By ELENA OLMSTEAD

You can do anything you put your mind to — that’s the message marathon trainer Eric Swansen is trying to get out.

Swansen trains people as part of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s Team in Training program. The program is one of the organization’s major fundraising efforts. Through the Team in Training program people sign up to take part in a marathon or half-marathon, train with members of the program and work to raise money for leukemia and lymphoma research.

During the team’s first season, which started in January, Swansen said 31 people were able to raise $100,000 for the society. He said all of the team members took part in the Seattle Rock ‘N Roll Marathon held in June. 

The Team in Training program brings together people who have always wanted to challenge themselves to take on a marathon.

“In the running community, it’s the pinnacle of what you do,” Swansen said.

He said while the physical part of a marathon isn’t easy, it’s the mental part that can serve as the real roadblock. And, he said, the Team in Training program helps people work through that.

It gives people an incentive to keep up on their training and really work toward preparing themselves for their upcoming running events. He said the team, which is currently in the middle of its second season, is running twice a week. They run at 7 a.m. on Sunday mornings and at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday evenings. The group meets at Chesterley Park and follows various running routes set up by Swansen.

He said he sets up water and food stations along the route so the runners have nothing to worry about other than the task at hand.

Meeting and training together has a group tends to help people stick to it. He said knowing that there are other people just like you, counting on you to come to practice and push ahead.

“Everyone who signs up has a twinge of doubt,” Swansen said. “What’s amazing is everyone can come together to reach a common goal — it’s a common drive. It’s amazing what can happen.”

The team members also count on each other for fundraising. 

Each team member id dedicated to raising a certain amount of money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. 

“Everyone has a responsibility to raise money,” Swansen said.

He said team members are in charge of organizing their own fundraising efforts, although groups of members will often come together to work on larger projects. 

So far, he said, team members have organized a chili feed, a community fun run and a spaghetti dinner.

And several members of the group have been working on a winemakers dinner and auction, taking place at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 10, at Greystone Restaurant in Yakima.

Swansen said the event will include a seven-course dinner, wine pairing, and a live auction. 

Auction items include wine, services donated from area businesses, and jewelry. Tickets for the event are $100 per person and attendance is limited to 90 people.

Team members are currently raising money as part of their second season. Swansen said various members of the group are training for different marathons this season, with people planning to take part in a marathon in Seattle, Phoenix or Honolulu.

Swansen said he is looking for more people to take part in the third season of the Yakima area’s Team in Training. He said there will be informational meetings held over the course of three weeks starting in December, with practices starting in January. 

“We take people who have always wanted to do a marathon or half marathon — runners, walkers, run/walkers,” Swansen said. “We’re not looking for the perfect physical specimen.”

Swansen has been participating in Team in Training for several years. He started in Ohio, not long after his father died from complications due to lymphoma.

“It’s a very personal thing,” Swanson said.

When he started, Swanson said he was 40 years old and not a runner. But it was his strong desire to make a difference that pushed him to get involved with Team in Training.

“These people have a really strong desire to help others,” Swansen said.

For more information about the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s Team in Training program visit the organization’s website at www.teamintraining.org and enter your local zip code. 

To purchase tickets for the upcoming dinner and auction contact Dr. Nancy Hecox at 697-5840 or Dr. Sarah Michael at 901-4391.