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Kelleen Scott of the College of Mount St. Joseph (MSJ) loves running. As a member of the MSJ cross country team she is logging a lot of miles this summer.
She has added something extra to her workouts using the free smartphone app Charity Miles, which keeps track of running, walking or biking distances. Every mile means a donation to a charity of your choice, paid for by the Charity Miles sponsorship pool.
When Kelleen runs, she raises funds for cancer research. She recently took time to discuss her training, the coming season for MSJ and the powerful impact of Charity Miles.
Tell us about combining your off-season training for cross country with Charity Miles. How many miles have you run so far?
A: It is nice to make some of my miles preparing for cross country count toward Charity Miles. It is very important to me to help those who are in need, and I never thought I would be able to help those people
through something I love, running. I run around 20 miles per week.
Do you have a specific charity you are running for? Do you have a personal connection with this cause?
A. Each time I run for Charity Miles, I run for the “Stand Up to Cancer” charity. I do have a personal connection with this cause. A good friend of mine back in high school passed away from cancer. He was a couple years ahead of me and one of our star cross country runners. I recently lost a family member to cancer, as well, and my grandparents lost a dear friend, too. I love being able to do something to help…people affected by cancer. My other option would be finding a cure to cancer, but Charity Miles is definitely more realistic.
What is your team’s outlook for the upcoming cross country season?
A. We are very excited for this upcoming season. We are looking forward to improving our spots in the HCAC conference. The team has been training all summer at our respective hometowns, but we are excited to come back to the Mount in August and work together as a team. The team should
improve this year and we hope to see at least one person go to Nationals this year. We will have several seniors and are welcoming back a National qualifier (Amanda Shelby) from last year. We are hoping to have a couple new runners to add to our talent.
Tell us about the Walt Disney Classic MSJ will be competing in this fall?
A. We are pumped about this trip because it will be fun competing in a state other than Indiana, Kentucky, and Ohio. Florida will be fantastic to visit and it will be a great way to compete. We are hoping to fly and spend some time relaxing along with running in the meet.
How can someone follow the MSJ cross country team this year and keep up to date on your Charity Miles?
A. We have a Facebook page, “MSJ Cross Country“, run by one of our senior male runners. Also, you can contact our wonderful coaches, Head Coach Tina Blakley ([email protected]) and Assistant Coach Jamie Eastham ([email protected]).
