Phi Kap Alumni Participate in Rock ‘n’ Roll Seattle

Four Washington Beta Delta Alumnus (Jon Aslin ’04, David Huang ’04, Jon Kong ’06 and Paul Lee ’04) ran the Inaugural Rock ‘n’ Roll Seattle - Marathon and 1/2 Marathon event on June 27, 2009 and were joined by one Washington Alpha Delta Alum (Nate Bond ‘02).  The runners were blessed with gorgeous weather and the support provided by brothers and family who cheered and encouraged them on at various points of the course as they passed by.

It took months of preparation, with no brother having run a half or full marathon prior to registering for the event (although one subsequently registered and ran other events).  Most brothers followed a training plan sent around by a Ben Grady (Beta Delta ’07), who had previously used the training plan.  To keep each other motivated and accountable some of the brothers created running logs to track their weekly mileage and also communicated their progress through Facebook and email.

The night before the race the Beta Delta group met for dinner at Maggiano’s and were joined by other brothers who offered encouragement in preparation for the big race.  Maggiano’s was chosen as the dinner venue, since the restaurant has an all you can eat, salad, appetizer and pasta option, this provided the runners with an opportunity to “carbo-load” and have enough stored energy to complete the race the next day.

Some of the runners were running with injuries yet everyone that started the race finished the race!  The brothers from Washington Beta Delta knew that there was more to finishing this race than personal achievement, as they had raised money from friends, family and brothers to support the Children’s Miracle Network, Phi Kappa Theta’s National Philanthropy.

“This was a great opportunity for myself as an alumni to show my ongoing support for a great cause and to continue to build on the brotherhood that was built during my years at college.  I flew up from Los Angeles to participate and would do it again in a heart beat.”
-Paul Lee (Beta Delta ’04)

“I enjoyed the run and filled with mixed emotions when I finished; happy that I had accomplished something less than 1% of the world has done and sad that it was over. I was inspired by all the people running for a variety of different reasons and causes.”
-David Huang (Beta Delta ’04)

“My training and preparation for the half marathon was limited by reoccurring ankle and back injuries, but it was the commitment and the support of my brothers that helped power me to the finish! I have earned a new level of respect for competitive runners, and it’s an honor to be a part of an Inaugural race that I am convinced will be a cornerstone of the Seattle running community for years to come. Proud to be a Phi Kap!”
-Jon Aslin (Beta Delta ’04)

photo: Jon Kong ‘06, Paul Lee ‘04 and David Huang ‘04 after having completed the marathon.