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| 8/5/2008 10:07:00 AM | Email this article • Print this article |
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| Mary Hartzheim |
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Favor-Hamilton remembers Mary Hartzheim
Former Olympic track star to participate in Mary Mile
Kevin Damask
Sports Writer
At the dawn of their relationship, Mary Hartzheim was Suzy Favor-Hamilton's most respected rival. Then Hartzheim became Favor-Hamilton's best friend. Eventually, she was her hero and a source of inspiration that helped her overcome one of the most painful periods of her life.
That difficult time was shortly after Hartzheim's untimely death in 2005.
"I had a very, very hard time with her death," Favor-Hamilton said in a recent phone interview with The Lakeland Times. "I dealt with some depression. After awhile, I was able to deal with her passing. She gave me the strength to do that."
While it wasn't easy for Favor-Hamilton to grieve the loss of "the most amazing friend" she ever had, she thought about how Hartzheim would have dealt with the situation. She believes Hartzheim would have wanted her to not feel sad and depressed, but to enjoy every moment life has to offer.
Since retiring from Olympic competition, Favor-Hamilton has done public speaking engagements.
She's used her friend's model of how to live life and passed it onto others.
"Mary was so carefree. I learned that from her," Favor-Hamilton said. "She learned to live life very early on. Not a lot of people know that."
Favor-Hamilton and many of Hartzheim's friends and family will be in Minocqua to celebrate her life and hopefully save a few in the process this Saturday.
The first Mary Mile, a fun run/walk event will take place Saturday at 9 a.m. The run will begin along Hwy 51, just south of town, and end at Torpy Park.
The event is a part of the Mary Mile Weekend, a charity event created by the Mary Terese Hartzheim Foundation, to help raise funds for cancer research.
Hartzheim died of a rare form of cancer on Dec. 15, 2005.
"Mary lived an amazing life and she attracted a lot of wonderful people from all over the country," Favor-Hamilton said. "All these people cherished and loved her so much. They will be there. I love getting together with all those special people she touched. It's exciting, more and more people are getting involved. The money raised during the weekend will also go to scholarships. It will feel good to pass that on and make a difference in other people's lives."
One of the MTH Foundation's main goals is to help foster the hopes and dreams of young people. Proceeds from the Mary Mile Weekend will help fund the construction of a new track at MHLT Elementary School and the development of a scholarship at LUHS.
At its last event, Favor-Hamilton said the MTH Foundation worked in conjunction with the Lance Armstrong Foundation to raise more than $75,000 to fund cancer research.
She mentioned that 15 years ago, a child diagnosed with cancer usually had a low survival rate. During the past 10 years, a young cancer patient's survival rate has increased dramatically.
"It's huge. So many lives are being saved," Favor-Hamilton said. "Mary would be so happy to know that many young kids don't have to go through this."
Young rivals become
instant buddies
As a promising young track star at Stevens Point Area Senior High School, in the mid-1980s, there were not many runners whom Favor-Hamilton feared.
However, Hartzheim, who was leaving her mark on the track at Lakeland, made Favor-Hamilton uneasy.
"In high school we raced against each other and I was so nervous when I had to race against Mary," Favor-Hamilton said. "She was my rival. I thought, 'Oh my gosh! Mary could beat me!' I knew when I ran against her I had to give 110 percent."
Despite the competitiveness, the two were friendly toward each other. However, they really didn't get acquainted until they were invited to an elite cross-country race in San Diego in '85. The runners didn't really bond until they became roommates at the University of Wisconsin.
"We became instant buddies at UW," Favor-Hamilton said. "Mary was like a ray of light coming into my world. At that time, my life was solely about running. My life was too much about running. It was train, train, train. She made me see there's more to life than that. Her personality was so light and bubbly and it brought attention to her. I got to know people in the dorms through Mary. It was like we were meant to be together."
On the track, the pair helped form an elite relay team that set a national record in 1990. While they enjoyed a high-level of athletic success together, that's not what Favor-Hamilton remembers the most about her time with Hartzheim at Wisconsin.
"To me, it was more about the friendship than the running moments," Favor-Hamilton said.
As Favor-Hamilton developed into a world class athlete, it became harder for her to figure out who had her best interests at heart. However, Hartzheim was always in her corner.
"She always looked at me as just Suzy and not "Suzy the runner." She could have cared less if I ran or not. That was just wonderful," Favor-Hamilton said. "There were a lot of times in my career, where I had to deal with people who were jealous, but that never had any bearing or effect on her. (At that time) She was the only friend I felt I had who truly loved me for who I was."
In fact, when Favor-Hamilton qualified for her first Olympics in '92, Hartzheim sent a bouquet of roses to her hotel room.
Brave last days
When Hartzheim was diagnosed with her illness, doctors gave her a 10 percent chance to survive a year. She fought valiantly and battled against the odds. Hartzheim lived for another four years.
"She was never going to give up. I believe her health, drive and mental outlook had something to do with that," Favor-Hamilton said.
Favor-Hamilton also believes the support of Hartzheim's husband Fred gave her the strength to keep fighting.
"She told me when she was ill, that he was her angel and that they were meant to be together," Favor-Hamilton said. "I truly believe that he gave her more life. Now he's doing everything in his power to fight cancer. They were both blessed to have each other."
During Hartzheim's final days, Favor-Hamilton lived in Madison and Hartzheim was located in Boston. As her friend's illness became worse, it was difficult for Favor-Hamilton to visit Hartzheim. Favor-Hamilton wishes she could have spent more time with her dear friend, but she cherished those final moments.
"When she was ill, I viewed every day I spent with her as a gift," Favor-Hamilton said.
Hartzheim's battle inspired Favor-Hamilton to view life through a different perspective.
"She always thought about others, not herself. She was so mature for her age and handled life with such grace. She was beautiful on the outside, but she had this inner-beauty; everyone wanted to be around Mary," Favor-Hamilton said. "Before she passed, I told her I wanted to be like her, because I loved and respected her. People always ask me, 'Suzy, what athlete do I look up to? But athletes aren't who I look up to. Mary was someone who I wanted to be like."
Favor-Hamilton will get the perfect opportunity to honor her hero Saturday during the Mary Mile.
For more information, go to www.mthfoundation.org or call 1-866-MTH-5737.
Kevin Damask can be reached at kdamask@lakelandtimes.com.
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