MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – A South Florida man took to the pavement on Saturday, running an extremely long distance for an increasingly important cause.
Mannie de la Maza ran a remarkable 42 miles across Miami-Dade County in honor of his birthday and his brother-in-law, Billy, who passed away at the age of 18 from Cystic Fibrosis.
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In recent years, de la Maza and his family have become more and more involved in the Cure Cystic Fibrosis Miami Foundation.
“At first, we attended the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation’s Great Strides Walk, then Cure CF Miami put on a Celebrity Kickball Tournament and we put together a few teams of friends and even won it one year,” said de la Maza.
It took 42-year-old de la Maza nearly 13 hours, at times battling torrential downpours, but he accomplished his goal of running 42 miles.
“I have been a runner for several years and really wanted to challenge myself and thought this would be a great way to fundraise and pay tribute to Billy, who unfortunately never had the opportunity to live the wonderful life we are, going college, getting married and having a family,” he said. “We try to honor his memory by giving back to the Cystic Fibrosis community.”
For more information on the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, click here.