Couple steps up for charity

CELINA - Rod Carpenter thought his days of long-distance running were long gone when a midlife total knee replacement helped usher in a second wind that allowed him to resume marathons.

Grateful for what he believed was nothing less than a gift from God, Carpenter, who's retired from sales, vowed to run with a new purpose - to raise money and attention for the area's nonprofit organizations.

Carpenter, 65, and his wife, Barb, who live in Celina, raised their biggest haul yet with $26,075.68 in donations supporting his run in Grandma's Marathon in Duluth, Minnesota, on June 22. The proceeds were split evenly, with $13,037 disbursed each to the Mercer County House of Hope, a faith-based recovery program for men and women, and Project Everybody Beautiful, which helps women overcome abuse, addiction and other circumstances.

The race marked his fourth marathon raising money for organizations. Since launching the mission in 2013, the Carpenters have raised $63,686.88 for a slew of nonprofits.

"It's all God-driven and we're not shy about telling people that," he said. "Barb and I don't ask people to put money into something that we ourselves are not going to put money into also."

Before each marathon, the Carpenters choose two organizations to support.

"We always try, really, to have two involved," he said. "It gives people an opportunity to pick."

Individuals and businesses are asked to donate what they can for the causes. Pledges have ranged from a few dollars to $2,000.

"It's not just a monetary thing. It's publicity for them also," he said. "This money only lasts for so long. The aftereffects of it, more people knowing about what they do and everything, can go for a long time."

House of Hope is a faith-based ministry that offers hope to addicts by providing a pathway to whole-life transformation, encompassing lifelong recovery, accountability, compassion, love and ministry, its officials say.

"The people that go out there are committed," he said. "It's such a big problem throughout the United States, the addiction and everything, we just felt like we really needed to try and step it up."

Project Everybody Beautiful, run by Kristin Rutledge of Celina, aims to lift women beyond abuse, addiction and other circumstances by boosting their confidence.

Trying to surpass the $17,000 raised for his last run, Carpenter set a goal of $25,000 for Grandma's Marathon in Duluth. He exceeded the goal by more than $1,000 by attracting 173 donors.

"Without the businesses we wouldn't even be able to approach that kind of number," he said.

House of Hope Treasurer Luke VanTilburg characterized Ron Carpenter as a selfless man who sacrifices his body and donates toward the causes he's running to support.

"It's been an absolute blessing to our ministry and to the residents we serve," VanTilburg said about the Carpenters' work. "Running a marathon is an absolute feat, but then he raises the funds and donates his own money to the cause too."

Carpenter began running in 1978 and participated in nine marathons through 1987.

"Prior to starting running I had a knee surgery the old-fashioned way and that ended up with arthritis and I just couldn't go any more," he explained. "I qualified and ran Boston in 1987 but that was the last time I ran."

Fast-forward to 2006, he underwent a successful total knee replacement. The urge to run still burning within, Carpenter said he eventually asked his surgeon if he could return to the pavement. He got the OK and in 2013 set out to run long distance again.

"I was off for 27 years, although I did some walking and stuff like that, but it's just not the same. It took a little while to build up," he said about his return to running.

At the time, Carpenter said Brian and Kelly Anderson of Celina were undergoing a custody battle for their adopted daughter Maddy. That's when he was struck with the idea of running for a cause.

"We knew them and wanted to help in some way," he said.

"The whole community was starting to get organized," his wife added.

"God has given me this (ability to run) back for some reason. It took a while for us to figure that out," Ron Carpenter said.

Ron Carpenter plans to continue running marathons as long as he's able. Looking to his wife of 46 years, he called Barb Carpenter the brains behind the operations and thanked her for her ceaseless support, which includes attending his races and giving him a nutrient drink during the 26-mile trek.

To keep up with the Carpenters visit their Facebook page called MarathonIV: New Beginnings.