Sponsored content material offered by The Jacquelyn Challenge.
Marshall Dahneke ran the 2023 Boston Marathon to lift funds for therapeutic massage remedy neighborhood service grants in honor of his daughter, Jacquelyn, who handed away from breast most cancers in early 2022. His fundraising efforts up to now have raised over $ 84,000 for the Therapeutic massage Remedy Basis and most cancers reduction.
Checking on Targets
Some days it appears like The Jacquelyn Challenge simply started—however right here I’m, summarizing the end result. The place did the time go? Once I started, my targets had been to:
• Honor my daughter’s legacy by elevating $50,000-plus for the Therapeutic massage Remedy Basis to fund cancer-relieving neighborhood service grants.
• Supply self-care recommendation to encourage improved well being, longer careers in therapeutic massage in addition to higher counsel for purchasers.
• Promote therapeutic massage as my most well-liked wellness, restoration, and therapeutic intervention
• Present up to run an amazing Boston Marathon, representing my daughter, sponsors, and the whole therapeutic massage career as proudly as doable.
• Join therapeutic massage therapists with our nice sponsoring manufacturers who care deeply about supporting this career.
Let’s examine in on these targets now that we’re on the finish of The Jacquelyn Challenge’s first section.
Honoring Jacquelyn
Whereas I hope and pray that none of you has to undergo the loss of a kid, one explicit sunbeam that broke by way of these very darkish clouds was studying simply how a lot Jacquelyn served and supported others, even whereas she herself was combating a long-term battle with a virulent disease. Not a couple of times however a unbroken flood of feedback, private messages and posts strengthened her ongoing efforts to elevate others no matter her personal circumstances.
Essentially, extending a therapeutic hand to these in want is the core of The Jacquelyn Challenge—persevering with my daughter’s legacy of service by elevating funds for Neighborhood Service Grants administered by the Therapeutic massage Remedy Basis. Such grants present hands-on reduction to most cancers sufferers, individuals strolling by way of some very darkish days certainly.
Not figuring out whether or not manufacturers would be capable to sponsor this mission within the face of a worsening financial system, I set an preliminary objective to lift $50,000. On condition that so many manufacturers generously embraced our trigger, we elevated the goal to $75,000 as our closing objective.
An incredible microcosm of this generosity is Tom Heidenberger, a beneficiant double-brand sponsor of The Jacquelyn Challenge, who provided, “As each a long-time supporter of and former Boston Marathon runner for the MTF myself, I jumped on the alternative to sponsor Marshall and The Jacquelyn Challenge with my new manufacturers, CBD Therareleaf and Pura Wellness, superior formulations that provide distinctive advantages to therapeutic massage therapists and their purchasers. Having additionally misplaced an in depth member of the family to most cancers, I’m totally behind the thought of funding neighborhood service grants to carry therapeutic arms to extra struggling individuals throughout their darkest hour.”
On the time of scripting this, we’ve got raised slightly over $84,000 with further donations nonetheless anticipated. It has been extremely gratifying to expertise such a beneficiant outpouring of human kindness, so aligned with my daughter’s lifestyle.
Providing Self-Care Recommendation
Since August 2022, I’ve offered self-care and wellness recommendation to the therapeutic massage career through two highly effective platforms, a month-to-month column generously hosted by our Platinum Media Sponsor MASSAGE Journal and a month-to-month weblog hosted by the Therapeutic massage Remedy Basis.
Whereas drawing closely by myself wellness transformation, I’ve shared how a deliberate and each day concentrate on self-care priorities— together with ample nightly sleep; correctly fueling and hydrating the physique; constant train; in search of for and leveraging useful instruments and experience, particularly therapeutic massage remedy; taking precautions to keep away from damage and selling each day restoration; whereas embracing a resilient mindset—can result in superb outcomes.
Earlier than embarking by myself private health-improvement journey, I spent a number of many years not prioritizing my wellness, ballooning to 230 kilos with super-high levels of cholesterol and a resting coronary heart price nicely above 100. Our our bodies are amazingly resilient. After personally embracing the recommendation I’ve dished out to you, I used to be capable of lose 85 kilos, returning to and sustaining my highschool weight. My ldl cholesterol degree plummeted into the nice vary. My resting coronary heart price is now within the mid-40s, not unusual for runners.
Selling Therapeutic massage
I applaud this 2018 message from Des Linden, a two-time Olympian and the 2018 Boston Marathon Champion: “Self-care is completely crucial and is on the coronary heart of my coaching and restoration regimens. Therapeutic massage remedy is an enormous a part of my routine, together with bodily remedy and a healthful weight loss plan. Coaching for lengthy distances is a tough endeavor. Therapeutic massage remedy helps me put together, get well and reset bodily and mentally. It additionally helps me get the nice night time’s sleep that I would like to present it my all.”
Like Des, therapeutic massage has been my major restoration and recalibration intervention all through my coaching. I might by no means ponder a race with no therapeutic massage a few days prior. Additionally, restoration is a lot smoother with my post-race therapeutic massage a couple of hours afterward.
One other beneficiant sponsor of The Jacquelyn Challenge is Therapeutic massage Heights, a number one U.S. and Canadian chain of therapeutic massage and skincare retreats which are domestically owned and operated by small-business leaders. My experiences at Therapeutic massage Heights strengthened their ardour for sustaining a tradition of care and creating work environments the place individuals really feel valued, accepted and impressed. I felt that!
