Local teachers among group running Grand Canyon
Written by Mark Hensch | | news@toledofreepress.comBobby Merritt, Eric Cukierski, Steve Ball and Jay Heasley will wake up at 4 a.m. Aug. 22 with a challenging day ahead of them.
The men intend to run the entirety of the Grand Canyon, a 48-mile trek that will take more than 12 hours.
Temperatures will soar upward of 100 degrees and plummet below 65 degrees Fahrenheit in the evening.
Trail inclines will rise and fall underfoot, rocking and rattling their bones and joints.
But it will be worth it, they said, because every footfall will raise money.
Training for the Grand Canon run.
“We have all done triathlons and we wanted to do something out of the ordinary,” said Cukierski, a physical education teacher and freshman boy’s basketball coach at Bedford High School. “Almost at the same time, we decided to do it for charity as running the Grand Canyon is so extreme. The people I talk to are floored by what we are going to do.”
Ball, an algebra and computers teacher at Bedford High School, said the idea for the run began as a joke among the four during a March jog at Toledo’s Wildwood Metropark. Realizing their “crazy idea” could yield more than an impressive story, the group vowed their feat of endurance would raise funds and awareness for a plethora of health disorders.
Merritt, a college scout for the Houston Texans, said the group is running for seven charities, two each for everyone besides Heasley. He is representing the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America and the Immune Deficiency Organization. The group created their Web site, www.ynotmakeadifference.com, as a fundraising tool.
“A lot of people won’t even go to the Grand Canyon, let alone run back and forth across it,” Ball said. “Any of these illnesses or disorders could affect anybody at any time. The more money we raise, the more likely a cure will be found for these various afflictions.”
“The first question people ask is, ‘Why do this?’” Merritt said. “Our response was, ‘Why not?’ thus, the name. This will obviously be a big challenge for each of us, so we thought we would do it for a cause bigger than us.”
Cukierski said he is running for the Autism Society of America and the autism program Agility Angels. Ball picked Juvenile Diabetic Research Foundation International and Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure, while Heasley chose National Kidney Foundation.
“I challenge a person to try and find someone not afflicted by one of our collective charities,” said Cukierski, a father of two children with autism. “This is something I can do to help, not just for my own kids, but a whole organization. The actual event will be an incredible one-day challenge. It is going to be a monumental task.”
Heasley, the owner of J and D Quality Lawn, said his running stamina had improved. He said his training had progressed smoothly, bolstered by the encouragement of loved ones.
“My family is very supportive,” Heasley said. “They’re excited for us to complete the adventure, but they want us to make sure we’re fully prepared.”
Ball’s wife Terrie fully supports her husband’s task. Diagnosed with breast cancer in 2003, she said his efforts will help others suffering from the disease. Ball is also supporting the couple’s daughter Tifanie, a Type-1 diabetic.
“This shows Steve can appreciate what I have gone through and what my daughter has gone through,” his wife said. “He will have a great sense of accomplishment when he is done.”
Once the victim of an abdomen injury during woodworking 17 years ago, Ball said he was told he would never run again.
Ignoring the advice of doctors after five surgeries, he took up his passion again and hasn’t stopped pounding pavement since.
Besides charity, the best part of the www.ynotmakeadifference.com mission, he said, is the run itself.
“You cannot lose when you go to the Grand Canyon,” Ball said. “It is one of the wonders of the world.”
Tags: Grand Canyon, runners
