My name is Patricia Beckwith and I love to run. About four years ago, I decided to make a healthier way of life and took up running. My goal at that time was to be able to run a marathon. After a few years of running small local 5 and 10K races and the Chicago half marathon, I felt I was ready. I ran my first marathon in Chicago 2007.

I am still running those local races and decided I wanted to be able to help contribute as well. The Pumpkin Stampede is a 5K run to help raise money for the Andrea Lynn Cancer fund. These funds are then given to families that have been stricken with cancer and struggling to make ends meet. As you know, there are many other charities out there to help in the fight against cancer. We felt our funds would be best served if given to the families directly.

For more information, please feel free to visit www.andrealynn.org.