Santa Barbara Teacher Steps Up for Muscular Dystrophy Association in Honor of His Mom – Noozhawk

Running — or even walking — 26.2 miles in 24 hours is no small feat. But for third-grade teacher and alumnus Leon Lewandowski, it’s a way to give back to the woman who raised him.

“My mother’s got muscular dystrophy,” Lewandowski said. “She was diagnosed about 20 years about when she was my age, and she’s doing great … but you know, she’s slowing down with her muscles.”

One day last fall when Lewandowski and a friend were challenging each other to stay in shape, Lewandowski noticed that, according to his Fitbit, he had walked the equivalent of a half-marathon. 

“I was like, wow, if it was a day off, I could probably walk a whole marathon, and then I said, I could probably walk a marathon in honor of my mom,” he said.

On Nov. 25, Lewandowski and his wife, Mary, who met during their first day at UC Santa Barbara, set out to do just that. Neither is a marathon runner, but within 24 hours, they walked a marathon — not all at once, but throughout the day, stopping for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Then, in honor of his mother, the two donated to the , a nonprofit organization dedicated to curing muscular dystrophy, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and other related diseases. 

“Walking 26.2 miles was a challenge for us, but we knew we had the ability to do so, whereas those with MD physically cannot tackle completing a marathon,” Lewandowski said.

He also posted their competition resolutions online, and the story of why they had done it. Then, he began to challenge others to do the same. 

Dubbed the 24-hour marathon challenge, participants are challenged to walk, run or hike the 26.2 miles within 24 hours, and then donate any amount of money they can to the Muscular Dystrophy Association. They have 30 days after they’ve been challenged to find a 24-hour window to complete the challenge. 

Lewandowski primarily communicates with challenge participants through a page he created called “24-Hour Marathon Challenge,” which had about 50 members as of late January. Members of the group post about when they’re doing the challenge and include pictures of their routes. But not all challenge participants have to be a member of the Facebook group, and Lewandowski said that he has heard from people from “different walks of life” who are now starting to do it.

He added that there is no one way to complete the challenge; the only requirement is to move 26.2 miles within 24 hours.

“We have walking groups and marathon runners. We have hikers,” he said. “Some people start in the evening and run 16 miles. Then they go to sleep, and they get up in the morning and they hike the last eight or however long they have. Then you have people who just hike, and they jog, or go on their treadmill and then they run.” 

He emphasized that participants don’t have to be professional runners to complete the challenge. It can be anyone who just wants to stay in shape or wants to take on the challenge for those who can’t, such as those with muscular dystrophy, he said. 

Lewandowski said that one big supporter of the challenge is a professional marathon runner and a 2024 , of Santa Barbara. She said she met Lewandowski through a colleague, and that she has been “supporting him” in his efforts to spread the challenge.

“I think it’s a great idea,” she said. “I think a lot of people think they have to complete a marathon in a race challenge, but I really like Leon’s idea that it just has to be within 24 hours.” 

Zerenner, who said she has been running for more than nine years, said she’s been able to connect Lewandowski with other training groups and resources who might be interested in the challenge. 

Lewandowski added that he also has been able to connect with a number of local participants about this challenge, such as Superintendent Dr. Amy Alzina, who took on Lewandowski’s challenge in December. 

Alzina, along with her mother — who is a special-education teacher — ran the Sacramento Marathon. Both then donated to the Muscular Dystrophy Association. 

“I’m a distance runner, and running and educating are my two passions — not in that order,” she said, laughing. “I’m grateful to support Leon, and seeing that he’s continued to do work in the community. … He’s a great inspiration to his students and his colleagues.” 

But Lewandowski also has caught the attention of individuals outside of Santa Barbara. One such individual, Pennsylvania-based sports physical therapist and founder Dr. Ryan Bair, said he believes Lewandowski has “really started a great thing.”

Bair, who said he has been running for more than 20 years and runs his own Facebook group that connects more than 3,500 runners from all over the world, said he first learned about Lewandowski’s challenge in December. He then posted in his own Facebook group, “team[ing] up with Leon to get as many runners as possible.”

“I thought this was an excellent idea,” he said. “Why not take something like running, which can be so self-absorbed, and turn it into a challenge?”

Bair said he took on the challenge around Christmas, running nine miles one morning, and waking up around 4 a.m. the next day to complete his remaining miles within the 24-hour window. He then donated to the Muscular Dystrophy Association and was “able to challenge a few other runners that I know.” 

“For most people, if they’re to some degree active, they could do it,” Bair said. “Just like the ice bucket challenge, it’s about spreading awareness. Even if you don’t donate, and you tell someone else, maybe they’ll donate.”

Lewandowski said that he and his wife plan to complete the challenge again in March, this time with a group of Santa Barbara residents. 

He added that he’s hoping that as more people get challenged, and as the Facebook group grows larger, the hashtag #24HourMarathonChallenge will go viral. 

“You’re doing it for a good cause,” he said, adding that it’s “wonderful when you do it with someone else. … You’re helping people who can’t do marathons. You’re walking for them.”

— contributing writer Evelyn Spence can be reached at . Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: . Connect with .