Josh Gondelman
One funny man's Miles for Miracles
When opportunity came knocking for Josh Gondelman, he knew exactly whom he wanted to share the reward with.
Gondelman works as a writer and comedian in New York City. In 2013, Wheaties offered him an unusual gig: Compete in the notoriously hardcore Tough Mudder obstacle course and blog about it.
That type of assignment wasn't something Gondelman would have thought to pursue on his own. And the 11-mile Tough Mudder—which involves nightmarish challenges like sprinting through a field of live wires—wasn't the kind of event he'd ever planned on tackling. "I was nervous about the course," he laughs. "I was very ill-prepared."
While the opportunity may have been unexpected, the timing was fortuitous. Gondelman's home state of Massachusetts was very much on his mind, as this Tough Mudder took place the month after the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings.
Giving back
Wanting to contribute in some small way, he decided to use the sponsorship as a way to support Boston Children's Hospital and honor the bombing victims, some of whom were treated here.
"I thought, 'If I can take some of this money from something silly, I should at least do something good with it,'" Gondelman explains. "My sister is a physical therapist at Boston Children's, so the hospital is something close to my heart."
To train for the event, which took place in Chicago, Gondelman gave up eating pizza and ran six days a week in his Harlem neighborhood. Friends and family were enthusiastic about his venture and made donations to build on the corporate sponsorship.
Gondelman was part of our Miles for Miracles program, in which runners can join teams training for the Boston Marathon, New York City Marathon or other races in any city. More than 415 runners participated in 2013, raising $2 million for Boston Children's. The funds go toward the hospital's areas of greatest need, such as covering gaps in care not covered by insurance, training emergency staff and much more.
"It was a terrific physical experience," Gondelman says. "An interesting professional experience. And it was gratifying. When everyone was anguished and hurting back home, I was happy to know I could donate this money. It was a really rewarding experience."
Gondelman's only regret concerns his training regimen. "I did pushups sporadically," he jokes. "I wish I had done more strength training."
