Man runs 500 miles raising money for Pancreatic cancer awareness

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — When Blake Weber’s mother passed away from Pancreatic cancer in 2020, his life-long friend started a movement to raise money for the cause.

Mark Dowdle is on an eight-day, 500 mile run from Springfield, Illinois to St. Paul, Minnesota to raise $50,000 for the ‘Love Like Laurie Legacy Foundation,’ fighting pancreatic cancer.

Blake and Mark’s friendship began on the football field in college and their brotherly bond grew when Blake lost his mother in 2020.

“Whenever I said, ‘I love you’ she would always respond ‘I love you bigger’ and she wouldn’t say that to me she would say that to my friends who came over… she truly did love you bigger,” Blake said to Mark.

Blake’s father, John Weber, drew inspiration from Mark’s passion and is blessed to have him fight for a struggle so important to the family.

“The superhuman feat is what first catches my attention. But he’s tied it into the journey that most cancer patients go through on their own — the pain, the mental and physical struggle,” John said.

Mark shared that it all stems from the legacy they are trying to carry on.

“It’s all rooted in Laurie Weber and the impact she had on these two guys and how that impacted me,” Dowdle said.

For more information on the “Love Like Laurie Legacy Foundation,” check out: Love Like Laurie