50 Miles For A Good Cause — Rosen Running To Benefit Children With Cancer

By Andy Hutchison

Newtown’s David Rosen is getting ready to run 50 miles in an effort to help accomplish something even more significant than finishing the race itself. Rosen is participating in the Vermont 50, an ultra marathon, in Ascutney, Vt., this Sunday, September 30. He is running this painfully long distance in an effort to raise money in support of the Strike 3 Foundation, benefiting children battling cancer.

Rosen, who stands at a little over 6 feet tall and is 230 pounds, says he is more of a weight lifter than a runner and is not in it to win it. “I don’t so much run as I lumber,” he explained.

“For me, this sort of distance is more about tolerance of pain,” Rosen added. “I’m there to finish it. If I have to crawl, so be it.”

The 41-year-old wants to test himself and push the envelope and considers the cause to be good motivation to do so. He’s run marathons before. The longest distance he’s run at once is 31 miles, and he’s peaked out at 60 miles in a week. Rosen looks forward to pushing himself to 50 in a single stretch for a good cause.

While running long distances requires endurance, it is nothing compared to what a child who experiences cancer endures, Rosen notes. “I don’t think there’s a person in the world who doesn’t want to defeat pediatric cancer,” he added.

Rosen, a Newtown resident since 2003, found out about the Strike 3 Foundation when he attended a celebrity gala in Stamford in which Strike 3 Foundation founder and Boston Red Sox pitcher Craig Breslow, from New Haven, encouraged attendees to get on board.

The Strike 3 Foundation assists organizations that share the mission of childhood cancer treatment and eradication, including Yale New Haven Children’s Hospital’s Pediatric Bone Marrow Transplant Program and Connecticut Children’s Medical Center.

“It’s something I’m very passionate about,” said Breslow, who was inspired to create the foundation because his sister, Lesley, had cancer when she was 13. Lesley recovered and Breslow feels fortunate to be in position to help children dealing with what his sister went through. He’s also very appreciative of the efforts of Rosen.

“I’m incredibly grateful to David for what he’s committed to do,” Breslow said in a phone interview on Wednesday, adding that he is hopeful Rosen’s efforts will encourage others to help in the fight.

“It’s one thing to be on this side of things,” the pitcher said of the administrative and event work he does for his foundation. “It’s totally different when someone approaches us and says they’ve been touched by our program and want to do something.”

Rosen wakes up at 4 am on weekends to run 30 miles then comes home to his wife, Joanna, and their three children. “I have to give my wife a lot of credit for putting up with me running so much,” he said.

Among the notable experiences Rosen has had while training was an encounter with a bear at Shenandoah National Park in Virginia, he said. Rosen noted that the bear was subdued and went on his way without any incident.

Breslow founded the Strike 3 Foundation in 2008 and it has raised $1.6 million. Those who wish to learn more about the foundation or assist the efforts of Rosen and Breslow may visit www.strike3foundation.org/donate/ultra-marathon.