Health & Fitness SPORTS/WELLNESS On The Move Runner hoofs it to aid organization battling sexual assaults on women. Steve Stein Special to the Jewish News ordan Zlotoff is known for going the extra mile. So perhaps it's not surpris- ing that the former Bloomfield Hills resident ran three marathons in just five weeks in a fundraising effort he called, "Racing to End Rape." Zlotoff, 25, raised $2,747 for Men Can Stop Rape, an interna- tional organiza- tion based in Jordan Zlotoff Washington, D.C., that focuses on men's roles in prevent- ing sexual assaults of women. His goal was $2,500. He said he was floored by several small donations made by people who didn't know him, but heard about his cause. "Was running three marathons in five weeks a crazy thing to do? Maybe,' Zlotoff said. "But it made sense to me because I was able to combine two of my passions, which kept me motivated." Motivation has never been a prob- lem for Zlotoff, who now lives in Arlington, Va. He was a two-time state champion doubles tennis player and a cross-country runner at Bloomfield Hills Andover High School. He earned bachelor's degrees in earth systems engineering and sociol- ogy at the University of Michigan, and he was a member of U-M's club row- ing team for two years. "Rowing. Now that's where I learned pain manage- ment," he said. After graduating from U-M, Zlotoff went on a solo three-month, 13,000- mile cross-country motorcycle ride. Why? "I was 21 years old and had lived in Michigan all my life,' he said. "It was time for me to explore the country. Because I studied sociology at U-M, I was particularly interested in learning how environment affects peoples' val- ues and beliefs." j Zlotoff ran in the Marine Corps Marathon in Washington, D.C., in 2007. He decided last June to run in another marathon in 2009, but one quickly grew to three. "I figured if I was going to put in the time and effort to run in one marathon, I might as well run in a couple," he said. At the time, Zlotoff was serving an internship at Men Can Stop Rape. That's how "Racing To End Rape was born. Zlotoff completed the Detroit Free Press-Flagstar Bank Marathon on Oct. 18 in three hours and 29 minutes. One week later, still aching and tired from the Free Press run, he was clocked in three hours and 39 minutes in the Marine Corps Marathon. "I was OK at the start of the Marine Corps Marathon, but I got pretty fatigued by the time I got to the 13th or 14th mile, just past the halfway point," he said. The Philadelphia Marathon on Nov. 22 completed Zlotoff's triple play. He finished that race in three hours and 37 minutes. Linda Zlotoff of Bloomfield Hills, Jordan's mother, said she was initially concerned about her son's marathon undertaking. "But now I'm floored that he did it, and that his times weren't that differ- ent in the three marathons:' she said. "Jordan has always been physically and mentally strong and compas- sionate about social issues so I'm not surprised he did this." Zlotoff isn't planning on embarking on a similar fundraising quest, but he isn't ruling it out, either. He's busy working full-time in Washington, D.C., with the Close Up Foundation, which offers civic educa- tion programs to students and teachers. "I don't want to say I'd never do some- thing like 'Racing To End Rape' again because six months from now, I might feel differently,' he said. "After I ran the marathon in 2007,1 said there's no way I'd ever run a marathon again: Fl Please send sports news to sports@ithejewishnews.com . For more on "Racing To End Rape": www.racingtoendrape.com (donations are still being accepted). For more on Men Can Stop Rape: to www.mencanstoprape.org . On The Links JCC hosts sunshine golf in Florida. T he Jewish Community Center of Metropolitan Detroit will host the fourth annual JCC Michigan- Florida Golf Classic on Tuesday, March 9, at the Westchester Country Club in Boynton Beach, Fla. The event, honoring the mem- ory of Adele Galper, will help raise funds for scholarships to the Center Day Camps, the Sarah & Irving Pitt Child Development Center and children with special needs. It will honor Detroiters Libby and Leo Sklar and Sandra and Marvin Rubin. Registration for the golf clas- sic will begin at 11 a.m. Lunch is at noon with a shotgun start at 1 p.m. and dinner at 6 p.m. The day will feature door prizes. There is a charge. For information, contact Leonard Baron at (561) 487- 3002 or Mort Plotnick at (248) 210-8489. D Leo and Libby Sklar Sandra and Marvin Rubin Nursing Excellence Huron Valley-Sinai Hospital earns honor. T he American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) has granted DMC Huron Valley- Sinai Hospital in Commerce "Magnet" recognition for excellence in nursing, the most prestigious award in nursing. The designation was awarded after an evaluation process that began in 2004 and included submission of a 15-volume application document, multiple stages of review and a three-day, on-site appraisal conducted by the Magnet Recognition Program. Less than 6 percent of hospitals in the United States have qualified for Magnet status. In Michigan, 10 health-care organi- zations have been honored by the Magnet Recognition Program — four are located in Southeastern Michigan. "Magnet status is considered the gold standard of nursing care',' said Bette Fitz, vice president of patient care services at Huron Valley-Sinai Hospital. "This very high honor takes all of us working togeth- er to deliver the best possible patient experience and we should all share pride in this achievement. It also confirms what we already knew to be true, that nurses at Huron Valley-Sinai Hospital are among the best in the country' More than 20 years of research indi- cates there are clear benefits to the com- munities served by Magnet recognized organizations: improved patient safety; shorter hospital stays; fewer medical complications; lower mortality rates; higher patient satisfaction. Independent research also shows that Magnet hospitals consistently out- perform their peers in recruiting and retaining nurses, resulting in increased stability in patient care throughout those hospitals. As a result, Magnet hospitals benefit from reduced costs due to low turnover. Huron Valley-Sinai Hospital joins Children's Hospital of Michigan and Detroit Receiving Hospital as the third Detroit Medical Center facility to achieve this status. january , 2010 31