Katie Poston, sophomore in pre-journalism and mass communication, runs almost every day.

In January she will run a marathon at Disney World through Team in Training, a fund-raising program for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

Team in Training is the biggest fund raiser the society has and gives people the chance to raise money for the society in exchange for the opportunity to run a marathon in locations all over the nation, said Marli Eslinger, campaign manager for the Des Moines branch of the Mid-America chapter of the Team in Training.

Last year 30,000 participants took part in a Team in Training event, she said.

“People run [the marathon] in honor of someone who has leukemia or for someone who has passed on from the disease,” Poston said.

Poston’s aunt, Robin Weiss, a 22-year-old DeSoto resident, was diagnosed with leukemia in June 2000.

“As a family member, you sit back and watch the doctors and feel helpless, so I decided to see if there was something I could do,” she said.

Poston contacted the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society to see if there was a way she could raise money. That’s how she found out about the Team in Training marathons.

“It’s still hard to go out every day with school and work,” Poston said. “But training for this marathon is nothing compared to what my aunt went through.”

Participants in Iowa can choose from six different marathons that will be run throughout the year in different locations across the country, Eslinger said. The amount of money a person must raise is determined by the expenses for the person to attend the marathon.

“For every dollar that we spend in expenses, [participants] have to raise $4,” Eslinger said. “Three dollars will go back to the society.”

This ensures 75 percent of the money earned goes toward the society, which goes toward patient aid and research, she said. Patient aid includes educational programs, counseling programs and patient reimbursement to help cover medical or pharmaceutical bills.

Poston said she has about $450 left to raise to participate in the marathon by December.

The Iowa portion of the Mid-America chapter of Team in Training raised $454,000 for the society last year, Eslinger said.

There are 11 people, both students and community members, in the Ames area running marathons through Team in Training, Poston said.

Poston said thinking of her aunt helps her train for the marathon.

“My aunt was so strong through the situation and she kept a positive attitude – I’m really proud of her for that,” she said.

Poston said she is extremely close to her aunt and considers her more like a sister.

“My grandma raised me and I lived with [her, my aunt and my grandpa] until I was five,” she said.

Eslinger said many of the people who choose to participate in the marathons do so because they know they’re participating to help treat the blood-related cancers, including leukemia, lymphoma, myeloma and Hodgkin’s Disease.

People wanting to donate money can contact Poston at [email protected].