Seniors Allie Pitcher and Paige DeBoer ran the 2011 Chicago Marathon to raise money for mitochondrial disease.

“I kept saying to myself ‘I’m doing this because they can’t,’” Pitcher said. They ran with Team Mito to raise money after seeing first-hand how bad the rare disease can be.

The two girls ran for Julia Moberly, 16, who was diagnosed with mitochondrial disease in fifth grade; the disease completely altered her life. Gary and Karen Moberly, Julia’s parents, set up Team Mito to increase awareness and help find a treatment. The team collectively raised $20,000, which was much more than they expected, according to DeBoer.

As for the actual marathon experience, Pitcher and DeBoer loved it. Both of them are looking forward to the chance to run again next year. “Looking back, now I want to go back, I want to run again, I want to beat my time,” DeBoer said.

“People think it’s cool you’re running a marathon, but knowing that you’re doing it for someone is even better,” Pitcher said.

“It really gave me a sense that I can do way more than I thought,” DeBoer said. “Starting out, it’s kind of like ‘Okay this is
going to be a lot’ but you have no idea how much a lot is. Then you’re running for a while and the crowd really pumps you up. You see all these signs and people that you know, and I feel like it can carry you so many extra miles just
because it’s all the adrenaline—you’re going crazy.”

Pitcher said, “Run a marathon! [It’s] the greatest thing you’ll ever do!”