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On Friday June 29, 38-year-old Virginia Beach resident, Tommy Neeson, will attempt to break the world record for 50 Kilometers on a treadmill. The current record is held by Derek Lalonde (Canada) with a time of 3:39:00 hours. Tommy is parlaying this endeavor into a charity run for Ronald McDonald House Charities of Norfolk.
The record setting attempt will take place at Town Center Fitness located in Virginia Beach’s Town Center.
Running Background
Tommy grew up in Yorktown Heights, NY in Westchester County. He began running and racing at the age of 8 when he joined the Taconic Road Runner Club, which he is still a member of today. Not too long after his high school career, Tommy wound up attending a division two school near his hometown, Mercy College, on a cross country scholarship where he capped off each year by competing in the NCAA eastern regional meet.
After graduating college with a BS in psychology, Tommy turned his sights to what distance runners call the classic distance - the marathon. To date, he has completed 17 marathons with a personal best of 2:35 (Virginia Beach Shamrock Sportsfest, 2003). He has 8 top ten finishes and has won two (Hatfield McCoy, KY 2003 & Ocean City, MD 2005).
Mixed into those 17 marathons are 5 pacing performances where certain runners, called pacers, forgo their opportunity to race and agree to run at a slower time (usually 30 to 45 minutes) to help others achieve their goal.
Currently Tommy is a board member of the Tidewater Striders running club and has been on the board for the local chapter of Girls on the Run.
Why Ronald McDonald House Charities?
While living in NY with his wife Elaine, step-son Jake and two daughters, Shelby and Randi an event took place that changed Tommy and his family’s life forever. On July 27th, 1998, just two weeks shy of her birthday, a large tumor was found at the stem of his youngest daughter Randi’s brain.
In spite of having quite possibly the best care in the world, the cancer won its six month war against Randi just two days before Valentine’s Day. She was two-years-old.
Although Randi spent many of her remaining days in a hospital room, the family was able to spend many nights together at the local NYC Ronald McDonald House. Tommy and Elaine were able to piece together as normal a life as possible with the entire family as they spend many a weeks away from home.
Ronald McDonald House not only provided the basic needs of shelter, but more importantly supplied an environment, a home away from home, where family’s like the Neeson’s could be together during those difficult times.
Please help make this spectacular event so very special by supporting a great organization that provides a place where families, like the Neeson’s, could be together during difficult times. You can be a sponsor by pledging a dollar for every minute Tommy breaks the current world record or you can simply donate a set amount. The choices are up to you.
Please send donations to:
50K Treadmill World Record Run
Ronald McDonald House Charities of Norfolk, Inc.
404 Colley Avenue
Norfolk, Virginia 23507
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