In 2007 while training for my first 50 mile ultramarathon I decided to take advantage  of the event to raise money for and awareness of the disease of lupus.  This terrible disease is an autoimmune disease that afflicts 1.5 to 2 million people in the United States.  My mother-in-law has lupus, which places both my wife and son at increased risk to develop it in the future.  In 2007, we raised $5,000.  While fundraising, I started a blog called www.lupusrunner.org and found myself contacted by people around the country who either suffered from lupus or had loved ones impacted by the disease.  Many of them were runners and many of them wanted to do something to help.

So in 2008 a group of us decided to join forces to again raise money to fight lupus.  Yassine Diboun, Mae Ko, Nate Luzod, and others each planned a target race for the year and begged, pleaded, and otherwise cajouled our friends, co-workers, and loved ones to support out efforts.  We called ourselves the Lupus Runners and last year we raised another $5,000.

We need your help to again reach our goal this year.  I, Brian Thomas, will run the Burning River 100 mile ultramarathon on August 1st.   Deb Frerick, a new Lupus Runner in 2009 and a lupus sufferer, has committed to run the Illinois Half Marathon on April 11th.  Tim Smith will be cruising the Boston Marathon on April 20th.  Cruz Pitre Jr. is running the Outlaw Run 10k (4/25/09), the Jackrabbit Run 4 Hope 10k (05/09/09) and the Run For the Children 10k (05/16/09),

We need your donations to reach our goal.  We also need your help to bring more attention to this disease.  If you want to be a Lupus Runner and to commit to run a race and raise money for the Lupus Foundation of America, send an email to Brian Thomas at brianjasenthomas@gmail.com.  I'll provide you with a free Lupus Runner t-shirt for your race if you raise at least $250.