Ft. Thomas has always been a very
active community. When the weather is nice, the streets are filled
with residents out walking, jogging, riding bikes, or just visiting
with friends. Grand Avenue’s Steven Schwalbach is someone you have
probably seen out running the streets of Ft. Thomas. However,
Schwalbach’s runs aren’t solely for recreational purposes. Schwalbach
has been training for the 200 mile Jackie’s Run.
Schwalbach is using his love of running
to bring attention to the Alzheimer’s Association. According to
statistics Schwalbach collected from the Alzheimer’s Association,
“Every 68 seconds an American develops Alzheimer’s disease or a
similar form of dementia. Alzheimer’s is now the 6th
leading cause of death in the United States. An estimated 5.2 million
Americans are living with Alzheimer’s and 200,000 of them are younger
than 65 years old.” Jackie’s Run was created by Schwalbach to help
raise money for finding a cure for Alzheimer’s and dementia.
Alzheimer’s hits especially close to
home for Schwalbach and his family. Schwalbach’s mother, Jackie
Schwalbach, was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s over 10 years ago. Ft.
Thomas resident Clem Fennell, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s 7
years ago at age 55, also motivated Schwalbach’s involvement in
Jackie’s Run.
Beginning May 18, 2014, Schwalbach will
be running the state of Kentucky over the course of one week.
Jackie’s Run will kick off at the Kentucky-Tennessee border in the
city of Pine Knott, Kentucky. Throughout the week, Schwalbach will be
running 7 marathons. Schwalbach, a former Highlands High School
cross country team member, will be finishing his run at Highlands
High School on May 24, 2014. Schwalbach plans to follow the running
schedule below:
May
18: Tennessee-Kentucky border
to Burnside State
Park –
31.5 miles
May
19: Burnside State
Park to
South of Stanford – 31.5 miles
May
20:South
of Stanford to South
of Nicholasville – 32 miles
May
21:South
of Nicholasville to South
of Paris – 30 miles
May
22: South of Paris to
South of Falmouth – 30
miles
May
23:South
Falmouth to Alexandria
– 31 miles
May
24: Alexandria to
Highlands High
School – 15 miles
You
can support Schwalbach by cheering him on throughout the run, and
also by donating to the Alzheimer’s Association through Jackie’s Run.
You can find out more information about Jackie’s Run and make
donations by visiting www.jackieclemrun.com.
