The Final 100 Miles

Just Another Runner’s Perspective June 2023 Written by Gale Fischer

The Final 100 Miles

“I can’t perform surgery on cancer patients, I can’t research new cures for cancer and I can’t comfort the thousands of cancer patients and their families. However, I can run. I can raise awareness and pledges of financial support to all those who can do those things through the American Cancer Society. It is my way of doing something.”

—-Dan Starkey

6/19/2023: Sunny skies and temperatures in the mid-eighties made for pleasant conditions for patrons enjoying Father’s Day within the confines of Holland’s Kollen Park. A comfortable breeze helped to dry the sweat from my face as I ran the half-mile stretch of boardwalk along the lake. This was my last of twenty-five miles for the day and the last of several hundred I had run for Strides for Life and the American Cancer Society since 2000. 

Strides for Life has been a regular event for many since 1978 in this, its forty-fifth and final year. It has brought a group dedicated to the fight against cancer together in an annual four-day reunion each Father’s Day weekend, raising thousands of dollars for the American Cancer Society. At its height, it would draw close to forty runners and ten to twenty support staff but running one hundred miles spread out in five legs each day for four days has lost its appeal. Nine individuals joined us this year for the first three days with some running/walking the entire 100 miles and some doing a combination of staffing and running. Four others joined us for the last day. Nothing lasts forever and with the dwindling numbers in terms of participation, the decision was made to pull the plug with 2023 being the last year. 

Strides for Life began as a low-key event forty-five years ago. Tim Flaherty and Jerry Pola kicked it off in 1978, running from Grand Rapids, Michigan to Mackinaw City, Michigan over the course of eight days with two support staff following them in an RV. This first route covered 250 miles. Tim and Jerry initially took on this challenge as a way to train for a marathon but decided to use it as a fundraising effort for the American Cancer Society. A year later it continued as an eight-day run from Detroit, Michigan to Muskegon, Michigan for a total of 200 miles. In its second year, Strides for Life jumped from two runners to twenty runners. It became clear that the potential to raise money for the ACS was there for this event, but it would need to be scaled down to get more participants. In 1980 the format was changed to four days and one hundred miles with a route from Battle Creek, Michigan to Grand Rapids, Michigan taking in Kalamazoo, South Haven, and the Lake Michigan shoreline. The 100-mile route has changed through the years with the last several featuring a 25-mile loop each day starting and ending at Hope College in Holland, Michigan with the exception of the last route of day four ending at Kollen Park.

For me personally, Strides for Life began as a physical and mental challenge, in running 100 miles in four days. Going into my first year I wasn’t sure I could cover the distance but I knew I wanted to try. Although the challenge of running 100 miles has always remained a part of what draws me back to this event, the goal of raising as much money as possible for the American Cancer Society became an integral component for me. Few of us have not felt the impact of cancer either personally or through a friend or family member who has either survived cancer, is fighting a battle with cancer, or has lost their battle with cancer. Running in honor or memory of a friend or loved one can provide a boost when muscles are aching, when the body is fatigued, or when blisters make each stride unbearable. 

In the years that I have participated in Strides for Life, I have always had a personal connection to dedicate the four days to. Going into this year's event, I wanted to run for my mother-in-law who is a cancer survivor of three years, a running friend, Jane, who is also a recent cancer survivor, and another running friend and mentor, Mark, who was recently recovering from lung cancer treatment. Heading into the end of the second run of day two I received a text from Mark with the news that his cancer had returned, giving me much to reflect on for the remaining 65 miles. 

This year was the first year I had participated in Strides for Life since 2019. COVID canceled our event for two years and a year ago I was recovering from hip surgery and unable to run. Injury had reared its ugly head again this spring and I feared I would be unable to run the four days but I decided to sign on in the last week, knowing that this would be the last year for Strides for Life. I decided that I could run some, walk some, and staff some. As I awoke the first morning I decided to attempt the entire twenty-five miles for the first day and adjust each day from there. I ran the first 14 miles and walked the last 11. For the remaining three days and 75 miles, I was able to implement a run/walk interval strategy. With this plan and the help of Kacey, a chiropractor who has volunteered her time for many years, I was able to get through the miles. Twice a day Kacey would treat the injuries I had dealt with leading into Strides for Life, keeping my body where it needed to be physically.

The challenge of covering 100 miles, supporting the ACS, and running in honor or memory of a loved one creates the cornerstone for what makes this event so appealing for those who show up year after year. Perhaps what makes Strides for Life for those of us still hanging on are the human connections made through the years. For me, this is a group of people that I see once a year. They have become a family for me. This year’s participants traveled from Grand Rapids, Grand Haven, Cheboygan, Grand Blanc, Detroit, and Dayton Ohio. Each year serves as a reunion with new memories made and time spent reminiscing memories. As we sat at a local watering hole the night before day one carbing up with pizza, we decided to do a little math and figure out our average age which worked out to fifty-four. Half of our runners this year were between the ages of sixty and seventy. These four runners have come out year after year for the past two, three, and four decades. This is the perfect illustration of what this event means to the few who still participate. As we finished our third leg on day four heading into our lunch break at Saugatuck Dunes State Park an elderly couple enjoying the day hiking came over to talk to us. As it turns out the gentleman that spoke with us was Jerry Pola, who ran the first-ever Strides for Life. It seemed fitting that Jerry would find us for the last day of Strides for Life.

As I sit here writing this reflection a day after sharing in 100 miles with a small group of close friends I feel a bit numb knowing that there will be no Strides for Life next year and beyond. I’m sure some of us will continue with our own version and attempt to raise money for the ACS. If you have not done so in the past please consider donating the ACS. If you donate to the ACS each year but have not made your donation yet I would be honored if you would donate on my behalf through Strides for Life by clicking on the link found below. If you have already donated through my fundraising page this year or in the past I thank you from the bottom of my heart. It seems deflating at times with thoughts that may never win the fight against cancer. Although cancer still exists we continue to make advancements in terms of treatment and early diagnosis. The ACS helps to fund much of the research for these advancements. Every dollar makes a difference.

KEEP RUNNING!!

Until next time, this has been just another runner’s perspective.