Running Though the Grief - 11Alive.com | WXIA | Atlanta, GA

Posted By -  Julie Wolfe - Updated On:  3/17/2010 8:31:54 AM

DECATUR, Ga.--"Failure is not an option. We'll crawl across that finish line if we have to," Andy Jenkins said. His wife nods in agreement.

Megan and Andy Jenkins say they're not real runners. Meagan's older brother, Ron, was. "He won awards and set cross-country records in high school and everything," Meagan said. "We called him Teflon Ron, because nothing seemed to stick to him. He always came through in the end."

When Ron was diagnosed with Leukemia, he went through radiation, stem cell treatment, and bone marrow transplant. "It was just like, bam, after he had that transplant, he was so good. He looked good, he was exercising. He went on vacation with us," Meagan remembered.

It looked like he had slipped through the fierce grasp of cancer. But then, something stuck to Teflon Ron. In a way, it was the cure that killed him.

"The radiation and all of the medication, it destroyed his liver," Megan said. "That's why we're so committed to raising money for research. We have all of these treatments. I mean, there are a lot of treatments out there, but it was the treatments that killed him in the end. So, that's why we need to come up with better things."

Ron died in September 2009. "It was really hard," Andy said. "It was heart-breaking to see Meag living with that void in her life."
One month later, Meagan stumbled upon team in training. "When you lose someone to something like Leukemia, you feel completely helpless and there's nothing you can do, and I just needed something."

Team in Training was kicking off their spring season, gathering a group to run the ING Georgia Marathon. TNT raises money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society by completing endurance events.

"We didn't really know what we were getting ourselves into," Megan said with a laugh. The couple had rarely run more than a few miles before.

For the last six months, side by side, Meagan and Andy trained. They ran through the physical pain and through their still-fresh grief.

"You just take a deep breath and take each day as it comes," Andy said. "We realized very quickly that running was going to help fill part of that void."

This Sunday, they will stand at the start line of the ING Georgia Marathon. Ron's final words will push them to the finish. "He looked at my mom, my sister, his wife, and I and he said, 'I'm not giving up.'"

"We know our knees are going to be burning, our feet are going to be really sore. More painful than they've ever been before. But that will be almost an honor to carry that pain through the finish line," Andy said.

Leave your good luck comments for Andy and Meagan in the comments section below.

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