The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Charity run to finish in Bay Village
JCU official running own marathon to raise funds for mentor
Mike Scanlan has always felt gratitude toward Chris Wenzler.
When the upstate New York native was an undergraduate at John Carroll, Wenzler — the longtime associate athletic director at the school — was there as a friend and mentor for Scanlan.
Scanlan was working toward a communications degree, and was interested in interning for his hometown Buffalo Bills in the team’s media relations department.
“Chris gave me the nudge to apply for that internship,” said Scanlan. “Without him, I’m not sure I would have applied. Chris has been an incredible colleague, mentor and friend.”
He interviewed, and landed the coveted internship, which helped the 2006 JCU grad land a job with the LPGA at age 22, and then eventually at IMG in Cleveland working in the firm’s golf division. He’s been JCU’s executive director of strategic communications since 2018.
Scanlan and Wenzler have maintained their friendship through the years, and now Scanlan is doing his part to thank Wenzler for his help and guidance. Scanlan is raising money for Wenzler, who has been battling cancer since 2018.
On May 23, Scanlan plans to runs his own marathon — with friends joining in along the way — from the Wenzler family home near the JCU campus to Scanlan’s home in Bay Village.
Scanlan and his brotherin-law Jason Guyer mapped out a course. They will start at 8:30 a.m., then run through Cleveland Heights, University Circle and East Cleveland. While in downtown they will pass Progressive
Field, then across the Lorain-Carnegie Bridge.
From there, the course goes through Ohio City, Edgewater, Lakewood, Rocky River and then the home stretch. Scalan hopes to arrive at his Bay Village home by 12:30 or 1 p.m.
Wenzler will be there to greet Scanlan. Wenzler’s wife Melissa, who also works at JCU, plans to run the final half-mile or so with Scanlan.
It’s all for a needy cause. The past few years have not been easy for Wenzler, his family and friends. In 2018, Wenzler was diagnosed with multiple myeloma. It arises when cancer cells travel through the body and form tumors in several different bones.
Wenzler continues to fight the disease but as is always the case with cancer, treatments and care are expensive.
So Scanlan created a GoFundMe.com account to help raise funds for the Wenzlers, and the support has been more than Scanlan
imagined.
First, the back story: Scanlan planned to run a marathon in Buffalo on May 24, but the novel coronavirus pandemic canceled that race. So Scanlan came up with the next best thing. He created his own marathon, which he’s called the “Wenzler Thon.”
Here’s the catch: Scanlan has never run a marathon. The closest has been the Akron Half-Marathon with his wife Julie. It doesn’t matter. Scanlan has been training for a while and said he’s prepared.
He admits there’s a lot of “nervous energy” inside, but running 26.2 miles was the least he could do for Wenzler.
“He’s had such a profound influence on my career. I just wanted to help,” said Scanlan. “I’m just using this as a platform to have a little bit of influence. I’m just a vehicle.”
Scanlan first approached Melissa with the idea in early 2020, then had lunch with Chris to further discuss the idea and ask for his blessing, to which Chris said OK and thank you.
“Chris doesn’t like the attention,” said Scanlan.
So far, so good with race day fast approaching. Scanlan’s initial goal was to raise $2,600 to signify the 26.2 miles it takes to complete a marathon. As of the afternoon of May 21, the GoFundMe has raised more than $15,000.
All of which has Wenzler a bit overwhelmed.
“It’s hard to put into words, and honestly the generosity is overwhelming,” said Wenzler. “I am grateful I have people in my life who have stepped up in my darkest hours, and lifted me up when my spirit seems spent.”
To complete his goal of running a marathon, Scanlan said he needed a reason.
“Sometimes we can take for granted the people who influence you in your life,” said Scanlan, who will turn 36 next month. “My mind kept going back to Chris.”
The two met at JCU when Wenzler was in his current role and Scanlan was an undergrad who working for the university’s student newspaper, The Carroll News.
More than a decade later, Scanlan is giving back to Wenzler and his family the best way possible. That includes plenty of help from others.
“I keep looking at the names of people who are donating, and there are so many I don’t know,” said Scanlan. “That’s a testament to the community and friendships he’s created at John Carroll. He always gives so selflessly of himself. Every interaction with Chris is a positive one. It’s great to see so many students and alumni rallying around him.”