Vítám vás! - Welcome!

Thank you for visiting my AIDS Marathon Training and Fundraising website. My name is Marek Filičko and I am participating in the National AIDS Marathon Training Program. While training for the 2004 New Orleans Marathon, which will take place on February 29, I will be raising funds for the Whitman-Walker Clinic in Washington, DC. I pledged to raise at least $3,000 for the Clinic, which is the largest provider of HIV/AIDS services in Washington, DC, Maryland, and Virginia. The Whitman-Walker Clinic provides direct medical care, food, housing and other really important AIDS services - to help keep people alive until there's a cure.

Despite recent advances in the treatment of AIDS, the epidemic is far from over. In the past two years, over 40,000 Americans were diagnosed with AIDS each year. Incidentally, Washington, DC, has the highest per-capita rate of AIDS of any major U.S. city. Nationwide, an estimated 850,000 to 950,000 Americans are infected with HIV. Although the number of deaths from AIDS declined somewhat in 2002, it was only because of powerful treatments provided by such fine organizations as Whitman-Walker Clinic.

By participating in the AIDS Marathon training program, I hope to do my share in increasing awareness about this deadly disease.

As the name "National AIDS Marathon Training Program" suggests, training for a marathon is another important part of the program. For the next six months, starting on September 7, 2003, I'll be getting up so early that I prefer not to even think about it. Yes, I admit, I'm not a morning person. Waking up before 8 AM is my second worst nightmare. (You would never guess what's my first! ;-) ) From September to February, I'll be logging over 500 miles in this training program. You can follow my progress on this very site.

Please visit also other parts of my website to find out more about my fundraising, training, or who are the donors.