[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/Axisa_Jill.jpg” caption=”Jill Axisa, executive assistant to the president, trains for the Reykjavik marathon on Aug. 20. “]While running on the coastline in Reykjavik, Iceland, Jill Axisa will see the faces of those who helped get her there. Faces of those who told her stories about loved ones lost to diabetes, those diagnosed with it, or those who encouraged her in her quest to run a marathon to raise awareness of the disease that effects more than two million Canadians.

They will be her inspiration as she completes the Fire and Ice Marathon with other members of Team Diabetes on August 20.

The executive assistant to the president has been training for months. It is one of five marathons organized by the Canadian Diabetes Association (CDA) throughout the year. This year the locations include Iceland, Rome, Amsterdam, Bermuda and Honolulu.

Axisa chose Iceland because she felt it would be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. “I think this is going to be a wonderful place to compete and visit and is completely unique in terms of the people, culture and geography.”

To participate in the race, participants are required to raise $5,900. Axisa has well surpassed that goal, raising $12,000, all of which will go towards education and research of diabetes.

Axisa is overwhelmed by the generosity of the community. “When I started I was anxious about raising $5,900, so I can't believe I've actually been able to raise $12,000,” she says, adding she would like to raise another $3,000. “But even just the verbal support that I have received helps me achieve my goal in raising awareness.”

A staggering two million Canadians have diabetes and by the end of the decade, it is expected that number will climb to three million due to an aging population, a rise in obesity and a decreased active lifestyle.

“So many people are touched by diabetes. Almost everyone I talked to either has diabetes in their family or they know someone else who does. My hope is the marathon will help people at least rethink what they're doing and change their lifestyles to incorporate healthier eating and more exercise in order to escape the disease,” she says.

As diabetes runs in her family, Axisa knows she too could become a statistic. Her aunt and grandmother both passed away from diabetes and her sister is a borderline diabetic. “The risk is that I am a candidate for diabetes,” she says. “It's scary.”

She's not alone. “If you look at the local statistics of those with diabetes, it's frightening. In Hamilton, of a population of 600,000, there are 51,000 cases of diabetes, and 25,000 people don't even know they have it.”

Diabetes is associated with other diseases as well, she adds, including heart disease and stroke. “It's a damning disease. I'm really hoping that this will at least make more people more aware of the problem.”

The marathon will take place around the small city of Reykjavik and along the coastline, which at the time of the run the daily temperature will be between 12-14 degrees, occasional light drizzle and overcast skies.

She admits it will be a challenge. After running her first and only marathon in 1996, the Twin Cities Marathon in Minneapolis, she wasn't sure if she would ever run one again. But she attributes the injuries she suffered during that marathon to a lack of proper training, and is set on not repeating her same mistakes.

Consequently she has been training since intensely since April. She follows a strict five-day schedule of long-distance runs, interval training and hill training.

Preparing mentally for the race is as challenging and as important as the physical preparation. “I have to keep telling myself that I can get to the 42.1 km mark. To do this, it takes much more than physical endurance, you also have to be prepared mentally. You need to be able to read what your body needs when you're going throughout the whole experience.”

Axisa will participate alongside 209 Team Diabetes members from across Canada in the Reykjavik marathon. Team Diabetes participants can run or walk different intervals, including 10 km, a half or a full marathon. She is one of 72 runners taking on the marathon and expects the run will take her between four and four and half hours.

As the only Hamiltonian to run the race, Axisa is training alone. But the CDA is assisting her, providing an online training schedule, which Axisa modifies to suit her needs. She enjoys the time by herself, although occasionally she runs with friends. “I enjoy the solitude,” she says. “It gives you an opportunity to think about life, future goals and objectives.”

Now that she's almost ready to run 42.1 km, her thoughts are focused on her supporters. “When I'm running I'll be seeing the face of every person who helped me get there. It has been quite an experience, and one that I couldn't have done without them.”

To support Axisa, visit www.teamdiabetes.ca and click on “Pledge a participant”. In the fields provided, enter the year 2005, the race Reykjavik and Jill Axisa.