Dear Friends and Family,

 It gives me great honor and pleasure to be writing to you to announce that I am running in the 2008 ING New York City Marathon and the ING Philadelphia Distance Run as a member of ‘Team McGraw’.  As part of the Team, I am running to raise money for The Tug McGraw Foundation that was envisioned by my father before his death in 2004.

 For those of you who may not be familiar with the Foundation, its mission is to raise funds to enhance the quality of life of children and adults with brain tumors and their families by stimulating and facilitating research that addresses the physical, social, emotional, cognitive, and spiritual impact of the disease. As honorary chairman, my brother Tim has said “We want to put a face on the need for more research… You say ‘cancer research’ and it can seem like an impersonal cause.  It is extremely personal for millions of individual patients and their families.  Both the ING Philadelphia Distance Run and the ING New York City Marathon have given us a wonderful opportunity to call attention to the need for funds to help people fight cancer every day.”

 For me, running with the Team signifies a chance to honor my father as well as support this great cause which obviously has significant meaning to me personally as well as to thousand of others living with brain tumors.

 During the 1973 season, when someone said to my dad that his team could not succeed, my father said “Ya Gotta Believe,” and proceeded to lead the team from last place to the World Series that same year.  When diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor in 2003, my father repeated this cry and it has since become the anthem of the Foundation.

 Team McGraw ‘believes’ that we can make a difference by raising money to support cancer research. I write to ask for your support in this effort. All donations are tax deductible and any/all contributions are welcome.

 You can learn more about the Foundation as well as make a secure donation online at www.teammcgraw.org. In an effort to share in my experience as part of the Team and training for my first marathon, I will be blogging throughout the course of my training  and encourage you to visit my webpage at http://www.active.com/donate/teammcgrawnyc08/tugnycMMcGraw.

 As Tug’s son, and on behalf of the Tug McGraw Foundation, thank you for the love and support you have shown for my father throughout the years and for this great cause. Your generosity is greatly appreciated.

 Ya Gotta Believe!

 Mark McGraw

Who is Mark McGraw? - An Introduction