Sarah Porter and six of her close friends recently participated in the Disney Princess Half-Marathon at Disney World in Lake Buena Vista, Fla.
TEAMMATES — Sarah Porter, second on left, and her close friends recently participated in the Disney Princess Half-Marathon at Disney World in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. “It was an amazing and rewarding experience,” Porter said. “I’m so grateful that I could be part of such a wonderful event to help others.”
Team members were Melissa Worsdale, Alissa Sweetman, Kassondra Cottrell, Lauren Belpirio, Julia Rosin and Porter. They created a team shirt with the motto “One run can change your life,” which was modeled after Cinderella’s famous quote “One shoe can change your life.”
Porter completed the Hal Higdon training program, which began about three months before the event. Initially she set her goal to just finish the half-marathon, but as training progressed and her speed increased, she set her goal to complete the 13.1-mile run in two hours and 30 seconds.
“It was one of the greatest accomplishments of my life,” Porter said. “There were numerous times during the training that I wanted to quit, but I had a goal in mind and kept working towards it.”
Porter trained and ran to benefit The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS), an organization dedicated to the fight against blood cancers. With the support of thousands of volunteers and participants in LLS’s Team In Training program, the WALT DISNEY WORLD Marathon Weekend will help blood cancer patients live better, longer lives.
Porter noted that LLS uses Disney’s Princess Half Marathon Weekend as a platform to create awareness of this life-saving cause, as well as to raise much needed funds for research. Participants and volunteers have the opportunity to make donations to The LLS directly at the point of registration or by visiting their website at www.disneyprincesshalfmarathon.com.
Although the girls finished at different times Porter said, “Knowing five other girls out there were wearing the same shirt as me kept me motivated so I didn’t disappoint my team.”
Watching Porter from the sidelines and rooting her on was her mother, Kim Larkins of Monticello.
“Knowing my Mom was part of the cheer squad and would be there to cheer me on was a great feeling,” said Porter. “She traveled a long way to see me accomplish this goal and I knew I could do it with her there to support me.”
Larkins knows what it takes to finish a long, tough course, as she bikes in the MS150 Bike to the Breakwater.
“This year, I’m planning on doing the MS ride in Bar Harbor in May,” said Larkins. “I did a little running last summer, but no races yet. Maybe this year.”
“My mom has been a huge part of my successes throughout my life,” said Porter. “I was so excited she could be there with me for this successful run. I told her next time she’s going to do it with me!”
Although Larkins hasn’t committed, she is pleased with her daughter’s performance in her first half-marathon event.
“I’m so very proud of her,” Larkins said. “She works hard at everything she does and this was a great accomplishment. It was exciting to be a part of the event and cheer her on. Next year … well, we’ll see.” The LLS, headquartered in White Plains, N.Y. with 68 chapters in the United States and Canada, is the world’s largest voluntary health organization dedicated to funding blood cancer research and providing education and patient services.
The LLS mission is to cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma, and improve the quality of life of patients and their families. Since its founding in 1949, LLS has invested more than $550 million in research. To learn more, visit www.lls.org.
“It was an amazing and rewarding experience,” Porter said. “I’m so grateful that I could be part of such a wonderful event to help others.”
Porter lives in Coral Springs, Fla. where she is the inpatient acute care speech language pathologist at Coral Springs Medical Center. She is the daughter of Kim and Tim Larkins and Jill and Bink Porter and the granddaughter of Paul and Glynn Porter and Bob and Kaye Trickey, all of the Houlton area.
“Training for something like this is a great way to give back, while also staying motivated to take care of yourself. Maybe I’ll try NYC next time,” she said with a smile.
