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Ben Shnider |
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Ben Shnider has never run a marathon before. He will line up at the start of the Frederick Marathon on Sunday knowing he's helped to raise $2,500 for research on hepatitis C.Shnider, 18, lives in Kensington. He wanted to do something to help people with the disease, which can strike health care workers who come into contact with infected blood or needles. It also affects drug addicts who use infected needles. Chronic hepatitis C causes loss of appetite, abdominal pain and malaise. It can be detected with a blood test. There is no cure, only drug therapy to manage symptoms. Shnider does not participate in school team sports, but he began running five miles a day about five years ago. That helped when he began training in January. "It gave me a nice foundation," he said. His goal was to raise $2,000 through a program called Bosco's Buddies. This is a marathon fundraising program specifically for hepatitis C. Shnider's goal would have been enough to qualify him as a top fundraiser for the organization, but he surprised himself by raising $2,500. Shnider said this will be his last marathon. "It's hard on the knees," he said. "I'd like to keep running for the rest of my life." He chose the Frederick location because he has relatives who live in the area and the atmosphere seemed appealing. The distance was also a factor. "I figured I would go all the way," he said. Shnider recently graduated from the Jewish Day School and plans to enter Emory University in the fall, studying political science. The marathon is consuming him now, however. "I'm nervous but really excited," he said.
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