Mission Hills Resident To Run Over 1,500 Miles To Support Children with Cancer
Richard Nares prepares for his 1,500-mile run from Seattle, Washington to San Diego, California to raise awareness and funds for an important cause.
Richard Nares of Mission Hills will run more than 1,500 miles from Seattle, Washington to San Diego, California to raise money for the Emilio Nares Foundation (ENF), a nonprofit that helps families navigate their child’s journey through cancer. In 2003, Richard co-founded the Emilio Nares Foundation with his wife Diane after losing their son Emilio to cancer. Richard’s Heart & Sole Run for Emilio will begin on Monday, June 4, 2018, at Seattle Children’s and continue through Oregon and California, ending in San Diego in mid-August. His goal is to raise $250,000 for the foundation.
“When Emilio was going through his cancer treatment in Boston and he saw runners outside the hospital room, I made a promise to him that I would run. This run is for my son Emilio and for all children battling cancer and the parents supporting them,” said Richard Nares, co-founder and lead visionary of the Emilio Nares Foundation. “I believe my run is nothing compared to the long and grueling journey of a child battling cancer.”
Richard will start his run at Seattle Children’s on Monday, June 4 and continue for approximately 12 weeks with six stops at children’s hospitals through Portland, San Francisco, Palo Alto, Los Angeles, Orange County, and ending in San Diego. Each children’s hospital stop will include a presentation of Emilio’s Loving Tabs shirts, innovative shirts designed with an open- close shoulder panel to allow medical professionals to easily administer chemotherapy into a child’s permanent chest catheter port, without requiring children to lift or remove their clothes. The foundation has a goal to provide these shirts to every children’s hospital across the country.
In 2013, Nares completed a 700-mile run, “Richard Runs California,” from San Francisco to Rady Children’s Hospital-San Diego, raising over $75,000 in support of ENF’s programs.
According to Richard, his preparation includes running six days a week, strength training, stretching, yoga and proper diet (lots of vegetables, chicken, fish, pasta). He said he followed this program when he ran from San Francisco to San Diego in 2013.
In preparation of the 1,500-mile run, every month he increases his activity to build stamina and endurance. He said he focuses on his form to ensure that he is running properly. He also breaks down the miles into small segments, so he doesn’t think of the total distance while running. He offered, “I do not think of the days ahead only what is in front of me that day and I never listen to music.”
Richard also said he is working with Steve Lathrop, a very good friend and fellow runner. Lathrop is in charge of making the route from Seattle to San Diego. He also offered that there about 15 to 20 people who are involved in the coordination, including transportation coordination, hotels, meals, hospital coordination, marketing and publicity. It’s a team effort.
Since 2003, ENF has touched the lives of families in San Diego and across the country with resources and support. Services include their flagship Ride With Emilio transportation program that provides free reliable rides to and from the hospital to ensure that no child misses a life-saving cancer treatment due to lack of transportation. Other services include Emilio’s Loving Tabs shirts, a nutritional snack bag program, a family resource center, therapeutic knitting classes, and end of life child and family care.
For more information about the Emilio Nares Foundation, visit www.enfhope.org.
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