On October 11, Run for the Rings

"I walked into my doctor's office on May 7th…" The way Michael Ring recounts his experience, it sounds like the opening to a Bob Hope joke. Of course, it's not. Michael's been battling Guillain–Barré syndrome and its complications (and writing about it) for four months now, and although he appears poised to head home any day now, the financial effects on his family will linger for a long time.

Here's one way to support Michael, Stephanie, Sabrina, and Nick: join The Run for the Rings on October 11. You can race in the 5K or half-marathon at Shore Road on the Brooklyn waterfront, or participate from afar using the "virtual" option.

This no-frills nature will ensure Michael and his loved ones receive the maximum benefit from this event.

I don't need to tell you how valuable Michael is to the New York running community. He's run the NYC Marathon at least 17 times, occasionally as a pace leader, and takes responsibility for anything he needs to do (whether he's asked to or not)

And as Vice President of the club, he's taken on a heroic amount of work – which has become even more apparent since many of his tasks went undone until someone else on the Board said, "Hey, wait a minute – shouldn't we have sent that email out by now?"

On behalf of the Board, I hope you'll join us on October 11.

–Keith