As kids, they shared best-friend necklaces, tears and laughter but time split them apart. Then, after 20 years, Nicole Burke moved back to Connecticut and drove past Liz Shuman, jogging down the street in Madison. “I’d just had two babies and was significantly overweight,” she says, amazed by Shuman, who has cystic fibrosis. “I thought, ‘Running is saving her life. If she can do this, I can do this.'” After rekindling the friendship, they decided to train for a half-marathon, side-by-side. Burke had an idea: “I bet I can bring people together to run collectively to celebrate this person who is such an inspiration to me and to share her story and raise awareness for CF.” Now, this mission has exploded, attracting attention around the country, helping these old friends run in a new direction.
“Right now, the life expectancy for someone living with CF is 37 and this September, Elizabeth will be 38,” says Burke, a teacher from Clinton, who asked runners to post their daily distances to a Facebook group, OutRUN the Odds. She aimed to hit 3,800 miles by Shuman’s birthday: “Within 12 hours, we had 1,000 members. Within 48 hours, we had run 1,000 miles.” In 9 days, the goal was met. Now, OutRUN 38 is an official corporation turning miles into dollars through pledges from local businesses. Shuman, diagnosed as a child, says battling this disease as an adult is new territory, as research is helping patients live longer: “A beautiful piece of OutRUN is teaching people what living with cystic fibrosis looks like nowadays.”
The chronic, genetic, progressive disease affects 30,000 people in America, and causes patients to produce thick, sticky mucus. Shuman, a therapist at a boarding school, has developed diabetes and wears a percussion vest each day for airway clearance. Sometimes a flare-up sends her to the hospital. But, running has become her mode of prevention and maintenance. “I can’t tell you how freeing and empowering it was to have my lungs, on a run, just all of a sudden open up…I am winning. I am beating this disease,” she says, hoping OutRUN 38 will raise awareness and funds. “The ultimate, ultimate goal is to have CF stand for CURE FOUND.”
With the first OutRUN 38 5K in early August, these friends continue to motivate others with their intertwined, personal journeys. “From such a young age, I have had the luxury of being able to be so grateful for every year, everyday, every friendship, every mile,” says Shuman, overwhelmed by the outpouring of support, sparked by Burke’s generosity. But, this mom, who has lost 70 pounds since the journey began, is nothing but energized. “I’m so fueled by this,” says Burke. “It’s so exciting everyday.”
For more information, check out http://www.outrun38.org and watch Monday’s Fox CT Morning News.
