If Curing Cancer is Like Moving Mountains…Just Climb It, says 14 Y.O.

Photo:  Andrea Topalian for Moments by Andrea Photography 

Wilton’s 14-year-old Patrick Louzan has never met a challenge he couldn’t surmount–even if it’s a mountain-sized one.  So when he came up with the idea to challenge himself with actually climbing one in a race, he didn’t think twice.

That’s why this past June he participated in the “Race to Climb Mt. Washington” as one of only four 14-year-olds, the youngest age group allowed to run in the 7.6-mile road race that ascends 4,650 ft. up the highest peak in the Northeast. The course, dubbed the “Run to the Clouds,” follows the winding road that was built for cars to climb the New Hampshire mountain. It’s physically demanding both because of the obvious–runners are running up a mountain–and because of the often chilly temperatures even though the race takes place in summer.

“It’s the biggest challenge,” Patrick says of the race, with the understated simplicity of a typical teen. “My dad ran it twice before, and I always wanted to do it. I like challenges, and I figured that would be one.”

Like a lot of Wilton teens, he’s an athlete–he plays baseball and really likes to golf. And he says he does run, “often.” For the June race, he started training in March, running on the treadmill 5-days-a-week followed with 200 jumping jacks. Once a week he would do an 8-mile long run with his dad, Robert.

“It was hard at first, but then I got used to it and it ended up being pretty easy.”

Perhaps it was the admiration a son has for his father, motivating him to emulate the actions he watched. “He always said it was an accomplishment to run up Mt. Washington,” Patrick says of his dad. “I always wanted to do it so I could run with him and see how hard it is. Because in the car you really can see how difficult it is, but to run up it is much harder.”

Patrick finished the race in 2:02:01, coming in 654 out of 1,060 runners. He also beat his dad’s time of 2:09:17. He’s hoping to race again next year, but that’s only if his name gets pulled in the lottery race organizers hold to make the field of runners.

But dig a little deeper, and in talking to him, it becomes clear that there’s more to Patrick than ‘typical’ teen, even more than just a teen who likes a challenge. Ask him why he wants to run the race again, and he’ll reveal that’s it’s to raise money to support the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation (CCFA).

“My mom has colitis and I have Crohn’s. So for awareness,” he explains, adding that with the help of medication that he’s taken since 2012, he doesn’t “feel like I have Crohn’s anymore,” and that makes it easier to run.

Some of those health concerns are what Patrick says motivates him to keep running, in fact. “My mom had cancer, and that keeps me going, to see what she’s gone through, that she gave everything she had to keep living. All I have to do is just run, it’s very simple. I think of that when I feel like I don’t want to do it, or I feel like I’m done.”

That’s when he stops you in your tracks. Patrick Louzan is a standout kid.

“When he first said he wanted to run with his father, I was hesitant because I know how hard my husband has to train for it,” says Patrick’s mom, Madeleine. “To figure out how he would train, with school, he’s on travel baseball. And when they both made it in through the lottery we had to figure it out. But when Patrick puts his mind to it, he goes 100-percent. Even up to the day of the race, I was still hesitant, it is absolutely grueling. When he flew past my husband, I said, ‘He’s up to anything he puts his mind to.’”

As his mom, she also sees how amazing it is that Patrick is thoughtful about channeling that dedication to doing good. Madeleine says it’s something he learned very early on.

“I was diagnosed with colon cancer 13 years ago, and Patrick was about 18 months old, so he’s really gone on this journey with us. We’ve done a lot of fundraising for the American Cancer Society, we co-chaired Relay for Life and ran a few golf events. So he knows how important it is to give back, and what it means that at this point I’m healthy. We tell Patrick, ‘You have to be resilient in life. Is this problematic right now? Yes, but if we stick together we can all get through it.’ That’s how we see life. That analogy of keeping your head down and plowing through–that’s what you’ve got to do in life.”

As for raising awareness, she too is impressed with his maturity at wanting to let his story be something that inspires others.

“He hasn’t told anybody, really this is the first time. I think he wants to start getting the word out about auto-immune diseases and IBDs [irritable bowel disease], to make people understand. Because even though he’s symptom free, there are so many people who have Crohn’s who are really ill. He said to me he wants to start doing fundraising for that, like what we do for the American Cancer Society. I think it’s great,” Madeleine says.

So next year, if he gets picked through the lottery again, Patrick will race on behalf of the Westchester chapter of the CCFA. He’s hoping that there are other kids who would want to fundraise and participate with him. The family suggests to anyone wishing to contribute now visit the CCFA website, while they work out their plans for how Patrick will move forward with fundraising for next year’s race and potentially other events. Anyone interested in helping the Louzan’s plan and brainstorm can also email them directly.

As for Patrick, he’s focused on the next run, and he knows what he would tell any kids who will run with him or take on similar challenges.

“I would say to never look up, because you have to just keep climbing. And never stop, because once you stop it’s really tough to get started again. Keep going and set short-time goals–like for mile-markers or the half-way point,” he says, perhaps not even realizing how profound his simple words are.

He may have already recruited his first eligible runner already, a friend who came along to watch Patrick’s run in June.

“Patrick’s friend was so excited and enthused by the sportsmanship of all the runners, and how supportive they all are of each other, and he said he would run next year–and asked Patrick to show him how to train. I think that’s great. Working with each other, especially at this age when everything can be so competitive, I thought that was a great thing,” Madeleine recounts.

Patrick has inspired at least two other Wilton kids–his twin 5-year-old brothers. “They said they want to run it next year, but they’re still too young,” he laughs.