Sunday, September 24 was a beautiful, sunny day for the Westchester Triathlon in Rye, NY! Team Donovan brought a couple of teams to the event! Every part of the day was smooth from the 1 mile swim to the 26 mile bike to the 6 mile run!! Donovan cheered on his teams to victory! The team pictured from left to right is Edward Ortiz, runner and family friend and care giver, Ken Luttman, biker and family friend and massage therapist, Lori Pitta, swimmer and long time Team Donovan supporter and friend. It is an amazing racing tradition and fundraiser for FARA!!

-Debra Simpson, Community Contributor

Running for Alison:

The Tobacco Road Marathon was on Sunday March 19th and it was a great day to run. The weather was cool and the event was rocking! The spectators were energizing and the course was just as I had hoped…not hilly! I had run a marathon before but it had been almost 6 years and I really had not run much since. Life had gotten crazy for me and running was a good outlet but I really never had much time to put in any real mileage. I saw this race as a great opportunity to create awareness and raise some money for a great cause, FARA. My friend Matt Price’s daughter, Alison, had been diagnosed with Friedreich’s Ataxia only a few years before. I had the pleasure of living next to the Price family when we moved into our home. We had the pleasure of watching our kids grow up together for a time and since Alison’s diagnosis I have wanted to get involved in some way. This was a perfect opportunity for me to join Team FARA and raise awareness. Running with this purpose motivated me even on the days running did not seem so fun. It was a great event and I enjoyed talking with folks about Alison, our cause and raising a little money too!!!

Beginning at Fountain Square in downtown Cincinnati, runners of the Cincinnati Heart Mini Half Marathon & Walk made their way along the Columbia Parkway, up and down hills, before heading back to the starting point after getting a glimpse of the Ohio and Kentucky border.

This is how Tammy Rasey and her co-worker spent their Sunday, on March 12, 2017, running the events 15k.This marathon is Greater Cincinnati's largest fundraising event and marked the 40th year of honoring stroke and heart-related survivors. 

2016 TCS NEW YORK CITY MARATHON—TEAM FARA

On Sunday, November 6, 2016, five members representing TEAM FARA ran the New York City Marathon to raise money for the Friedreich’s Ataxia Research Alliance. Team members included Felicia DeRosa, Jamie Young, Lucy Braid, Dr. Sathiji Nageshwaran and myself, Tom Batta. All of us share a connection to the FAmily and my connection is my 13 year old daughter, Ryanne, who was diagnosed with FA at age 8. In the last five years since the confirmation of FA, our family has learned to slow down and take one day at a time. We make every effort to remain present in the moment. We know the challenges of FA that lie ahead, but we are taking a “that is then” and “this is now” approach to life. Last March Jaime reached out to me and asked if I wanted to run for FARA, and I jumped at the opportunity! We feel very blessed by our family and friends who supported our efforts and together, TEAMFARA NYC 2016 raised $39,434!