By Lisa McMahan
Campus sidewalks may be unusually busy this Saturday as a local news anchor, an Olympic runner and over 100 students and community members pound the pavement.
In an effort to raise money for Martha and Mary Ministries, a non-profit organization striving to create a hospice care home in Portland, KGW NewsChannel 8's Joe Donlon and renowned long-distance runner Alberto Salazar will compete in a 5 km race around the UP campus.
The event is sponsored by Campus Ministry and the School of Nursing and will take place on Saturday, Sept. 26 from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m.
Officially titled the Second Home Run, the event is advertised as the "Salazar-Donlon Challenge." Though it is open to all who wish to participate, the competition between the two headliners is both performance- and pledge-based.
This year, Executive Director of Martha and Mary Ministries Pat Cary hopes to garner 100 to 200 participants and raise close to $20,000.
"Our vision is to start a home that will be an adult foster home especially for people who are in hospice," Cary said.
In addition to the medical care provided, a chapel and an education program will be included in the home.
Last year's Home Run race was hugely successful, pitting Salazar against another seemingly average Joe, the Rev. Joseph Corpora, C.S.C. Though Salazar crossed the finish line at Chiles before Corpora, the latter raised more money through pledge and donations for Martha and Mary Ministries, according to their Web site.
Salazar attended the University of Oregon on an athletic scholarship and won the New York City Marathon three consecutive years, from 1980 to 1982. In 1981, he set the marathon world record, completing the race in 2:08:13. Salazar also won the 1982 Boston Marathon and went on to compete on the United States' Olympic Marathon Team of 1984.
He is now a professional long-distance coach for Nike.
"I oversee a group of fifteen professional runners at Nike," Salazar said. Some of these runners include members of the national team and Olympic hopefuls.
Two years ago, Salazar suffered a heart attack at the Nike headquarters while coaching. His heart stopped beating for about fifteen minutes but fortunately, an emergency doctor and a National Guard paramedic were on the campus for a football camp and were able to start CPR almost immediately.
"I am lucky to have had two people there who were so proficient," Salazar said.
Because there is no medical explanation for his recovery - after four minutes with no heartbeat, chances of a full recovery are very slim - Salazar feels there was a higher power watching over him.
"There is no logical reason why he should be alive again. He really credits faith for that," Cary said.
Salazar is now running up to four miles a day but considers himself "very much retired" at age 51.
Donlon, however, is not a long-distance runner and this will be his first competitive race.
"I get requests to do things like this periodically and I'm always happy to help," he said.
He has been training for the last three weeks and aims to set a ten-minute pace. Though Donlon and Salazar have never met, Donlon has a lot of respect for Salazar and said, "I will be begging him for mercy on Saturday."
"You don't have to run a marathon," Salazar said. Instead, he believes you can get great benefits from running 20 to 30 minutes 3 to 4 times a week.
"I think a lot of people overdo it. My advice would be to do it gradually, consistently and moderately," he said.
Salazar's goals for the race are "just to go there, have fun, meet as many people as possible and thank them for coming out to run and support Martha and Mary Ministries," he said. "It's very much just a fun thing for people to get together, meet the people that are sponsoring and making this charity available for people in their greatest hour of need."
The event is open to all who wish to participate or volunteer, including students, faculty and community members. Entry fees range from $15 to $25, though students may contact Cary directly if money is an issue. Registration is available at www.marthamaryministries.org. Those who wish to sign up the day of the race can do so Saturday at 7 a.m. at Chiles Center.
"I would not be running were it not for this race on Saturday," said Donlon, who uses Martha and Mary Ministries' goals as an incentive to train.
"Unless I get a piggyback ride from someone, it's pretty clear who's going to win this thing."
