26.2 Miles, 2010 TWIN CITIES MARATHON

We did it! The group ran 26.2 miles and raised $3,500 for the Melanoma Research Foundation. A big thank you to all of our supporters! We could not have raised the money without your support and could not have finished the race without your enthusiastic spectating! The weather was perfect, the crowds along the way were fantastic and we even heard stories of other runners who were personally affected by melanoma and gave thanks to our efforts! It was an unexpected and motivating surprise to hear stories of a Dad, sister, brother or friend who had died of melanoma or had been given a scary diagnosis. It was a great race for the entire group, stay tuned for more fun pictures! Thanks again.

10th Annual Bear Water Run-20 miles!

Saturday, September 11th marked the 10th Annual Bear Water Run, and it marked the first 20 mile run for the MFM group! The race included two 10 mile loops around the scenic White Bear Lake. The trail was beautiful despite having a few unexpected hills that had many of us very tired crossing the finish line. Only one more long (15 mile) run next Saturday and then we are officially in the homestretch. October 3rd is just around the corner :)

Woodbury Half Marathon 13.1

Sunday August 29th Woodbury Half Marathon

The DIG M4M group ran our first race together! The Woodbury half marathon was a great race for all and we are now looking ahead to White Bear Lake 20 Mile race event :) Stay tuned....

Sweet 17.5

It was a sweet 17.5 miles for this team in training! Our route took us along the river and we even looped Lake Nokomis for good measure. We were all tired afterwards but it was nothing a cup of coffee and plenty of hydration couldn't cure :)

Living with Melanoma: Science to Survivorship

Melanoma Patient Symposium:

The Melanoma Research Foundation and Mayo Clinic Cancer Center along with the University of Minnesota and the Minnesota Oncology Hematology Professional Association presented a day of melanoma education dedicated to melanoma patients and the people who support them. Lydia and I were able to attend this great event and hosted a station complete with Derma Scans for participants to look at their skin for sun damage, sunscreen samples, and pamphlets with educational materials and information about our Miles for Melanoma team! It was a great opportunity for us to meet several melanoma survivors, hear their stories, and promote our teams efforts.

14 Mile Morning

Thanks to all the runners who joined the 14 mile run this morning at the River. It was a gorgeous morning and with great company the 14 miles flew by! :) We even remembered to take a team picture post-run.

Brennen Medical

News Alert: Brennen Medical is the University of Minnesota DIG Miles for Melanoma official corporate sponsor! A huge thank you to Brennen Medical for endorsing our cause and a generous donation of $1,000 to the Melanoma Research Foundation. Our team is truly grateful and excited by the sponsorship.

A few facts about our sponsor:

Brennen Medical is a manufacturer and distributor of high quality burn and wound care products. Their team is comprised of a group of dedicated professionals committed to providing products designed to improve efficiency in wound healing application and management. They strive for excellence in service, quality of products and price affordability.

Thanks again!

The River Run

And we are off!! Training has officially started and is well underway. Thank you to all the runners who have handed in their waivers and started to raise funds for our cause. We have had several group runs at this point and the favorite for the group is "The River Run". We start at the intersection of Jefferson and East River Road every Saturday at 7:30 am for a nice and scenic loop which is bound by the Ford and Lake Street Bridges for a lovely 5.4 miles. As training is progressing we will most definitely be extending the route by a few bridges to say the least :) The BEST part of this particular route is the tradition of going to Dunn Brothers Coffee shop afterwards to grab some coffee and chat outside on the patio. YUM! Now that is something to look forward to on the run and a great way to start the morning :)

Why Melanoma Awareness?

In a world where there always is a great cause to support....breast cancer research, Haiti relief efforts, AIDS, World Hunger, why are we so concerned about MELANOMA? It turns out melanoma is the most serious and deadly form of skin cancer and it is growing at epidemic proportions. The incidence is greater than that of HIV/AIDS. It is therefore important to make the general population aware of the significance of the disease and to teach them about screening. Take a look at how Melanoma greatly impacted the life of our favorite food network star, Giada De Laurentiis: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HgPmZd1kKfc

Getting Involved...

Are you interested in joining the running group?
If so, its easy....use the links to the right:
1) Register individually for the TC marathon
2) We are encouraging runners to each raise $300, ask your family, friends, and local organizations to support you! Using the DIG group donation website is an easy way to track our donation and fundraising efforts.
3) Stay tuned for updates on group training runs, pasta dinners, etc.

Miles for Melanoma

Lydia and I are both third year medical students at the Univeristy of Minnesota-Twin Cities. We met during the first year of medical school and it didn't take to long to see that we had a lot in common. Aside from both withstanding the rigors of medical school, we both loved to run, cook, and discovered a passion for dermatology. We both took an early active role in the Dermatology Interest Group on campus and discovered there were many fun ways to get involved. However, we are most excited about our upcoming event--training and running the Twin Cities Marathon this fall for Miles for Melanoma. We are actively recruiting our classmates, friends and families to either join the running group or support us along the way! This blog is intended to keep you all updated on our progress and fun in training. Thanks :)