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Rescue Mission manager will run marathon to raise money Going the distance for charity
By Sean Barron
YOUNGSTOWN
If the preparation for doing something interesting and unusual in one’s life, along with the achievement itself and aftermath, could be thought of as writing a story, you could say that Josh Avery has already penned several chapters.
“I’m a big Disney fan and I wanted to do a marathon,” said Avery, who has served 18 months as the men’s discipleship manager for the Rescue Mission of the Mahoning Valley. “I’ve tried to say, ‘What would be an interesting story of my life?’”
The 30-year-old Avery spoke recently from his office at the Rescue Mission on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard near downtown about his desire to participate in the 2017 Walt Disney World Marathon on Jan. 8 in Orlando, Fla., to raise money on behalf of the mission.
His goal is to bring in $1,500, most of which is to go toward a nine-month academic program for men with drug and alcohol problems, as well as those who are trying to better themselves.
The program offers classes three times daily Monday through Friday and includes Bible lessons. It also includes life- and workforce-skills training courses, and money raised also would be used to fund special outings for the participants, said Avery, who has received about $735 so far from friends, fundraisers and online efforts.
Avery has been training since May for the 26.2-mile race, which will take runners through four Disney theme parks and the ESPN Wide World of Sports complex.
He is following a regimen by Jeff Galloway, a member of the 1972 U.S. Olympic Team who devised a program called the Run Walk Run method, a type of interval training in which participants’ long runs are interspersed with walking three days a week to reduce fatigue and the chance of injury.
To that end, Avery spends a lot of time running through Mill Creek Park.
Another crucial piece of the training is eating foods high in protein as well as plenty of vegetables and fruits while avoiding fast foods, said Avery, a 2004 graduate of Heartland Christian School in Columbiana who earned a bachelor’s degree in student ministries from Geneva College in Beaver Falls, Pa.
Of course not everyone is athletically primed to run 26 miles, but countless other ways exist for people to live rich, meaningful lives.
Avery said he is challenging others to show their support and love toward the marathon effort and “live interesting stories with their lives.”
Regardless of how much money he brings home, perhaps the most rewarding moment for Avery will be who greets him as he crosses the finish line. Expected on the sidelines will be several family members, including his wife, Carissa, and their 3-month-old daughter, Ellie.
“That will be awesome,” said Avery, who also is a youth pastor and who took part in a half-marathon last Christmas at Cedar Point in Sandusky.