UNH Today

UPDATE: Congratulations, Jenn Higgins Pitre ’95, ’05G  for finishing her first marathon in 5 hours 24 seconds and for raising more than $2,600 for UNH!

At exactly 5 a.m. on Sunday, Oct. 6, I’m going to wake up, drive to Hampton, nervously walk up to the starting line, and begin running. A little more than 26 miles later, I hope to finish my first – and probably only – marathon. I also hope to have raised much-needed funds for my alma mater, UNH.

I graduated from UNH with a bachelor’s degree in communication and in 2005 with an M.B.A. When I turned 40 last January, I wanted to achieve a personal milestone by running in the Rockfest marathon in Hampton. But could I do it? Would I have the time to train given my family and work responsibilities?

Then, inspiration hit. As many of you know, I'm proud to serve on the UNH Alumni Association board of directors and I truly believe that investing in education is one of the most high impact things we can do. So, as I weighed whether to run, I found new motivation in the prospect of asking fellow friends and alumni of UNH to help me celebrate “fantastic 40” by making a donation to UNH.

The amount is completely up to you: though I would suggest $26.20 in honor of the marathon’s distance, or maybe $40 in honor of milestone birthdays and the belief we get better with age! In any case, please reference “Jenn’s Marathon” in the comments section so we can see how much we collectively gave.

Also, you will notice there is a section for employer matching gifts…many companies match donations so be sure to check if your company is one of them.

Running has been a joy for me – healthy, empowering, and a source of pride. In this way, it’s a lot like the way I feel about the impact UNH has made on my life. How about you?

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