Four men are running the entire Grand Canyon for charity
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TOLEDO, OH -- Four local men are getting ready for the adventure of a lifetime. They plan to run the entire length of the Grand Canyon, and it's all for not one, but six good causes.
Bobby Merritt, Steve Ball, Eric Cukierski and Jay Heasley are training to run 48 miles rim to rim to rim at the Grand Canyon. It's part of their "Y Not Make A Difference" quest. The run should last about 14 hours. The men will have to endure a 35 degree temperature change from 65 at the top of the canyon to 100 degrees at the bottom, and they'll lose about 8,000 feet in elevation in just 10 miles. But, it's all being done for charities of their choice.
Eric Cukierski is a Bedford High School physical education teacher. He and his wife have two autistic sons. He's running for a Toledo-based non-profit group called Agility Angels, which pairs autistic children with dogs. The kids train the dogs. He is also running for the Autism Society of America.
Jay Heasley is running for the National Kidney Foundation. The Lambertville resident lost his grandfather to kidney failure following prolonged dialysis. His mother and sister also work with dialysis patients.
Bobby Merritt is running to support the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, as well as the Immune Deficiency Foundation.
Steve Ball is a Bedford High School business teacher. He is running to support the breast cancer organization Susan G. Komen for the Cure and the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.
