HUMMELSTOWN, Pa. — Two teachers at Lower Dauphin High School completed a challenge to run 24 miles in 24 hours to raise funds for pediatric cancer research.
Art teacher Michael Layser and learning support teacher Scott Payonk help organize Lower Dauphin’s Mini-THON each year, a 12-hour dance-off held in March.
Mini-THON benefits pediatric cancer research through Penn State Hershey Medical Center’s Four Diamonds foundation.
Other events throughout the year also support Four Diamonds. The Mini-THON fundraising season usually starts with a Jingle Jam 5K in December.
Layser and Payonk, both avid runners, usually organize Jingle Jam.
“We're putting our passion for running into supporting a cause,” Payonk said.
The race could not be held this year due to the pandemic, so the two decided to instead team up for a much longer running fundraiser: the 24 in 24 Challenge, in which both would run one mile every hour for 24 hours.
“I knew we could do it, but man, we didn't realize how difficult this really is,” Layser said.
The challenge ran from Dec. 23 to 24.
"The sleep deprivation was the worst part,” Payonk said.
Americans run on average a 9:47 mile, according to a 2018 study from Strava activity tracker.
Layser and Payonk, however, run much faster on average. They said they had to pace themselves by slowing down to 7- and 8-minute miles.
After finishing the challenge on Thursday, they said they were still sore.
“What are legs? What are those?” said Payonk. “No, right now I'm ok but give me about a half hour and I'll be singing a different tune.”
Payonk said the pain was worth it.
The two men had a goal of raising $2,424, but ended up with more than double that, at $6,050.
Those funds will be added to whatever this year’s Mini-THON raises for Four Diamonds.
Mini-THON had to go virtual in 2020, but organizers said they hoped to return to an in-person event if it could be delayed until later in the spring.