Manchester woman trains for marathon to combat Lou Gehrig's Disease
| APP.com | Asbury Park Press
Running for defeat
By Michael Amsel • TOMS RIVER BUREAU • January 5, 2008
Kaitlin Hoesch, Manchester, was watching runners complete the New York Marathon in 2006 when she felt a sudden inspiration to become a long-distance runner.
"Seeing those runners compete really lit a fire under me," said Hoesch, 21, a junior at Montclair State University. "I went out the next day for a long run and I have been running ever since."
She is now set to compete in her first-ever 26.2 mile race Jan. 13 — the Walt Disney World Marathon in Lake Buene Visra, Fla.
Hoesch said her training for the race is concluded, though her true mission to raise money for the ALS Association is not.
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis — more commonly known as Lou Gehrig's Disease — claimed the life of her grandfather, Stephen Klisch, in April 2004.
"My grandfather had it for two years, and it was really hard on the family," Hoesch said. "To see someone who was so inspiring suffer like that makes you want to do something to help other people. Towards the end, he went to a New York hospital to get some tests done for use in a research project. Even as he was dying, he was thinking of helping other people."
Lisa Hoesch, Kaitlin's mother and Klisch's daughter, said she is not surprised that her daughter would make such a concerted effort in honor of her grandfather.
"She has always been an overachiever, a girl with a big heart," Hoesch said. "She is always doing things for other people, going that extra mile. To see her work so hard for a cause has made the family very proud."
Hoesch, a graduate of Manchester Township High School, has been training intensely for her marathon debut. She runs every other day, about 10 miles, normally at a course she mapped out around the Montclair State University campus.
Recently, to duplicate the feeling of the Disney marathon, she ran 20 miles from Seaside Heights to Brick.
"I thought my legs would give out at the end, but I made it," Hoesch said. "I am really excited about going to Florida and participating in the race. The charity has given me a lot of incentive to train.When I saw people start to donate, I really got 002 ? 0045.03excited. We have raised more than $2,000, and my goal is $4,000."
Lisa Hoesch said she will accompany her daughter to Florida to see the race and provide emotional support.
"I am sure I will be thinking about my father a lot that weekend," Hoesch said. "He was so grounded, such a wonderful man. He never had a bad word to say about anyone. His focus was on his job (a chemist at Colgate Palmolive), his family and his religion (Roman Catholic)."
Kaitlin said her grandfather's spirit will be with her during the 26.2-mile run.
"If I get a little tired at the end, I will be looking to him for some support," Hoesch said. "And I'm sure he will provide it."
Michael Amsel: (732) 557-5733 or mamsel@app.com
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