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Paul Long: Steve Schwalbach continues dedication to Jackie’s Run, raising awareness of Alzheimer’s


For his run this year, Steve Schwalbach wanted to take it a little easier.

Easy, of course, is a relative term for Schwalbach. In the past few years, the Fort Thomas native has run up through Kentucky, down through Ohio, and across the breadth of Florida.

But this time, he was looking for something he could do in a weekend, and not the better part of a week.

Steve Schwalbach of Fort Thomas and Vicki Rogers of Alexandra take part in the 5K walk to End Alzheimer's in Newport, R.I. (Photos provided)

Steve Schwalbach of Fort Thomas and Vicki Rogers of Alexandra take part in the 5K walk to End Alzheimer’s in Newport, R.I. (Photos provided)

So Schwalbach, 49, chose Rhode Island for the 2016 edition of Jackie’s Run, his race across various states to raise awareness of the lack of a cure, and money for research into a cure for Alzheimer’s Disease.

He’s doing it in honor of his mother, Jackie Schwalbach, and to raise money to help fight Alzheimer’s Disease, which she battled for 14 years before dying in March 2015. His website, www.jackiesrun.com tells the story and gives one the opportunity to donate to the Alzheimer’s Association.

“I mapped out a lot of states, but Rhode Island seemed the easier because of the trail system,” he said. “I could fly up, do it, and fly home in a weekend.”

So that’s what he did the weekend of Sept. 17.

He started in Sterling, Conn., and ran the Trestle Trail and the Washington Secondary Trail east and north to Providence. From there, he jumped on the East Bay Bike Path down to Bristol. Along the way, he took a six-mile detour over to the Massachusetts state line, to complete the west-to-east 50-mile run.

It took him 11 hours.

From the farms in the west and central parts of the state to the coastal views in the south and east, Rhode Island “has to be the most beautiful state I’ve ever been in, and I’ve been in a lot of the states,” Schwalbach said. “It’s small, easy to run in one day, and the scenery is phenomenal.”

For part of the way, he was joined by a longtime friend, Vicki Rogers of Alexandria, who brought a personal connection — her mother was a friend of his mother. She also helped when he ran across Florida.

The idea that he could raise money and awareness about Alzheimer’s began to percolate as he watched his mother slowly die from the disease. Jackie Schwalbach was first diagnosed in 2001. The last years were not easy for her, Schwalbach said.

“It started about three years ago as I was visiting my mother, Jackie,” he said on the Jackie’s Run website. “I was thinking, ‘what can I do to help her?’ She had been bedridden for more than two years. I was saying prayers that had no answers. It was heartbreaking to see my mother like this. I knew she was not in pain, but I was watching the mother who raised me and my five brothers and sisters slip slowly into death from this awful disease.”

Schwalbach's traverse of Rhode Island started in Connecticut and ended in Massachusetts.

Schwalbach’s traverse of Rhode Island started in Connecticut and ended in Massachusetts.

Then, on a training run for an upcoming marathon, the idea hit him — he could combine his love for running with his love for his mother — and run the state of Kentucky to help find a cure for Alzheimer’s.

The idea didn’t stop there, and he decided to keep up his running tour of the states. Friends and strangers joined him on his runs in Kentucky, Ohio, and Florida.

Support from the Alzheimer’s association in Rhode Island was equally amazing, he said. As he ran into Providence, the group had arranged for more than a dozen people to come out and cheer him on. “It was just phenomenal,” he said.

Now, remember when I said this was supposed to be easy? Not for Schwalbach. After completing the stateline-to-stateline run, Schwalbach had a bit of sleep, then woke up the next morning at 4:30 so he could run another 20 miles from Bristol to Newport. There, he participated in a 5K Walk to End Alzheimer’s.

So far, his run in Rhode Island has raise just under $1,500. For his four state runs, he has raised nearly $40,000 for Alzheimer’s research.

“I think it’s helping,” he said. “It’s bringing awareness to Alzheimer’s. It’s not only about the money. A lot of people are surprised to realize there’s no cure for it. We need to find a cure for it. … The more I keep doing states and keep people interested and raising awareness about it, the more I can help.”

So what’s next?

Another small state? Perhaps Delaware or Connecticut? Or maybe go big? Texas?
Schwalbach isn’t sure. He said he would love to return to the northeast, perhaps sometime in October, when the leaves are at their peak change. Or maybe he’ll run a state closer to home, such as Tennessee or Indiana.

Regardless, he said, he remains committed to helping to find a cure for Alzheimer’s. As long as he’s able, he’ll be out there running, he said.

“I’m just an average runner trying to get the word out about Alzheimer’s,” he said. “The more I keep running states and keeping people’s interest and raise awareness, the more I can help.”

Paul Long, on the road (Photo by Kris Payler Staverman)

Paul Long, on the road (Photo by Kris Payler Staverman)


Paul Long writes weekly for the NKyTribune about running and runners. For his daily running stories, follow him at dailymile.com or on Twitter @Pogue57


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