Dear [fname],

“Great News to Report” -  We have now surpassed the halfway point of the mission to raise $100,000.00 for kidney cancer research. As of this date we have raised a total of $2,200.00 for the November 4th Buenos Aires marathon - with these latest donations our 9-year total raised for kidney cancer research in memory of my brother, and best friend, John is now $50,275.00. We would never have reached this major milestone without the continued support and generosity of hundreds of people over the last 9 years - my sincerest thanks to all of you who have donated to such a worthy cause. With your continued support and generosity I am very confident that we will meet this years goal to raise $10,000.00 for kidney cancer research by December 31, 2007.

I would like to thank the Buenos Aires Marathon Organization for inviting me to be their guest for the November 4th Buenos Aires marathon –they have registered me in the marathon and my bib # 3077. To learn more about the 2007 Buenos Aires marathon please click here www.maratondebuenosaires.com. I am looking forward to my trip to Buenos Aires and to the challenge of finishing the marathon, my 9th worldwide marathon and my 5th continent, while I am there I hope to bring worldwide awareness about kidney cancer as well as to meet and make new friends from Argentina and around the world. If you know anyone from the US that will be running the 2007 Buenos Aires marathon I would greatly appreciate it if you would have them get in touch with me at rjreb@aol.com

Road Runner Sports has invited me to speak at their San Diego store [5553 Copley Drive] on August 9th at 6:00 PM. I will be speaking about “Worldwide marathons for kidney cancer research – one man with a  passion…on a mission…committed to a cause”. I will talk about why I run the marathons around the world, background/history of the charity, the many adventures that I have had running 8 worldwide marathons, and my worldwide experiences and recommendations. I hope that you will take the time to attend as I believe that you will find the talk interesting and informative. 

I started my Buenos Aires marathon training on July 1st,and hopefully by marathon day on November 4th; I will have transformed my 71-year-old body into a “Lean and Mean Portuguese Running Machine”.

Check out this months Buenos Aires, Argentina update and my answer to another question. I hope you enjoy reading the July Newsletter and would greatly appreciate it if you would pass it on to your family and friends.

I would not be able to publish my monthly newsletters without the very creative Graphic design work of Christian Riggs, President of Riggs Creative Group. Christian has not only given his time and design expertise to the newsletter but he also designed and maintains my website.

Worldwide Marathons for kidney cancer research was founded in 1999 with the mission to raise $100,000.00 by December 31, 2008, for kidney cancer research at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, Massachusetts by running worldwide marathons on 6 continents. 

The 2007 donations of $2,200.00 bring the 9-year total raised for kidney cancer research to $50,275.00 towards the mission of raising $100,000.00 by December 31, 2008. 100% of the money raised to date went directly to kidney cancer research at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, Massachusetts in memory of my brother and best friend John who lost his battle with kidney cancer on February 27, 1999.  Over the last 9 years donations have been received from people living in 19 US States and 1 foreign country.

If you have already donated, thank you, if you have not donated I would be honored to have you join the hundreds of people who have made donations to support the efforts to raise money for kidney cancer research.  If your company has a Matching Gifts Program I would greatly appreciate your using the Program to help in the fight against kidney cancer. To ensure that 100% of all donations goes to kidney cancer research I pay all of the expenses [Airfare, Hotel, Stamps, Supplies, etc] and do all of the work myself.

Click here to make a secure donation by Credit Card today. To ensure that 100% of credit card donations go to kidney cancer research I will write a personal check to the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center that will cover the credit card fees for all donations made on line. Your generous tax-deductible donation will go to the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Biologic Therapy Research Program and will be placed in the Dr. Michael Atkins Kidney Cancer research fund in memory of John Rebello. The Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Centers Tax ID# is 042-103-881. 

The Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center [BIDMC] kidney cancer research efforts are being led by Dr. Michael B. Atkins, M.D. He is a cancer clinical investigator and is internationally recognized for his research in renal cancer. Dr. Atkins has led some of the pivotal clinical trials that have influenced the current treatment of patients with renal cancer. The goal of Dr. Atkins kidney cancer research is to translate basic science discoveries into better detection and therapies for individuals stricken with kidney cancer and to ultimately find a cure. To learn more about Doctor Michael B. Atkins and his kidney cancer research efforts please click here.

The Tango, the music and lyrics [often sung in a form of slang called lunfardo], is Argentina’s music symbol. The golden age of Tango [1930 to mid 1950’s] mirrored that of Jazz and Swing in the U.S; featuring large orchestral groups. After 1955 Tango turned more intellectual and listener-oriented. Today the Tango has worldwide popularity and the rise of neo - Tango is a global phenomenon.

Buenos Aires is home to over 300 theaters, 100 plus art galleries, at least 70 museums and hundreds of bookstores. Furthermore there are 50 magazines and 12 daily newspapers. Night has a strong hold on the people of Buenos Aires. - the general public mills about Corrientas street ñ ìthe street that never sleepsî which has many theaters, tango, landmarks, cinema, cafes, and pizzerias.

The people of Buenos Aires are known as Portenos (ìpeople of the portî), acknowledging the historical importance of the port in the development of the city and the nation. Most Portenos have European origins, with Spanish and Italian descent being the most common, mainly from the Galician, Ligurian, Piedmont, Lombardy, and Neopolitan regions of Italy. Other European origins include German, Portuguese, Polish, Irish, French, Croatian, English, and Welsh. People living in the Buenos Aires province, outside the city, are called Bonaerenses (something like ìpeople of the fair windsî).

