My name is Hannah Brockstein. I grew up in the suburbs of Chicago, but am currently getting my Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology at Ohio University in Athens, OH. My parents and I had planned to run the 2020 Chicago Marathon with Team CdLS in memory of my brother, Jason. Jason was born with CdLS and died at 15 months old. He would have turned 26 in 2020. While the Chicago Marathon was canceled in 2020, we completed our own marathon through the suburbs of Chicago with friends and family as our water stations and fans along the way. But my dad, Bruce, and I decided that we would run it again this year! This time, it is my 26th birthday just a few days after the race. What better way to honor my brother and celebrate my 26th birthday than by running the Chicago Marathon!
I grew up playing sports, so running was always involved. But I really started running in high school when I joined the track team. Once I graduated high school and went off to college, I continued running and signed up for my first half marathon. Since then I have run a few half marathons, the virtual Chicago Marathon in 2020, and this will be my first in-person marathon! My favorite training tip is to listen to your body. Pay attention when something hurts and fuel and hydrate properly. I know I am still working on this myself too, but I think it is good advice to go by!
I have experience in the past fundraising with Team CdLS and other organizations. My best advice is to tell people why this cause is important to you. People who care about you will want to support your passions, so tell them your story! Even if the CdLS Foundation is new to you or you don’t have a personal connection, you can share about a program or service that you think is very interesting or important. People like to know where their donation is going and if you can teach them more about the organization and what they do, they may be more interested in making a donation.
When I am not running, I love spending time with my family, hiking, and exploring new restaurants, breweries, and activities in my (somewhat) new home of Southeast Ohio.
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