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Runner carries a message of hope for First Light Marathon: Biochemist uses marathons to raise money, awareness to fight Lou Gehrig's Disease

Biochemist uses marathons to raise money, awareness to fight Lou Gehrig's Disease
Saturday, January 10, 2009
By ARTHUR L. MACK
Sports Correspondent

Dharam Paul Piplani will be running to increase awareness of Lou Gehrig's Disease in Sunday's BankTrust First Light Marathon.

Piplani, 61, who grew up in India, was educated in Scotland and has a doctorate in biochemistry, has a goal of competing in 1,000 career marathons by the end of 2009, as well as raising money to fight amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

"It's one affliction that is not self-inflicted," said Piplani, who ran in the First Light Marathon in 2001 and teaches part-time at Kaplan College in Phoenix, Ariz. "ALS is an affliction that a lot of people don't understand, but I want to do my part to help make people aware of it."

He said donations can be made to www.ALSAlabama.org.

Piplani, who has run 933 marathons, said he originally got the idea to try and run 1,000 marathons from another runner.

"At one race, there was this Japanese guy who said that when he turned 100, he was hoping to have run 1,000 marathons," he said. "At that time, I had done between 400 and 500, and I figured I would be around that long to reach 1,000, so I figured I'd go ahead and try to do it as quickly as possible."

Piplani's marathon debut came in 1993. "At the time, I had no idea about running, but I wanted to give it a try," he said. "So I saw this advertisement for this race, and said, 'This is the race I'm going to run.'"

That race turned out to be the Pike's Peak Marathon in Colorado, easily the toughest marathon in the United States.

"My boss told me I was out of my mind because I never ran in a race before," Piplani said. "But I was determined to give it a try."

Piplani finished in 3 hours, 52 minutes.

Now, he runs three to four races a week at times.

"A week ago, I drove from Jackson, Miss., to a race in North Carolina, then drove back to Jackson to compete in a marathon," he said. "Basically, I used my credit card to buy gas to and from those races, and ate whatever energy bars I could get. Jesus was doing all of the driving."

Today is the last day of registration for Sunday's marathon, half-marathon, the marathon relay and the 1.2-mile fun run. Entry fees are $70 for the marathon, $35 for the half-marathon, $105 for the marathon relay and $12 for the fun run for runners under 18. Runners can register at the Radisson Admiral Semmes Hotel on Government Street in downtown Mobile from noon until 8 p.m.

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