A Reason to Run For

By Kyla Burkitt and Luke Williams

Jan Amarasekara would not have considered herself a runner three years ago. She didn’t have a reason to run. That all changed when her brother passed after an ongoing battle with a heart condition and depression. After months of struggling to get back to a normal routine, she picked up the habit of running, which helped her forget the pain and instead focus on her health. She went from barely being able to run a half mile in 2012 to running five miles every day in 2013. After seeing the runners when she was volunteering at the 2014 Columbus Marathon, Jan knew she wanted to complete a marathon at least once in her own life.

She decided now was the time, and registered for the 2015 Columbus Marathon. She wanted to complete the marathon for more than just herself, and was compelled to make every mile matter. As a volunteer at Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Ohio, she decided she wanted to run this marathon not only to honor the life of her brother but to also give hope to all of the families at RMHC. She decided to join Team RMHC because it is the perfect opportunity to give each step meaning.
Team RMHC is Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Ohio’s very own fundraising and running team. This season, participants will be training for the Nationwide Children’s Columbus Marathon and Half Marathon on October 18th all while fundraising for the families of seriously ill children that stay at RMHC of Central Ohio. Since the beginning of Team RMHC, runners have raised over $50,000. That’s over 2,500 nights of rest for our RMHC families!

If you would like to support Jan and her fundraising goal for Team RMHC, click here. For more information about Team RMHC and to find out how you can register click here.