 7th Avenue, was so inspiring. Although the three of us split up after the first mile, my sister and I ended up meeting again as we made our way out of the park, and we ran together for the last 7 miles. My husband met up with both of us at mile 12, so we actually all finished the race together, which made it even more special. The team gathered after the race to enjoy some snacks, hot chocolate and to share our "recap" stories.

The whole experience was a positive one and I'm so happy I decided to run, even though my initial "yes" response was meant as a joke! The fact that we raised much needed funds for some very deserving children and adults was an added benefit. Thanks for the experience and thanks to WLF for all of the important work you do.