Welcome to carnstone.com, home of Miles4Mamie - a program to raise money for cancer research at Roswell Park Cancer Institute in honor of Mamie (my mother).  I'll be running 500 miles over 12 of the most challenging running events in Western New York and Southern Ontario from April through November of 2008.  These aren’t your average 5k road races.  These events are multi-day, Ultra Distance races that demand respect and preparation.  They are trail runs through the challenging terrain of Allegany State Park, 60+ mile runs through Toronto, ON and 8 day, 7 stage races that will present the challenge of racing 99 miles in a single week.

I’m Andy Carney from Orchard Park, NY.  I’ll be 40 years old in May and I’m a former couch potato who got up and started running almost 4 years ago.  At my peak I was 260 lbs and have managed to drop 80 lbs.  I’ve been married for 11+ years and have 3 children. 

I’ve done 2 marathons and 1 ultra distance event prior to now; and I’ve also done some shorter distance stuff as well.  I’ve never done anything like this before.

Mamie is my mother, Marilyn Carney.  In June of 2007, she was diagnosed with inoperable Liver Cancer.  She is a fighter.  And, if you ask her, a tough old broad.  She doesn’t like that I’m doing this and thinks I’m going to kill myself, or at least cause irreparable damage.  But I can’t sit idly and do nothing.  Through my running, I want to raise awareness as well as much needed funds for Cancer Research as well as honor and support my mother.

If you think for a moment, you can probably come up with at least 2 people you know that have been impacted by Cancer.  1,500 new cases are diagnosed every day in the United States alone and 1 in 3 people will develop some form of cancer in their lifetime.  With numbers like that, it should be easy to motivate yourself to action.

Feel free to check out the rest of the website.  You can follow along with me on the blog and check out the pictures as I compete in these grueling events.