KW-10

Rep: Hermann Keuper
hkeuper2008@kellogg.northwestern.edu

Rep: Jonathan Humphries
jhumphries2008@kellogg.northwestern.edu

There aren't many of us that would willingly wake at 4 a.m. on a Sunday. There are even fewer of us who would do so knowing that 42 kilometers of running was ahead of us! However, there are a few Kellogg-WHU Alumni, along with their 20 teammates, who did just that on Nov. 6 for a very worthy cause – raising funds to fight cystic fibrosis.

Alongside 47,000 marathon participants, Arne Arens, Jonathan Humphries, Matthias Schmidt, Patrick Gottesleben WHU-08 and Kai Herzberger WHU-08, ran a grueling New York City Marathon, while of two million supporters cheered them along the entire way.

"The original idea was to run with Ole (Arne and Katherina Arens-Schmidt's son and victim of cystic fibrosis, an incurable disease with average lifespan of 37 years) in a buggy for the entire race. It quickly became clear that this was just going to be too dangerous for everyone involved – and Ole probably wasn't going to enjoy it too much either! But, I took him towards the end of the race, as we entered Central Park. Crossing the finish line carrying him in a baby backpack was a very emotional and rewarding experience. That's when everything came together and made the year-long training worth it," remembers Arne Arens. Not to worry, Ole did complete the entire 5 km "Dash to the Finish Line" the day before, riding on the back of his father…mostly sleeping!

Arne says, "We are truly grateful for the support – financial and otherwise – we've received. If it's only raising the awareness of this disease for some, the entire project has been worth it."

Approximately €65,000 has been raised under the "Run for your son" project. All donations went towards finding a cure with the Dutch Cystic Fibrosis organization. Additional information regarding the project, race and Ole can be found under runforyourson.com.

Arne Arens WHU-10, Jonathan Humphries WHU-10 and Arne’s son Ole cross the finish line!