Eric Ziegelbauer

It is my pleasure to introduce Eric Ziegelbauer.  Eric is my beloved brother-in-law.  I really couldn't have picked a better person to marry my sister (yep, I handpicked the guy!).  When he says "family is everything," he means it. 

"I was always into sports growing up. In high school, I ran cross country and played soccer.  In college, I played intramural softball and took bowling and weightlifting. While in bowling class, I met Katie and she convinced me to try out for the UF bowling team. On the team, I met Katie's sister, Jesse.  She is now my wife, and together we have 3 beautiful children. Family is everything to us.  We are crazy people around the holidays, driving back and forth between our families, making a 3 hour drive at 2 in the morning so we can do Christmas eve with one family and be there for present opening in the morning with the other.  I remember when Chase was born - it was a Thursday and Jesse took the kids and made that 3 hour trip to meet our nephew.  It was a little while until he came home, so shortly after his homecoming, we made our second trip to the other coast of Florida and spent some time with our "diChase".   My boys instantly fell in love with their newest cousin, and when our youngest daughter was born, well, Chase was quite fond of her! (now that feeling is mutual!)

I picked up running a few years ago after watching/cheering/chasing Katie around Disney. Most of our runs are together at Disney, because its the happiest place on Earth (and because I'm really just a big kid myself!), with my wife, mother-in-law, and all the kids in tow.   When Katie asked if I would be on the team, I was excited and honored to support my family and raise awareness for my nephew. Whenever we are visiting Katie and her family (usually once a month), we go out for a nice, long run.  I am excited to share this journey and be part of this team.

P.S. I would like to apologize in advance for the rain.

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Eric and I have run more than 8 races together in the last 14 months.  It rained during Expedition Everest Challenge, then it rained during Wine and Dine, then it rained during the Family 5k at WDW Marathon weekend, and then we enjoyed a nice shower during the marathon!  I'm thinking we might need to run something out in California together ;)

I want to use this space to just tell you all how much Eric and my sister Jesse mean to me.  They have 3 biological children of their own, but they might as well say they have 4 children the way the love and care for Chase.  Literally, from his first day here on the planet, they have gone out of their way to be an exceptional aunt and uncle.    I am so honored that they will all be joining us in DC - Eric as runner #3 (he has the "ragnarliest" leg of the race!), and Jesse as our support crew, holding down the hotel room fort with Caleb, Kamden, Addison, and my 22qt, Chase.

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22q families, consider making your donation to the Dempster Family Foundation and sponsor a mile in your child's honor! We are asking that you try to fundraise a minimum of $100 for your mile.  Your $100 donation provides for 1 hour of educational advocacy, helps cover costs for educational programming to teachers, parents, and medical professionals, or helps defray the costs of sending our children to Dragonfly Camp! If $100 seems daunting to you, PLEASE set up your own "Be a Fundraiser" page - you have 3 months to ask family and friends to pitch in for your mile! Put away $7.75 a week, $33 a month, or ask 10 friends for $10! There are lots of ways to raise that money, so please don't feel overwhelmed!

 It is our dream to have all 206 miles run in honor of these amazing children!  Your 22q hero's name will be written on our team vans! Each runner will be given 3 buttons, one for each of their legs of the journey.  The buttons will have pictures of the children that particular leg is dedicated.  You will be able to follow along using the hashtag #werun22q on instagram during training and during our journey from Cumberland, MD to Washington DC.

As a thank you for your donation, for every $100 donation (or fundraised amount in your name), you will receive a picture of your runner embarking on their leg of the journey that carries them on your mile!

Help us ensure that the Dempster Family Foundation can continue to provide the services we all depend on to help our kids!