An avid runner, Pawlowski had traveled north to compete in the famed New York City Marathon. He was there in honor of Mary Louise, his 14-year-old daughter who is battling neuroectodermal tumors, rare form of childhood cancer.
Staying in Clifton, N.J., 15 miles outside of the city, Pawlowski thought he had a plan for the race, which began at 10 a.m. Sunday. But he soon found out differently.
“On Saturday, I went to the expo they have,” Pawlowski said. “You have to tell them how you are going to get there, transportation and everything. I was staying with a family friend. I thought he was just going to take me to where they start the Marathon, but they don’t allow you to get that close.
“What they did was assign me a bus on Sunday morning. My bus time was 4:30 in the morning. I’m going ‘OK, I guess so.’ My alarm goes off at 3 a.m. We leave the house at 3:45 to get on a 4:30 bus in New York City on 42nd St. I get on the bus at 4:30, take the bus to the beginning of the race over in Staten Island. I get there at 5:15 and I’m supposed to run at 10.”
Pawlowski, wearing just a hooded sweat suit and gloves, thought there would be some shelter. He was wrong.
“It’s 38 degrees, it’s windy and cold and there are 38,000 people there,” Pawlowski said. “Luckily, I had carried a plastic bag with me that, before I run, I put it on. I put that on the ground and I laid on the ground until 5:15 until 9:15, trying to stay out of the wind and stay warm with 30,000 other people there.
“I’m lying on the ground thinking to myself ‘What has my life come to?”. Here I am running a huge Marathon and I’m lying on the ground. There was nowhere to go to get out of the wind. People had brought sleeping bags and were huddled up in blankets and stuff. I’m out there and the freezing cold wondering what I am doing.
“You are roughing it. It was like Woodstock, like a big open field, everybody just waiting to run.”
Finally, the time came. It was time to begin the grueling 26.2-mile race, Pawlowski’s eighth Marathon.
“What an unbelievable experience,” Pawlowski said. “There are about 2 ½ million people that line the streets. I got to go through five boroughs of New York City. It’s an inspiration to see people of all walks of life. People were doing it for different reasons, challenges they face, different hurdles they have in front of them.
“I’m thinking my daughter is going through so much, I can do this. Crossing the finish line was a feeling of great accomplishment. What an experience! It was the greatest Marathon I’ve been a part of, with the exception of the four-plus hours leading up to it.”
Pawlowski sought donations for each mile he ran in honor of his daughter. He plans to use the proceeds to benefit MCGHealth Children’s Medical Center in Augusta, where Mary Louise has undergone treatment.
“The first 10 miles, you can’t really move,” Pawlowski said. “It’s like being on a congested highway. When somebody falls, two or three people fall. You have to be careful of that. You have to maneuver your way around. I felt like I was running my best at the end of the race when people get spread out.
“… You see people overcoming deficiencies, people in wheelchairs and crank racers, people who are amputees. It’s unbelievable what people can accomplish.”
When Pawlowski was finished, he sat down on the curb to rest. He was wearing an Auburn shirt.
“Some guy walked by and said ‘War Eagle,’” Pawlowski said. “I said ‘Absolutely. War Eagle!’ It was great. It’s a great challenge.”
On Monday, Pawlowski went to North Augusta, where Mary Louise lives with her mother. He gave her the medal he won for finishing the New York City Marathon.
Mary Louise has been battling her disease for more than a year. Her courage and optimism has touched her family and all those who know her.
Saturday, a fundraiser will be held at the Moores Mill Golf Club Pavilion in Auburn to raise money for the MLP Foundation, a nonprofit organization to support cancer research and help defray medically related expenses. There will be a barbecue style buffet with cash bar, a silent auction and live music and dancing.
To make reservations, go to www.au4mip.com or call Keith Hamrick at 334-663-4793.
