Most marathon runners have a story. For some it's their personal Everest, for others a stepping stone to things bigger and broader. Matt Hartwell has a story, and like many others, his tale has a bitter start. Running, though, has unique healing qualities that helped buffer the emotional crevasse between tragedy and recovery.

Matt's life, and that of his whole family, changed in 2004 when 9-year-old Eric Hartwell, Matt's younger brother, suffered the indiscriminate and ultimately life-ending effects of a rare form of leukemia called A.L.L., acute lymphoblastic leukemia. 

"He was the only child on record in North America to have A.L.L., T-cell and Philadelphia positive," said Mike Hartwell, Matt and Eric's dad. Eric's six-month battle included numerous spinal taps, blood transfusions, full-body radiation, chemotherapy and a bone marrow transplant. "When someone says they wouldn't wish this on their worst enemy, this is one of those cases," sighs Hartwell senior.

Mike Hartwell's brother Mark decided to run his first marathon in October of 2004. "I was a sprinter, anything more than 200 yards was too much for me," joked Mark, who finished in a very respectable 4:38 in his first Detroit Free Press marathon. Naturally, Eric's battle pushed his uncle through the race. "I kept thinking of him the whole race. I had a picture of him on my shirt," he said tearfully, remembering the day. "I called him twice from the race." Immediately after the marathon he drove to Eric's hospital room with a special delivery - his finisher's medal.

To top that off, the next day Uncle Mark made another surprise delivery - 3,000 Michigan Lottery tickets. Confined to his room at the University of Michigan Mott's Children's Hospital most of the time, Eric had a passion for lottery scratch tickets. "That was his thing. He loved lotto tickets. It gave him something to pass the time," said Mark. "So, we got him a ton of them. We raised $3,000 in donations and contributions from a lot of great folks. It was a real thrill for him." He had a few winning tickets, too, and gave the money to his two brothers. Eric died December 6, 2004. His uncle's finisher's medal was buried with him.

The Running Bug Spreads in the Hartwell Family

Eric's older brother Matt was 14 when his uncle ran the marathon in 2004, and admits to having minimal interest in sports. "In fact I hated running. But I saw my uncle run the marathon, and all the runners were having so much fun. After seeing all the pain Eric went through, I figured I could do it (run the marathon)," says Matt, president of Brighton High School's National Honor Society. "I had to run it. It helped me let out lots of stress and I realized that running is not that bad." When race time came in October 2005, Matt was only 15.

He needed special permission from his parents and Free Press Marathon Race Director Patricia Ball, including proof that he was being properly trained and mentored for the race, before he was given the green light to participate.

Working closely with the staff from Running Gear's Brighton store, Matt diligently logged his training miles, often followed by one of his parents in the family car. "He had to get all of his training in and we wanted to give him everything he needed to succeed," said his dad Mike. "I can't say enough about Mack from Running Gear and how he helped train Matt."

Mike and Lisa Hartwell were still a little nervous about their son completing 26.2 miles without injury or complications. It was only a year removed from Eric's premature passing. "We were really, really staunch that he was trained thoroughly. Matt went through a crash course in running, how to dress, eat, take gels on the run, how much to drink - everything to prepare him for the race," his dad said.

Marathon morning brought mixed emotions. Lisa Hartwell admits being a little nervous for her son. "She was pretty freaked out," laughs Matt. "We huddled around him at the start line and made sure we kept our eyes on him," Mike says, knowing his son was most likely the youngest competitor.

Four hours and thirty-eight minutes later Matt ran into Ford Field. "That was an epic moment for me. Seeing the green of the field and seeing myself on the big TV. It was like an Olympic event," Matt said, beaming. "When I crossed the finish line the first thing I thought about was Eric and I hoped he was happy that I made it." The after effects of the race? "I slept from the time I got in the car after the race until the next morning at 8," Matt said, chuckling.

Driven by the thrill of his first marathon, and with the support of his loving family, Matt's passion for running, and now triathlon, has yielded an impressive competitive resume. In 2006, he tallied 12 running and multi-sport events. 2007's calendar was upped to 18 races, including his first 1Ú2 Ironman, the Muncie (Indiana) Endurathon where he took first in his age group. So far in 2008, he's entered three races, not the least of which was the 50k ultra marathon in San Antonio, Texas (The Bandera 50K).

"Triathlon is my favorite now, especially the Olympic distance," admits Matt. "Obviously I like running, but I'm a better biker and am getting pretty good at swimming. I'd like to do an Ironman eventually, maybe try and qualify for Kona." This fall when he attends Hope College in Holland, he'll compete on the schools cross-country team, and join Hope's triathlon club.

Fittingly, he'll be majoring in a science-related discipline. "After seeing what Eric was going through, I might want to go to med school," Matt said. And Eric never leaves his mind when training or competing. "I always think about him, especially when I'm doing a long run or when it gets hot (like on the run portion of the Muncie Endurathon). He went through a lot of pain. I think about him all the time."

Lisa Hartwell said, "I'm really proud of him, proud of how he progressed. When Eric was sick it was a lot tougher time. We all struggled, but Matt used running as a way to help him get control of his life. He helped hold us together. Through all of this it has helped him accomplish other things in life and made him more successful now, and will in the future."

The Spring Snowman Race

With a real-life view of the upside down life cancer patients and their families endure, the Hartwell's wanted proceeds from their local race, the Spring Snowman 5k, to immediately impact this group. "We wanted it to go straight to the kids especially," said Lisa. "Big corporations with big money help build the hospital, but we wanted to touch the families."

With the $9,000 raised from the first event in 2007, and another $2,300 from The Snowman Benefit Tea Party (see the website), the Eric Hartwell Foundation purchased cots and mattresses to help families with in-room accommodations, TV/DVD gaming systems, meal and gas cards for family members as well as many other items not usually supported by major corporate donors.

The 2008 race takes place April 26, and includes a 5- and 10k, both designed by Matt, which will wind through Brighton's Pine Creek subdivision. "We're hoping for 300 to 400 runners this year. Adding the 10k and chip timing will hopefully bring out more people," says Matt, who wants to see the race "grow as large as possible, as long as the subdivision will allow it. We just want to grow and exceed the previous year's totals."

Why name the event The Snowman? Eric Hartwell loved the movie "Jack Frost," starring Michael Keaton, which moved him to frequently doodle pictures of various anatomically correct snow-people. After deciding to host a run in his son's memory, and needing a logo, Mike Hartwell says the snowman figure was perfect. "The logo we use was the last anatomically-correct snowman he drew," his dad wryly admits, "but we removed the boobs he always drew on them!" The same snowman figure is tattooed on Mike's arm.

None of the Hartwells plan on running the race, they'll be too busy keeping it organized. But 16-year-old Brian Hartwell, a sophomore at Brighton High, will ride the lead bike. "Race day will definitely be emotional. But the key is that Eric is remembered, we talk a lot about him, bring out his pictures and understand the positive impact he's had on so many lives," Mike explained. "He was only nine, but to know Eric was to experience Eric, you never knew what he was going to come up with. He had a really quick wit and always wanted to get people to laugh. He was really unique."

For more information on the race and the Foundation go to erichartwellfoundation.com