By Matt Simonette

Staff writer

In 2007, Jason Taylor’s physician noticed that Taylor, who is HIV-positive, was getting healthier. His viral load was down and his T-cell count was up.

“Every time I went to the doctor, my numbers kept getting better,” Taylor said. His doctor told him to keep doing whatever it was he was doing.

What Taylor was doing was running.

Last year the customer service representative from Pullman was a participant in the AIDS Marathon, a running team that trains for a marathon—either in Chicago, Amsterdam or Honolulu—while at the same time raising money to help fight HIV/AIDS. Runners can also train for the Chicago Half Marathon as well.

“I ran in high school—it was cross-country, so it was really different,” Taylor said of the training. “(But) I was 32 and I really wanted to do it.”

AIDS Marathon participants sign on to a six-month training program and are expected to be able to complete three weekly runs—two on their own and one done as a group.

Eighteen different pace groups take part in the training, with estimated times ranging from eight-and-a-half-minute to 17-minute miles. Most participants train using a program that alternates running with varying periods of walking, which conserves the runners’ energy, according to Steve Schapiro, executive director of AIDS Marathon.

“Each group has an experienced coach who has completed the marathon before,” Schapiro said.

Runners are also trained on keeping themselves safe on the marathon course, which was needed when last year’s Chicago Marathon was halted by crippling heat.

But Schapiro said the AIDS Marathon runners experienced few problems as the temperature climbed.

“In our tent, the biggest problem was people were upset that they couldn’t finish the race,” Schapiro said. “They were prepared for the heat. We require people to run with a water bottle (and) teach about dehydration, make sure they get enough sodium and eat at regular timeframes.”

Taylor said, “It did not even bother me. With the training, we had water and salt packets. I was ready to finish.”

But police officers were calling out for the marathoners to quit running. Taylor nevertheless walked the rest of the way, and completed the course in just over five-and-a-half hours. He said he probably would have finished about an hour earlier had he not been forced to quit running.

Taylor is ready to try again. He’ll be running with AIDS Marathon both in the Chicago and Honolulu marathons this year.

Besides making the commitment to train, AIDS Marathon requires a commitment to fundraising. Schapiro said the $1,500 commitment could be intimidating, but said, “Most find the fundraising is easier than they think.”

“We typically find that 75 percent or more (of participants) have no problem doing it. We recommend they send letters to every person they ever met,” Schapiro said, adding that many raise pledges by holding silent auctions or raffles in conjunction with groups or organizations they’re involved with. AIDS Foundation of Chicago is the main beneficiary of funds raised by Chicago-area runners.

Schapiro said about 98 percent of those who complete the AIDS Marathon training finish the race.

“It’s something that does change people’s lives, whether you’re a blue-collar person, or a CEO,” Schapiro said. “Once you do this, you’re a marathoner for life.”

AIDS Marathon training for the 2008 Chicago Marathon begins May 3. An advanced program for experienced runners is also available.