unsung‘she’ro
the Perfect Serve Kristin Cleare organizes tennis fundraiser for Leukemia and Lymphoma Society By KATIE VanBRACKLE
katie@northsidewoman.com
W
hen Kristin Cleare signed up for the Marine Corps Marathon in Washington, D.C., 10 years ago, it was her first endurance event. She had
just turned 40, had always enjoyed running and wanted to challenge herself. Along the 26.2-mile course, Cleare looped around the reflecting pool in front of the U.S. Capitol, ran down the National Mall past the Smithsonian Castle and sweated through the final uphill challenge alongside Arlington National Cemetery. After crossing the finish line at the Marine Corps War Memorial, she knew she was hooked. Cleare now competes in two to three endurance events a year, but it’s not all about personal glory. She walks away from each finish line knowing that she has done more than meet a fitness goal. She
has helped the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS) meet their goal of finding cures for blood cancers such as leukemia, the number one disease killer of children. LLS’s Team in Training (TNT) provides coaches who train people to compete in endurance events. In return, those athletes obtain sponsors for their events and raise funds for LLS, the world’s largest voluntary health agency dedicated to blood cancer. Cleare joined Team in Training in 2005 as a way to meet new people and add purpose to her running. She has participated in more than 25 TNT events, including many marathons, half-
The annual Crooked Creek Ladies Round Robin tennis event raises thousands of dollars for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.
marathons, Half Ironman triathlons, and the Tahoe Sierra Century, a scenic cycling event at Lake Tahoe. In 2007, she became the North Fulton Run Coach for TNT’s Georgia Chapter, and is currently training local runners to compete in Atlanta’s Thanksgiving Half Marathon and the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon in New Orleans in February. Each team meets and runs for a specific honored hero, someone who suffers from a blood related cancer,
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