There is a level of emotional connectedness with the greater community, with the children, and with the families that this event brings together. In life, we end up so caught up in unimportant things and our own issues, that sometimes we miss the plight of others and what our neighbors may be going through. This event shows the amount of strength these children have within them, that the problems and things that we sometimes focus on are so unimportant in comparison to the challenges that these individuals face. <br /> <br /> For me, it is about connecting with the families who I think feel alone and isolated, worried about their child, and being able to show them that their community cares, that they are not alone, it matters. It matters more than probably I will ever know. It makes a difference in their lives to know they are not alone and this event demonstrates it. <br /> <br /> At the end of the day, it is not about running, it is about the purpose of this organization to improve the lives of those families with children battling life threatening illness. To provide the funds needed to support these families at their darkest hour and bring some comfort and joy when it is most needed.