TEAM NAME: Team Match Fitness                                       Team Donation Page: Click Here

TEAM MEMBERS: Michael Marsico & Virginia Tzortzos

AGES: 34 & 33
MARATHON EXPERIENCE: Absolutely none!
OCCUPATIONS: Owners of a private personal training facility in Fullerton California. Virginia is finishing her Doctorate in Chiropractic at Southern California University of Health Sciences and Michael is finishing his Kinesiology degree at Cal State Fullerton.
HOMETOWN: Chicago & Milwaukee
CURRENT CITY: Fullerton, California

PREDICTED FINISH TIME FOR CHICAGO MARATHON: We just want to finish!

WHY IS THE CHICAGO MARATHON A SPECIAL RACE FOR YOU?
Chicago is such a fantastic city with great people. Being from the area, it's really important for us to support the city and finish our first marathon with our friends and family cheering us on.

WHAT MADE YOU SIGN UP TO RUN 26.2 MILES?
We've always talked about running a marathon- even on our first date 3 years ago. It's about pushing ourselves to be better. Running such a long distance for the first time is really scary, but once you realize it's more of a mental game, you can push yourself to limits beyond anything you thought you were capable of. That's the goal. To push ourselves outside our comfort zones and learn from those experiences will make us better and stronger both physically and emotionally. Having this goal as a couple is like having a built in cheerleader and someone to hold you accountable. It's the best.

ARE YOU RUNNING FOR A CAUSE OR IN HONOR OF SOMEONE?
We're doing this not only for our own health, but to inspire our clients, friends and family. Anyone that's been told they can't do something we want to show them it's possible to get what you want if you just get out there and go for it. We're here to remind everyone that if you truly give it your all you just might surprise yourself.

DO YOU HAVE ANY CHIROPRACTIC EXPERIENCES OR STORIES?
We have so many. We both have pretty bad injuries that we're dealing with. Mike has a low back issue at L5/S1 and Virginia has neck issues that she's been dealing with for the past 2 years. There is absolutely no way that we would have gotten through these injuries or manage them like we do now without Chiropractic care. We've had such amazing results without the use of pharmaceuticals.

WHAT IS TRAINING LIKE IN CALIFORNIA?
Hot! But really fun. We can always count on the weather to cooperate with us. It can be really hilly at times, so it will be interesting when we actually run on the flat terrain in Chicago.

DO YOU HAVE ANY INSPIRATIONAL STORIES TO SHARE?
Rick and Dick Hoyt are so inspirational to us. Dick Hoyt has finished over 1,000 races pushing his son who was diagnosed as a spastic quadriplegic with cerebral palsy. He is a prime example of mind over body and what we as human beings are capable of. Anyone who has overcome adversity is an inspiration to us. It's a reminder that if you focus first on your mind, the body will soon follow. When we hit a rough patch around mile 8 or 9 our we have to say little affirmations like, "I love this! This is amazing," and eventually you start to believe yourself and it becomes fun again.

FAVORITE QUOTE:
"When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change."

WHAT IS ON YOUR IPOD WHEN YOU ARE TRAINING?
Mike: The Rocky soundtrack and Metallica pretty much gets me going.
Virginia: I listen to everything and anything. I have Britney Spears, Lady Gaga, INXS and Johnny Cash to name a few. I like to change it up a bit!

WHAT FUNDRAISING STRATEGIES HAVE BEEN WORKING FOR YOU?
We've been using social websites quite a bit. Everyone knows how important this is to us and people have been so supportive and very generous. It's so great to have the support that we have.

DO YOU HAVE ANY WORDS OF ADVICE FOR YOUR FELLOW RUNNERS?
Visualize. We visualize our mileage goal and every single time we surprise ourselves and go further than what we thought we could. For us visualization has been the key.

FUNDRASING GOAL:     $2,000       Click Here to help us reach our goal!