Sometimes, though, even I have to stretch a bit and "get outside my comfort zone." Way, way outside my comfort zone--26.2 miles outside it, to be exact.

Yes, that's the distance of a marathon--and I've decided to run one for a cause I believe in. The American Diabetes Association's Team Diabetes event invites runners, experienced or (like me) not, to run a marathon for diabetes. Participants are asked to collect a minimum of $3000 in pledges to support the Association's research, information, and advocacy programs.

Team Diabetes is, to put it gently, a challenge, not only because it involves the discomfort of asking for donations. I'm 43 and have been a runner for barely 18 months. This will be my first marathon. Right now, the "wall" seems considerably closer than 20 miles. Yet the skilled trainers provided by the American Diabetes Association insist that they can whip even someone like me into shape.

What I am confident of is the merit of our cause. In 10 years of working to bring information to the 16 million Americans who have diabetes, I have been struck again and again by how serious and how common this disease is. I have seen first-hand how devastating it is for a family to face a serious complication like blindness or amputation in a loved one. Though complications like these are fortunately often preventable through diet and medication, I also know how difficult it can be to follow the recommended treatments. No one should have to live like this.

That's why I am running to support the American Diabetes Association. The Association funds research that will help us find a cure for this disease so that no one will have to suffer from its complications in the future. And until a cure is found, the Association is working right now to help people learn to how to keep diabetes under control so that they can lead fuller, healthier lives.

It is because I believe so deeply in ADA's mission and work that I can get beyond my aversion to fundraising and ask for your support. By helping to support Team Diabetes, you can make a big difference in the everyday lives of people with diabetes.

All donations are fully tax-deductible. You may send your check, payable to the American Diabetes Association, to my attention at:

American Diabetes Association
1660 Duke Street
Alexandria, VA 22314

I can't promise that I will cross the finish line in anything approaching a winning time. (My goal for the race: survival.) What I can promise you, however, is that I will spend the next six months leading up to the race training hard and, more than that, speaking to many other people like you who care enough about diabetes and the people who have it to lend their generous support.

Peter Banks