I saw firsthand how this disease can affect someone you love in ways that you can’t even begin to comprehend. It sheds light on how fragile life can be and that living every moment to the fullest allows you to look back and cherish time spent with others.

The Daytona 100 is a 100-mile ultramarathon from Jacksonville Beach, FL, to Daytona Beach, FL, that follows Florida’s East Coast barrier island on pavement – paralleling the Atlantic Ocean and the Intracoastal Waterway the entire distance.

Runners have about 31 hours to finish, but I aim to finish in under 24 hours. It will take a lot of mental toughness, but the thought of my little brother will give me all the strength needed to find a way. Rain or shine, day or night, this will be the hardest challenge of my life, but pairing this with an opportunity to raise funding for the LymeLight Foundation and memorialize my brother means the world to me.

My brother loved to help others, especially kids, even in some of his most challenging moments. He loved seeing the joy on the children’s faces. Looking back, he had an easier way of relating to them. Their happiness resonated with Dustin as he searched for it in his own life.

Dustin enjoyed biking and triathlons, even finishing an Ironman 70.3 several years ago. The Daytona 100 allows me to honor him in a way he would be proud of. He will be looking down on me that day, and I plan to give it everything I have.

– Lawson Aschenbach