TEAM 25:40 RUNS FOR THE CHILDREN

With temperatures in the 50s and the sun shining, the weather could not have been more perfect for Team 25:40 to run the 33rd Annual Marine Corps Marathon on Sunday, Oct. 26. Injuries and conflicts sidelined seven of the Team 25:40 members, so 20 runners completed the Washington, D.C. course that snaked through Rosslyn, Georgetown, the Mall, and Crystal City to end at the famous Iwo Jima Memorial. Terra Bowles of Seattle, WA. was the first Team 25:40 member to cross the finish line at 3:44:16, with Andy Leinz less than a minute behind her. Jennifer Craigan, Tamar Rabinowitz and Marcio Botelho all came in under 4 hours.

For the first year, 25:40 secured a hospitality tent at Charity Village near the start and finish line. This was available for the runners before the race to meet other team members and store their personal belongings during the race. It was a very visible and comfortable meeting place for runners to meet their families and friends afterwards. We shared the tent with Love Without Boundaries, a U.S.-based charity dedicated to Chinese orphans.

Many runners came from far and wide to run the Marine Corps Marathon for Team 25:40. Bernard Rabinowitz came from Israel to run with his daughter, Tamar Rabinowitz, who lives in Washington, D.C. Alejandro Luviano came from Mexico. Stephanie Wedgeworth and Terra Bowles came from the West Coast – Los Angeles and Seattle, respectively.

Andy Leinz, from Burke, VA, raised the most amount of money -- $3041 from almost 40 donors. For his efforts, he received discount tickets to Wintergreen Resort and a free Swedish massage from Alexandre de Paris salon in Fairfax, VA. The Mother-Daughter Team – Rachel and Denise Mazzola of Keene, NH – raised the second highest amount, with $2,390. Rachel Mazzola, 16, is our youngest Team 25:40 member this year. Unfortunately, a last-minute injury prevented her from running, but she attended and cheered mom Denise on to a strong finish.

Team 25:40 raised $26,520.40 for children in South Africa impacted by AIDS and poverty. The money raised through Team 25:40 will go towards the health and education of children in the rural Peddie District of South Africa who suffer from AIDS and poverty. 25:40 works to find children in rural villages who are HIV+ but do not have access to health care. 25:40 also supports the operation of Umtha Welanga, an AIDS clinic and palliative care center, in Hamburg, South Africa.

Thank you runners! And the children thank you!