“Therapeutic massage Heights, is obsessed with supporting the therapeutic massage remedy career by way of initiatives like The Jacquelyn Challenge. By our gold sponsorship, we’re aligning with Marshall’s goal of spreading consciousness of the advantages of therapeutic massage for these affected by most cancers and cancer-related challenges, in addition to elevating cash for the Therapeutic massage Remedy Basis,” mentioned CG Funk, senior vice chairman of Tradition and Business Relations. “Therapeutic massage remedy is a distinctive profession, and the work of therapeutic massage therapists is extra necessary than ever in our world as we speak. We’re honored to be part of Marshall’s imaginative and prescient.”
Displaying up for Boston
I’ve discovered a lot about operating previously 12 months! I used to be so naïve—making reservations a yr in the past for a Boston lodge earlier than I ever ran my first marathon. I assumed that every one I needed to do was decide to the objective and all can be nicely. Whereas issues labored out for my first three marathons, this final cycle has been a really completely different expertise.
Sarcastically, in spite of everything of my wellness recommendation, exhibiting up ready and prepared for the Boston Marathon turned my best problem. I improved my private greatest time in every marathon I ran and had aspirations to make Boston my greatest but, regardless of the well-known challenges of this hilly course with unpredictable climate. After rising my weekly coaching miles following every earlier marathon, I agreed with my coach that I wished to achieve 60-plus miles per week with a purpose to actually construct endurance, whereas including in much more hill- and speed-training work.
Whereas certainly one of my best strengths is willpower and willpower, I’m stricken with a corresponding weak point of impatience. As I scaled up my coaching, I pushed too onerous too quick and brought on a stress response in my proper tibia.
Ache compelled me to considerably reduce my operating miles in mid-December, substituting stationary bike and elliptical cross-training. Following a February MRI I used to be recommended to cease operating altogether and my focus shifted from arriving initially line ready to run nicely to easily arriving as wholesome as doable. A plaque in my workplace reads, “There could come a day after I can’t run—however as we speak shouldn’t be that day!” I used to be compelled to simply accept that as we speak turned that day throughout this current coaching cycle.
No matter my insufficient preparation, exhibiting up throughout a chilly drizzle on race morning was past thrilling! The concept of taking part on this planet’s oldest marathon and operating with goal—on behalf of my daughter, of our beneficiant sponsors, for the MTF, for these struggling by way of most cancers like Jacquelyn did, and for my very not too long ago deceased pal, accomplice and cheerleader Lynda Solien-Wolfe—added deep that means.
Sure, it was chilly. Sure, it rained and each runner received soaked. Sure, my tibia damage with stride one and people darn glutes started performing up even sooner than regular as I used to be so undertrained. None of that mattered and none of it diminished this magical expertise!
I confess I turned emotional a number of occasions as I contemplated Jacquelyn and Lynda, hopefully cheering us all on and carrying me on angels’ wings. Regardless of being chilly, I refused to put on a layer past my operating singlet as I used to be not going to cowl my sponsors’ logos—or the names of so many beneficiant particular person contributors printed on my arm sleeves and becoming a member of me on this 26.2 mile journey.
Whereas my ending time of 4:44:25 was horrible (for me), I may have cared much less about tempo and solely about crossing that end line, with and for household. In the course of the closing mile I ended to attend a minimum of quarter-hour for my son (additionally an MTF runner this yr) in order that we may cross the end line collectively for Jacquelyn and now additionally for Lynda! It was the fitting name and can present a lot extra that means and higher recollections than a sooner end time ever would.
Since I already certified for Boston in 2024, I plan to return wholesome and powerful to ship what I used to be not capable of this yr, an amazing Boston Marathon efficiency representing Jacquelyn and Lynda, our sponsors and the whole therapeutic massage career as proudly as doable.
Connecting Therapists with Nice Manufacturers
I like this career, as a result of it first liked me. Therapeutic massage therapists are big-hearted, service-oriented and welcoming. As the previous CEO of Efficiency Well being, I constantly felt most welcome at therapeutic massage occasions and partnering with therapeutic massage career management and educators who mission such positivity.
Therapeutic massage turned my most well-liked beneficiary for the funds we raised and to ship the therapeutic energy of contact, the final word aspiration of The Jacquelyn Challenge’s operating for most cancers reduction.
In the end, every certainly one of you’ll have the best affect on engaging in this fifth objective of connecting therapists with nice sponsors. Whereas I recruited these manufacturers and had nice private expertise integrating their highly effective worth propositions into my very own coaching and restoration regimens, it’s as much as you to resolve whether or not to present their services or products a strive, to reward them with a few of your time, consideration and curiosity.
Since they’ve already contributed a lot to this career, I sincerely request that you just give them a attempt to the prospect to earn your loyalty. Please provide them the identical welcoming embrace that I obtained after I was first launched to Therapeutic massage.
Sharing Deep Gratitude
The true measure of success shouldn’t be reaching each objective in life. I really feel it’s extra about what number of occasions we will rebound from a setback. To paraphrase creator Vivian Greene, success is studying to bounce (or run), even within the rain. I lengthen my deepest gratitude for all who’ve supported me and particularly The Jacquelyn Challenge. I pray that this ardour mission will enhance the lives of many in want by way of so lots of your therapeutic arms!
In regards to the Creator
Marshall Dahneke is the grateful husband of Michelle and proud father of six fantastic youngsters, a lover of therapeutic massage, former CEO of Efficiency Well being, 2016 Therapeutic massage Corridor of Fame inductee, and aspiring endurance athlete discovering his strategy to a greater lifestyle. Go to The Jacquelyn Challenge’s house web page for an summary of the mission, sponsor highlights and a donation hyperlink.