Ashley Wells (r)is running with Teams in Training for her good friend Mark Harmon’s mother, Sharon. Photo by Cindy Thompson

A year ago, Ashley Wells picked up a flyer about The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s Team in Training program. She was intrigued with the idea of running a marathon, although, about the longest she had ever run was a mile.

A college student at USC, Wells had a full load of classes and wasn’t quite sure if training for a marathon would fit into her packed schedule. She put the Team in Training (TNT) flyer away and forgot about it for a while.

Months later, Wells received upsetting news from her lifelong friend Mark Harmon, who also attends USC. “I found out Mark’s mother Sharon was diagnosed with leukemia,” she recalled.

Wells located the TNT leaflet she had tucked away. “I decided now is the time to join Team in Training.”

For the past five months, Wells has been training for the Myrtle Beach half–marathon, set for February 18. She runs with trainers and fellow TNT participants at least three times a week. On Tuesday and Thursday mornings, the group runs five miles, and on Saturday they go on a long run. “We’re up to 10 or 12 miles now,” Wells said.

In just a few weeks Wells will run the Myrtle Beach half–marathon/ marathon to benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. And with great enthusiasm, Wells announced she’s only $80 shy of reaching $2,100 in sponsorship donations.

Wells said she has enjoyed Team in Training because it makes her feel involved in the community, and the friends she has made in her running group have become her role models. Family, friends, and TNT runners will be cheering her on when she finishes her first half–marathon.

Wells said she will focus on completing the race for Sharon Harmon. “The half–marathon gives me a way to raise money for research….and to show I care.”

Each year, thousands of TNT participants train for marathons, half– marathons, centuries, and triathlons to raise money to fight blood cancers.

“Locally, the state of SC trains about 300 athletes a year to complete endurance events,” ex-plained Bayne Brasel, campaign director for Team in Training.

“There are three seasons every year from which an athlete can choose,”she said. Participants can begin training in January for June events or start training in May for October events or start training in August for winter events.

“Athletes come from all over the state,” she added. “We have teams in Columbia, Charleston, and Greenville year–round. Occasionally, we’ll have a team in cities such as Myrtle Beach, Florence, Rock Hill, or Beaufort.”

Brasel said there are about a dozen events to choose from, like Walt Disney World Marathon, Philadelphia Triathlon, Nike Women’s Marathon, Chicago Marathon, Fletcher Flyer 100–mile bike ride, Hilton Head Triathlon, and the Dublin Marathon in Ireland.

Team in Training assists participants every step of the way, including coaching and training, travel to an endurance event, and an opportunity to make athletic goals a reality. Most importantly, participants sponsor patients and raise money to find cures for blood cancers like leukemia.

Ruddy Whitaker of Columbia is a TNT trainer and has been working with the program since 2001.

“My work with Team in Training has been very satisfying,” Whitaker said. “I’ve enjoyed helping new runners, and I’ve also enjoyed helping those who have blood–related cancers. It has been very rewarding for me.”

“Many of the runners we get through TNT have not run much in some time,” he said. “They have to start slowly. We start with two, five, or six–mile runs and work up gradually. We develop a running schedule with guidance for beginners and for advanced runners, but this is only a guide. I find that each runner and walker is unique, and many need some special attention along the way.”

Whitaker added that most participants are very motivated, and many have known someone who had a blood–related cancer. “The TNT program has been instrumental in changing many lives. I have seen it change the lives of our runners who complete an event with the program. Many of them continue to run with our group or continue to work out after their event is over.”

Whitaker, who has run about nine marathons with the TNT program, said one of the highlights of his running career was running the Boston Marathon in April 2003.

“Boston is a unique race because you have to qualify at a certified marathon in order to be accepted to this prestigious race,” he said. “I worked hard to qualify at the December 2002 Kiawah Island Marathon. The Boston Marathon is run on Patriot’s Day, and it’s a state holiday in Massachusetts, so everyone along the course route from Hopkinton, MA to Boston is lining the course and providing encouragement along the way.

The Boston Red Socks game is also scheduled, so it ends about the time most of the runners are entering Boston. The streets into the city are lined several people deep with those cheering for you. It’s a very inspiring event, and it really makes you feel proud that you’re there.”

Learn more about Team in Training at www.teamintraining.org/sc.