Published: August 16, 2007 01:03 pm            

Couple weathering heat to raise awareness for Alzheimer’s Association

DIETERICH — A Michigan couple running across the country for a cause stopped at a local restaurant Tuesday for a rest.

John and Karen Wallace of Ishpeming, Mich., are running from Marquette, Mich., to Biloxi, Miss., in the heat of the summer to raise awareness for the Alzheimer’s Association. The couple left Marquette July 7 and hope to arrive in Biloxi by Sept. 29.

The Wallaces made a stop in Dieterich on the 39th day of their 85-day, 1,300-mile trek after spending the night in Neoga. Tuesday, the couple were near the halfway point after running 625 miles.

The Wallaces are running for the Alzheimer’s Association, which partnered with Marquette County Sheriff’s Office and Triad of Marquette County to implement the Marquette County Life Tracker program.

This new program will enable rescue teams to track individuals with Alzheimer’s who have wandered away from home. Each individual registered in the program will have a personalized wristband that will emit an automatic tracking signal every second, 24 hours a day. This signal can be tracked from the ground or in the air for several miles.

The Wallaces try to run between 13 and 26 miles a day and average around 17 miles a day. Since the couple began their journey, the temperatures have remained over 90 degrees.

The Wallaces run with a jogger cart that holds all their gear, including wet weather suits, clothing changes, tent, toiletries, snacks and a cooler that holds about a gallon and a half of water. The cart and its contents weigh about 150 pounds, which John pushes as they run.

John Wallace said he has been running at least a mile every day for the last 18 years and has run up to 26 miles a day.

Karen has been running at least one mile every day for the last two years.

Married for 34 years, the couple talk to one of their grown children — John, 31, Michelle, 29, and Michael, 27 — each day to update them on where they have traveled that day.

A retired police officer, John Wallace is a professional photographer and his wife works as a unit clerk in a nursing home. Karen, who is on 100-day leave from her job, must return to work Oct. 15.

The Wallaces said they have met a lot of people who think the couple must be crazy to run in such heat. Karen Wallace keeps a journal that she reads to her son, who then posts it on the couple’s blog.

“As a couple, we support each other,” Karen said.

The Web site for the Wallaces’ journey is www.togetherwerun.

com, and the couple can be contacted through e-mail at

john-karen@togetherwerun.com. Donations for the Wallaces’ cause can be sent to: Together We Run, 450 County Road PB, Ishpeming, MI 49849-8783

Jason Short can be reached at 217-347-7151 ext. 131 or jason.short@effinghamdailynews.com.