ILLINOIS
The Doings LaGrange Park
Jane Michaels
jmichaels@pioneerlocal.com |
LaGrange Park resident Ken Kaczmarz didn’t lace up running shoes much before 2009. Since then the 43-year-old electrical engineer has run eight marathons and has his sights set on a grueling Ironman competition Sept. 7 in Madison, Wis. to benefit World Vision’s child protection programs.
Q. Why did you start running?
A. I had some deadline projects at work. It was very stressful. I’m director of the electrical engineering department for CompX International, Inc. in Grayslake. I started running one day to the end of the block, and after a few months, I ran a 5K. As I got into it, my church, Christ Church of Oak Brook, had a team for World Vision. I joined their team and did the Chicago Marathon in 2011. …
Q. This cause is also highly personal?
A. One of the reasons I became involved was because as a kid, I was molested by a priest. I was extremely active in the Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests from 2002 to 2006. I was one of the leaders in Chicago, but I had to get out of it. It was absorbing my life. I’ve helped hundreds of survivors, so I saw what sexual abuse does and how it destroys lives.
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