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Olympic Gold Medalist and Team Fox MVP Join Forces to Outpace Parkinson’ s
When Team Fox member and Parkinson’ s patient Michael Westphal ran into his old friend and Olympic gold medalist Joan Benoit Samuelson, they hatched a plan to run a marathon together in their home state of Maine. For Joan, it’ s about celebrating her friend and making good on a promise. For Michael, it’ s about continuing his tradition with Team Fox. For both, it’ s about racing toward a cure.
The Michael J. Fox Foundation( MJFF): How long have you known each other and how did you reconnect?
Joan: Michael and I went to neighboring high schools and I often raced against his sister. We saw each other for the first time in a long time at last year’ s Boston Marathon— I didn’ t recognize him! I told him I had never run a marathon in Maine, and that when I do, I’ d run with him. Well, we both turn 60 in May and the Sugarloaf Marathon is May 21— so
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CURE
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running together now seemed to be the logical choice.
Michael: We also both went to colleges in Maine and had dual meets quite often. We first ran together at the Boston Marathon in 1979.
MJFF: What’ s going to help push you across the finish line?
SPEED A CURE