While most young adults spend their summer lounging at the beach or sitting poolside, CSI sophomore Ashley Mullarkey of the CSI Softball team spent her summer getting in shape while raising money for cancer patients at the same time. In June, Mullarkey joined Team In Training (TNT), a local training program that helps people get in shape, trains them for marathons, half marathons, triathlons, hiking events or 100-mile bike races while raising money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. The LLS’s mission is to cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma while also improving the quality of life for the patients and their families.
Why the movement and why the passion for Mullarkey? In the sixth grade Ashley had Patricia Jezycki, the Borough Expansion Coordinator for Team In Taining, as a teacher. When Mrs. Jezcki’s husband was diagnosed with leukemia, Ashley and her family donated funds to help find cure. When Ashley’s grandfather was diagnosed with lymphoma she decided there had to be more that she could do to help. It was here that Mullarkey looked into TNT. There was just one problem: she could barely run a mile when she first started.
“Two months into training and now I’m running 13 miles,” she claims after adopting TNT into her lifestyle. “Training for a marathon isn’t something you can cram for. It takes a lot of hard work. The coaches are very helpful and they give you steps and advice on how to get yourself in better shape.”
Mullarkey, 19, is the youngest on her Staten Island based team where the ages carry to 61 years old. The team is approximately 25 strong and get together twice a week to practice.
Jezycki says Ashley’s participation in the Team in Training is inspiring. The day before a race in the Bronx, Ashley was supposed to be off from training and resting. Instead she joined the team and walked up and down the boardwalk handing out flyers for the program.
“Ashley is always cheering on her teammates;” says Jezcki, “Her spirit is the contagious kind we need for a program like this. She’s like the energizer bunny!”
Mullarkey ran her first half marathon this past Sunday in the Bronx. She finished 11th in her age bracket.
“I’m an athlete but I never actually just ran,” Mullarkey said, “Running gives you a new kind of confidence, a definite boost. It makes me feel like I’m doing something out of the ordinary. The fact that I can help raise money for a good cause while I do this is even better.”
At the end of October, Ashley and her Team in Training squad will travel to Dublin, Ireland for a 26.2 mile marathon. Thus far, she has raised $1,540 for her goal of $5,400, or 29% of what she needs. Seventy five percent of what she raises will go to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.