Making A Difference in Your Community : Running Race Against Ravages of Leukemia

It would be easy for Charles Goldstuck to simply write a check to the Leukemia Society and feel he had done his part.

The 34-year-old Sherman Oaks resident enjoys the financial benefits that go along with being vice president of Warner/Chappell Music, but sharing his health with those who have lost or never had theirs, he said, is as important as sharing his wealth.

“Writing a check is only the beginning,” said Goldstuck, chairman of the Leukemia Society’s Team in Training, a group of marathoners who secure monetary pledges from people who pay by the mile. “What’s more important is the participation.”

By running and securing pledges, Goldstuck said, he gets dozens of others to write the checks, creating an ever-widening circle of people who are aware of the ravages of leukemia and willing to help.

And as he helps train other marathoners to run for the Leukemia Society, the benefits of his work are multiplied even further.

“I’ve been a sports nut all my life,” said Goldstuck. “What I like about this is I run, they pay.”

Goldstuck has been running for 15 years, but got involved with the Leukemia Society while preparing for this year’s Los Angeles Marathon. At the suggestion of a friend, he agreed to raise funds for the group and was responsible for $3,300 going for leukemia research. He dedicated his race to a 6-year-old boy with the disease and wore a hospital identification bracelet with the boy’s name on it while training.

As a young man in his native South Africa, Goldstuck learned firsthand how helpless leukemia leaves its victims, including many children. A teammate from his soccer team was stricken by the disease at age 17.

“He had to stop playing and was dead at 20,” Goldstuck recalled. “That was very difficult for me. He was a teammate and a great friend.

“Once (leukemia) has you in its clutches, for many people there is no escape.”

Goldstuck was one of 10 Leukemia Society runners in the last Los Angeles Marathon. He hopes to have 50 racing in it next year and 100 by 1995.

Goldstuck tries to convince people of two things when he approaches them on behalf of the Leukemia Society: the first is to run a marathon; the second is to raise at least $1,500 in pledges.

It’s a tall order, he said, but the support of a trainer and other runners helps the marathoners keep their eyes on the prize.

The Team in Training program is in its third year, said coordinator Carol Rainey.

She says $1 million has been raised by 25 teams of runners competing in marathons nationwide.

Next up for the Los Angeles chapter is the Honolulu Marathon on Dec. 12. Rainey said four runners are on board for the race so far.

“If we had 20 runners, that would be great,” she said.

Runners who raise $3,500 before they leave for the race receive free air fare, three nights lodging, dinner before the marathon and the race entrance fee, Rainey said.

After Honolulu, the team turns its attention to the Los Angeles Marathon, scheduled for March 6.

Experienced marathoners need only add a little bit of fund raising to their training schedules, Goldstuck said, and first-timers willing to make the commitment have the benefit of a trainer to get them into form.

“Take that step and jump,” he said. “If you train correctly, a marathon is very doable.”

As proof, Goldstuck recalled his experience in the 1989 New York Marathon.

“As I crossed the finish line, I looked to my right and finishing with me was a 70-year-old gentleman,” he said. “It just made me realize anyone can do this, but you have to be committed.”

For information on joining the Leukemia Society’s Team in Training, call Carol Rainey at (213) 724-4582.

Getting Involved is a weekly listing of volunteering opportunities. Please address prospective listings to Getting Involved, Los Angeles Times, 20000 Prairie St., Chatsworth 91311. Or fax them to (818) 772-3338).