4 Photos
David Samson, left, Debra Carneol, Cara Nelson and Bret Parker. All ran the 777 World Marathon Challenge five years ago and now all four will be participating in this weekend's challenge.
Bret Parker running the New York City Marathon in 2021. As part of his fight against Parkinson's Disease, Parker ran in both the Boston and New York City marathons in the same year.
Bret Parker finishing the Antarctica leg of the World Marathon Challenge in 2018.
Bret Parker finishing another leg of the World Marathon Challenge in 2018.
It was a little over five years ago when Bret Parker and Cara Nelson completed the World Marathon Challenge, finishing seven marathons on seven continents in seven days, so they’re no strangers to grueling endurance challenges.
Their next endeavor is a little closer to home.
This weekend, the pair, along with family, friends and coworkers, will be participating in the 4x4x48 challenge, otherwise known as the Goggins Challenge, named after the retired Navy SEAL turned endurance athlete David Goggins. Back on March 5, 2021, Goggins released his challenge of completing 4 miles every four hours, totaling 48 miles in 48 hours. Created during the COVID-19 pandemic, the challenge can be done virtually, basically anywhere that’s safe. It’s both mentally challenging as it is physical since there isn’t much time to rest.
Parker is setting foot outside of his Noyac Road home at around 10 a.m. this Friday, September 22, and the challenge, if all goes according to plan, will finish at 10 a.m. the following Sunday morning. There will be nearly a dozen or so taking part in that initial run, Nelson said.
Nelson, 37, of Sag Harbor, a social studies teacher at East Hampton Middle School, has to work Friday morning, so she’ll miss the first three segments of the race but will make them up, she said, on her off period that day with a couple of her coworkers, then she’ll be competing in another segment right before her East Hampton varsity girls soccer homecoming game on Friday afternoon, then another segment right after the game. Then, the following morning, Nelson will be joined by her entire varsity girls soccer team and some additional coworkers at Long Beach at 10 a.m. where they’ll be completing another segment.
All of which is in support of Parker, 55, a part-time Noyac resident and husband and father of two who was diagnosed with early onset Parkinson’s disease more than 15 years ago.
“At the end of the day, we’re all doing this in support of Bret, running with him and staying with him and getting him through the mental aspect of continuing to work day and night,” Nelson said. “Everybody that’s coming in is a friend of Bret in some way, shape or form and helping him overcome and raise awareness to help bring a cure for Parkinson’s. And I think that’s also the beauty of running. This is such a community event, it’s a wonderful thing for us to come together and be there for him.”
Parker, as he has with all of his epic challenges, will continue to raise awareness and funds for Team Fox, a community fundraising program for The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, which is dedicated to finding a cure for the disease through aggressively funding research and to ensure the development of improved therapies for those living with it. As of Monday afternoon, Parker had raised $105,488 of his ultimate goal of $125,000, which would mark $1,000,000 raised solely by Parker for The Michael J. Fox Foundation and his challenges over the year.
On his fundraising page, give.michaeljfox.org/fundraiser/4638040, Parker said this challenge may seem easier than the 777 Challenge, but as he points out, that was five years ago, and he’s only a year removed from a hip replacement.
“And this is the big one: I still have Parkinson’s and let me assure you it hasn’t gotten better,” he writes. “In fact, my ‘off’ times (when my symptoms aren’t controlled by medication) have become [more] frequent and more disruptive since getting diagnosed over 16 years ago at the age of 38.”
As Parker notes on his page, more than 6 million people worldwide are living with Parkinson’s disease — the second most common neurological disorder. In the United States, approximately 60,000 new cases will be diagnosed this year alone. Currently, there is no known cure for Parkinson’s.
“But I have a secret weapon — all of you,” Parker writes. “The generosity and support of so many people over the years gives me the strength to keep being epic. I’m counting on you again to help. I’m raising critical funds for Parkinson’s research.”
Running along Noyac Road could have its pitfalls, but Parker said he and his group will be staying away from the large hills and where the road gets tight so as to not have to go up against vehicles. He’s looking forward to it.
“It’s really exciting,” he said. “We’re raising awareness for a great cause and the local community and the school are getting behind it as well. So far we’ve raised over 105 thousand dollars and the goal is $125,000 to get to a million dollars raised for The Michael J. Fox Foundation. People are very generous and supportive and so now we have to finish, there are no refunds.
“But the thing is I have two choices: I can sit and feel sorry for myself, or I can get out there take on these epic challenges,” Parker continued. “Maybe I take them on too foolhardily, but I’d rather do that than not try.”
