Kevin Hazard. Vancouver Marathon.

I'm training to participate in the Vancouver Marathon as a member of Team In Training on Sunday, May 3, 2009. A few months ago, I set a goal for myself to run 26.2 miles by the time I turn 26, so when I complete this marathon, I'll have acheived my goal about six months ahead of time.

Team in Training benefits the The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS). The funds I raise will go to research and treatment to stop leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin lymphoma and myeloma from taking more lives.

As I train and complete this event, I'll be meeting and honor several individuals who are battling blood cancers, and I'll certainly share with you the stories I hear.

The Training

The 26.2 miles of a marathon don't run themselves, so over the course of the next few months, I will be working with coaches, mentors, and fellow TNT (Team in Training) teammates to get in shape and ready for the event.

I'm not one to settle for "Just Finishing," so I've set a time goal for this - my first marathon - of four hours ... That breaks down to about a nine-minute mile pace for 26.2 consecutive miles.

Keep an eye on my current training progress by checking in on my Nike+ Training Runs.

Get Involved

If you're interested in being a part of this adventure, please contribute whatever you'd like in the form of a monetary donation or glowing well-wishes and moral support. Those currencies should not be considered mutually exclusive.

Any monetary donations you choose to give are tax-deductible. Unfortunately, well-wishes and moral support do not have the same tax advantages.

Team in Training sets fundraising minimums for participation so 75 cents of each dollar contributed will be going to cancer research and 25 cents will be going to the costs associated with training, travel and participation in the marathon. Once I exceed the minimum, every cent of every dollar contributed will go to the LLS.