Goshen Health hosts marathon event

Apr. 21—GOSHEN — It may not have been the Chicago, Boston or New York City marathon, but Goshen saw a running event Saturday — one for a good cause.

Michael Hartnagel and Nate Spangle, both currently of Indianapolis, led a small group of runners on a Metastatic Mission Marathon Saturday, running or walking 26.2 miles around the area of Goshen Hospital — more specifically, around the Goshen Center for Cancer Care.

"This is marathon number four," Spangle said. "We run one a month, all around different cancer centers."

This has particular meaning for Bourbon-native Spangle, as his mother, who passed away April 16, 2017, received treatment at Goshen Center for Cancer Care.

"They really joined in on the mission," Spangle said about Goshen Health and their support of the event.

With an RV set up in one of the hospital's parking lots along Main Street, donated for the day courtesy of Lippert, runners and supporters began arriving at around 8:15 a.m.

"There have been about 60 people here," said GH Marketing Director Angie Kearns at around 3 p.m., the last mile of the course, done on foot, was completed by runners and others who attended.

Hartnagel, who also has family connections to Elkhart County, and who lost his father to cancer, pays special tribute to him for the last mile of each marathon.

"I always put on my dad's shoes," he said. "It's a way to continue his fight."

Yet the event didn't end there. Courtesy of Grand Design in Elkhart, a number of care packages for patients in the cancer center were donated, and both Harker Construction and Main Street Roasters in Nappanee also helped out, with the latter donating food for the event.

"Spreading positivity," Spangle said, "is like the big mission."

The care packages were delivered to the center, and set up in the lobby to be distributed to patients, as the closing ceremony of the marathon event.

Kearns said something unexpected happened because of the event, from a patient at the center.

"Someone on one of the upper floors saw what was happening, and ordered a DoorDash pizza for the runners," she said.

Dr. Urs Von Holzen is medical director for the center.

"It helps us tremendously," he said of the care package donation. "For most of our patients it's the hardest time of their lives."

Randy Christophel, president and CEO of Goshen Health, said that he was honored that GH was chosen for the event.

"I'm just so impressed with Michael and Nate and of the support they give people as they go through their cancer treatment," Christophel said during the closing ceremony.

To learn more, visit goshenhealth.com/services-conditions/cancer-care or for more on Spangle and Hartnagel's efforts, www.metastaticmission.org.

Steve Wilson is news editor for The Goshen News. You can reach him at steve.wilson@goshennews.com.