Courtesy of The Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC)
Slippery Rock, Pa. – Slippery Rock University assistant sports information director Jon Holtz, a former distance runner at Mansfield University, is re-lacing his running shoes this spring for a different reason.
Holtz, who gave up running more than four years ago after beginning his professional career as an SID, resumed running in January with the purpose of running for a reason this time around. In his first run for a reason, Holtz will be competing in the Pittsburgh Half Marathon May 6 in the name of Slippery Rock women’s lacrosse graduate assistant Brianne Dishong.
Dishong, a former All-PSAC and All-Region defender and one of the top lacrosse players to ever wear a Rock uniform, was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma back in November. She immediately began receiving treatments for the disease and has taken a positive approach to fighting cancer. She created a website (www.thatgirlwithcancer.com) and is keeping a public blog in hopes of helping others dealing with this disease.
After months of battling with the decision of what to do individually to show support for Dishong, Holtz made the decision to run the Pittsburgh Half Marathon for charity.
“I got to a point where I really missed that part of my life,” said Holtz. “Running was such a huge part of making me the person I am today and I wanted to be able to change my life while helping change the lives of others. I used to run for my team and for myself. This time around, I’d like to be running for more important reasons.”
After speaking with Dishong, Holtz decided to run the race for the Mario Lemieux Foundation, which is based in Pittsburgh and donates money toward cancer research and an exciting project called Austin’s Playroom.
“I wanted to choose a charity that would relate to Bri, and with Lemieux battling and beating the same disease, I thought it seemed like a good fit,” said Holtz.
Austin’s Playroom is a project that builds sibling playrooms inside children’s hospitals to provide children that are forced to stay in those hospitals with a comfortable and fun environment to play with siblings and friends.
In order to run the race for the Lemieux Foundation, each runner must raise a minimum of $500 before the race.
“I made this announcement around March 1 and I was blown away by the immediate response from colleagues on campus, friends, family and people I have never even met,” said Holtz. “In just over a week, we have raised more than $1,000 already.”
Along with his expectations for raising money, Holtz has also set pretty high expectations for the race. Last year, more than 9,000 runners finished the half marathon and Holtz is aiming for a top 250 overall finish.
“I’m not going out there just to cross the finish line,” said Holtz. “With this many people supporting this, it would be an injustice to not put forth my best effort. I’ve only been running since the turn of the year, but I think if I can stay healthy and keep progressing at this level, I’ll have a shot at reaching that finishing goal come May. Regardless of where I finish, I’ll be running hard that day and I’ll be proud to represent this cause.”
Holtz will be easy to identify in the massive crowds on race day, as he will wear a custom-made singlet and race bib. The race bib will read “iRun4Bri” and the fluorescent green jersey will feature custom logos, Dishong’s number (4) and a quote.
“One of the quotes that has helped Bri throughout this process is ‘Still I rise, still I fight’ so that will be featured on the jersey,” said Holtz.
Depending on the weather on race day, Dishong and her family have preliminary plans to be waiting at the finish line in Pittsburgh May 6.
“I’m very humbled by the thought that they would want to be there that day,” said Holtz. “Bri is an amazing person with an amazing family and support system. She has been such an inspiration to me and so many others throughout this whole process. I’m truly honored to be doing this in her name and I’m very excited to be raising money for such a great organization. I plan to personally thank everyone that donates and I will be emailing everyone with our progress throughout the next couple months.”
Holtz has created a secure online donation page where individuals can donate with a credit card. All donations are 100 percent tax deductable and a receipt is provided via email immediately after each donation.
Donations will be accepted online until May 5 at
Holtz's page at the Lemieux Foundation website.
Holtz can be contacted directly at jonathan.holtz@sru.edu.