Marianne DeMarco

A 33-year-old New Yorker who was surprised to discover how tough it was to start running again after 15 years absence from the sport. Moreover, after running the Boston Marathon at age 18 years, Marianne stopped running altogether and decided to take it up again only after learning about the North Pole Marathon. She will run the Marathon to raise money for Inwood House, the 175-year-old non-profit organization where she works. Inwood House (www.inwoodhouse.com) provides a place for pregnant teenage girls to live who are otherwise homeless or in foster care. Marianne will specifically raise money for the maternity residence via a "gamblers choice": donors will wager the amount they'll give based on Marianne's finishing time. If she doesn't manage to finish the race, then all bets are returned and she loses all the money. When not working or training she plays accordion with the world's only 18 piece all-female accordion ensemble, the Main Squeeze Orchestra (www.mainsqueezeorchestra.com).