Allen Golec, of Florida, logs his Chicago Marathon training runs while pushing his 19-year-old daughter, Abigaile, in an effort to raise awareness and funds for the Danny Did Foundation, according to the Citrus County Chronicle.
Golec, 53, started walking and then running about 18 months ago, when he was “60 pounds heavier and Abigaile was having a bad day, he told the outlet. “My blood pressure was out of control, and I made a choice to make a difference. The next day I got up and started walking, and then after a few weeks I started doing light jogs.”
Abigaile was diagnosed with Dravet syndrome, a genetic epilepsy, in 2018, but had been suffering from seizures since she was an infant. Dravet syndrome typically develops within the first year of life, according to the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
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Golec’s older sister, according to the Chronicle, is an avid runner and the two decided to run this year’s Chicago Marathon, their hometown race. He is running for the Danny Did Foundation, a nonprofit organization that was founded after Mike and Mariann Stantion lost their 4-year-old son Danny to Sudden Unexplained Death in Epilepsy.
“Abigaile loves the run,” Golec told the Chronicle. “Every Saturday or Sunday, weather permitting, we go three to six miles on the trail. She gets to see people—she’s known as the ‘hi girl.’ She loves to yell ‘Hi!’ to people, and she always wears Mickey Mouse ears.”
In a recent blog post, Abigaile shared a few thoughts: “I do not know why [Poppy] is so slow. I always cross the finish line before him.”
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Heather is the former food and nutrition editor for Runner’s World, the author of The Runner’s World Vegetarian Cookbook, and a seven-time marathoner with a best of 3:31—but she is most proud of her 1:32 half, 19:44 5K, and 5:33 mile. Her work has been published in The Boston Globe, Popular Mechanics, The Wall Street Journal Buy Side, Cooking Light, CNN, Glamour, The Associated Press, and Livestrong.com.
