Two Runners To Hit The Road For Leukemia

By Steve Bigham

Two former Newtown residents are headed to Florida next month to take part in the Walt Disney World Marathon in Orlando. They will be running to raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

Southbury residents Vinnie Melita and Gretchen Davenson, both members of the Leukemia Society Team in Training (Fairfield Chapter), have been running in the cold and rain in preparation for the 26.2-mile event, which will take place in and around the Magic Kingdom January 7.

The race has extra special meaning for the two local runners since Gretchen’s father, Lee Davenson, died of acute promyelocytic leukemia back in September of 1988 at the age of 40. Mr Davenson was a well-known figure in town, serving as director of the Parks & Recreation Department. One year, he was selected to be parade marshal in Newtown’s Labor Day Parade and made his way along the route on roller skates dressed in a gorilla suit.

Gretchen, a 1990 NHS graduate, admits she is a little nervous, but says she will be thinking about her father every step of the way. “It’s going to be tough. I’ll need him to get me through this,” she said.

Vinnie, who graduated from NHS in 1989, has become a competitive runner since taking up the sport 18 months ago. He hopes to complete the course in 3.5 hours, although he has never run a full marathon before.

“I finished a half marathon in an hour and forty minutes. They say you’re supposed to double your time and add 10 minutes for a full marathon,” he explained.

Leukemia is the number one disease killer of children and 10 times as many adults as children are stricken with the disease. Over the past 20 years, the leukemia death rates for all ages fell 5.1 percent. This decline in mortality reflects the strides being made in research and treatment of the disease, thanks in part to the money raised by Team in Training participants around the country.

Team in Training is a not-for-profit voluntary health organization whose mission is to cure leukemia and related cancers.

Gretchen and Vinnie, who got engaged in August, are trying to raise $6,000 in memory of Lee Davenson, from the race to help fund research and improve the quality of life of patients and their families. The two runners are seeking support in the cause. For more information, call them at 264-4548 or 203/733-4976. They can also be reached by e-mail at VincentMelita@hotmail.com or Gretchen Davenson@hotmail.com.