Petaluma man to run 40 miles on his birthday as cancer fundraiser

This Saturday, Petaluma’s Gregory Cook will turn 40 years old, and to celebrate he will run from his Cook Construction offices in San Francisco all the way to Brewster’s Beer Garden in Petaluma. That’s a total distance of 40 miles, and Cook hopes that generous supporters will pledge at least $40,000 to fight prostate cancer as a birthday present.

Currently, pledges on Cook’s official fundraising page show donations of just under $12,000, so he has a ways to go, but his motivation is strong.

"Having experienced two clients I was close with battle prostate cancer, one devastatingly losing that battle,“ Cook says in a statement on his page, ”I knew I wanted to do something special for my 40th birthday to raise awareness around the horrific disease, and how important it is to get tested at this age. My goal for my run is to help fund an incredible foundation that works tirelessly to research a cure for prostate cancer."

All funds go directly to the Prostate Cancer Foundation, which has recently posted statistics showing that 1 out of 8 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer during their lifetime.

"Gregory wants to demonstrate that while running 40 miles is an incredible challenge, it is nothing compared to what families struggling against cancer go through,“ continues the statement on the fundraising page, adding of the journey’s conclusion at Brewsters, ”The finish line will serve as a place of celebration and victory.“

To donate or learn more visit Join.pcf.org.