Buenos Aires is the capital of Argentina and has an estimated population of 2,776,000 inhabitants. It is located on the southern shore of the Rio de la Plata on the southeastern coast of the South American continent. Buenos Aires [English: ìFair Windî] was originally called ìCity of the most Holy Trinity and Port of Saint Mary of the Fair Windsî. Strongly influenced by European culture Buenos Aires is sometimes referred to as the ìParis of South Americaî. Spanish is the main language but English is widely well spoken. It is the financial, industrial, commercial, and cultural hub of Argentina and its port is one of the busiest in the world. The University of Buenos Aires, one of the top learning institutions in South America, has produced five Nobel Prize winners and provides free education for students from all around the world. Football is a passion for Argentines ñ Buenos Aires has the highest concentration of football teams of any city in the world.

Over the years that I have been running my worldwide marathons people have asked me a number of questions ñ what follows are some of the questions and my answers.

Question: What was the most embarrassing moment that I had while running a worldwide marathon?
The most embarrassing moment that I had while running a worldwide marathon was at the start of the Lausanne, Switzerland marathon that I finished on October 24, 2004. As I crossed the start line my feet got tangled up in a plastic bag that a runner had dropped after the start of the race and  because I was in a large group of runners, I could not stop and I ended up  falling and landing  very hard on the pavement.  While I was laying on the  pavement trying to get  back on my feet, and wondering if I had broken any bones, all I could see was  feet, ankles and  legs as runners tried to avoid me by jumping over me or running around me. You might say that I  was the center of attraction at the start of the marathon. I  felt like the Senior citizen in the TV commercial who said“ I’ve fallen down and I can’t get up”.  I finally was able to get back up on my feet when two people  stopped and helped me to my feet and I was able to painfully continue my run and  finish the marathon.          

Which one of my worldwide marathons had the worst weather to run the marathon in?
No Contest ñ it was the Dublin, Ireland marathon that I finished on October 30, 2000. The weather was so bad that 2 days after the race I became very ill ñ turned out to be Walking  Pneumonia. The marathon started out cool with a light breeze and a very light drizzle but after 8 miles into the race the weather got pretty nasty. At mile 8 I was now running into strong winds with a steady and cold rain, which made it very difficult to run. The weather did not clear up until mile 24 when the rain stopped and the sun started to come out. Every one of my worldwide marathons has been an ìAdventureî because you never know what will happen during the marathon [Illness, injury, weather, etc.] that could  effect your marathon finish time. Dublin had the worst weather I have ever run in, yet I finished in a time of 4 hours and 9 minutes, my second best marathon finish time-you just never know what will happen during a marathon. The photo is of me running in the Dublin marathon rain, wind, and cold.

How many days before the marathon do I arrive in the foreign country?
Having finished marathons in 7 foreign countries experience has shown me that to be prepared to finish the marathon I need to arrive in the country 4 days prior to the marathon. The extra 4 days allows my 70 year old body to recover from the long flight [minimum of 13 hours], and to adjust to the time difference. For the flight, I wear loose fitting/comfortable clothing, get an aisle seat so that I can easily get up to walk and stretch, drink a lot of water, wear special flight socks that help with blood circulation and to prevent tired, swollen, and aching legs. I also always carry my race gear in my carry-on luggage.

How many marathons have I finished to date and what is my schedule for future marathons?
As of this date I have finished 8 worldwide marathons on 4 continents ñ US, Ireland, France, Monaco, Hungary, Switzerland, Australia, and Thailand. The schedule for my remaining marathons is:

• 2007: Buenos Aires, Argentina - November 4th
• 2008: Cape town, South Africa
• 2009: Boston Marathon ñ April 13th

* At the ìyoung age of 72î Boston is where I will end my worldwide marathons for kidney cancer research. Stay tuned - my many friends in the Boston area and I will be making this into a great fundraising event.

How do I select the countries where I will run my worldwide marathons?
The country must be in a continent that I need to finish a marathon to meet my mission of 6 continents by 2008. The majority of the inputs from people who have previously run the marathon are positive and they recommend the marathon. The marathon has to have been running for at least 5 years, in the August to November timeframe, and has a professional race management team with dedicated volunteers.

What information do I have about the Buenos Aires marathon?
The Buenos Aires marathon has been held since 1998 - the race is small, 2,000 to 3,000+ runners, and last year there were 100 runners from the US. The course is flat and panoramic you visit all of the areas of Buenos Aires. It is a good time of year to run a marathon [Spring] and a great city to visit. The friendly, but sparse, spectators along the route shout ìSi se puedoî [it is possible].

Do I run with a Running Group?
I consider myself very fortunate because I have had the privilege to run with two great running groups over the last 12 years. Prior to moving to San Diego from Lexington, Massachusetts I ran with a great running group ñ ìthe Concord Runnersî, led by Bob Hall. We would meet every Saturday morning, rain, snow or shine, for our weekly run, through and around the beautiful Concord area, and then we would have Breakfast ñ the Concord Runners have been in place for over 25 years. Now I run with another great group of runners from the San Diego area ñ ìthe Running Groupî, led by Greg White. [www.runwithgreg.com] We meet every Saturday and do our runs in the many scenic, and sometimes challenging locations, around San Diego and after the run we have Breakfast.

Listed below are my corporate sponsors who have generously donated their ìbest in classî products to help me meet my mission. Without their generous support it would be very difficult for me to continue my mission.

Have a great day,
Bob Rebello