Jessica Rodio co-chairs Alzheimer’s Association Run to Remember team
Wednesday, November 28, 2018 • The Hammonton Gazette • Page 3
RODIO, from Page 1
student at Rutgers Law School in
Camden at the time of her cousins’
proposal, yet she accepted the
challenge and began training for
the race.
“I really like a new challenge. I
like setting up goals for myself
and having something to work to-
wards. And I’ve always been very
active, so I agreed to do it,” Rodio
said.
After running her first half-
marathon, Rodio said she imme-
diately fell in love with the expe-
rience. Since that day, she
estimates that she has competed in
more than 20 half-marathons and
approximately 25 full marathons.
“You just feel like Superwoman
crossing over the finish line. You
feel like you can do anything;
that’s just the best feeling. You
have so much adrenaline going.
You feel so proud of yourself,”
Rodio said.
In November 2014, Rodio, ac-
companied by several members of
her family, ran her first full
marathon during the 21st Annual
Philadelphia Marathon. Shortly
thereafter, Rodio’s father, Tony
“Tiger” Rodio, also became an
avid runner, first participating in
the Walt Disney World Marathon
in Orlando, Fla., where he com-
pleted his first half-marathon, fol-
lowed by his first full marathon at
age 59. Rodio said she finished
both events with her father, which
are among her fondest running ex-
periences.
For many members of Rodio’s
family, marathon running is about
much more than the thrill of com-
petition; it’s an opportunity to pro-
vide charity and honor the legacy
of her paternal grandparents,
Benita and Paul Rodio, who both
died from complications of
Alzheimer’s Disease in 2003 and
2014 respectively. Because of this,
Rodio now runs marathons with
the Alzheimer’s Association
Delaware Valley Chapter’s Run to
Remember team, of which she is
currently the co-chair.
Rodio first crossed paths with
Run to Remember during the
2012 Philadelphia Marathon. She
had been used to community in-
volvement at the time, but usually
in ways relative to her aspired
legal career. She said becoming
affiliated with Run to Remember
seemed like an ideal way to apply
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Jessica Rodio is an avid runner and recently ran to raise funds for the
Alzheimer’s Association Delaware Valley Chapter.
her desire for volunteerism and ment in marathon-running and the
running to a cause that has person- impact Alzheimer’s has left on
ally touched her, her family and them, Rodio said there have been
some tears shed by relatives of
countless other families.
“I just really enjoy being able to hers on the day of events, but
connect something that I love so overall, the races are rarely melan-
much personally, which is run- choly experiences.
“It’s really not a somber experi-
ning, with something that means a
lot to my family and to so many ence at all. It’s always very uplift-
ing and motivational, especially
other people too,” Rodio said.
Given the circumstances sur- for me. I mean, I’ve been doing it
See RUNNING, Page 10
rounding her family’s involve-
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