Arthur Bugay: Ironman With A Heart of Gold

As many of you may know, every three years, Galfand Berger attorney Arthur Bugay raises money for charity by running marathons.  He did this in 2000 by running the Chicago Marathon for the American Diabetes Association (“ADA”); and in 2003 and in 2006, he supported the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, through its Team in Training (“TNT”), by running the Philadelphia, Baltimore and Charlotte Marathons.
 

This year, Arthur decided to take endurance charity fundraising one step further.  Arthur is raising funds for the American Diabetes Association to honor his mother, Margaret Bugay, who died in August 2008 after complications from Diabetes.  She died after undergoing dialysis for over a year and fought very bravely in the face of difficult odds.
 

Because of her strength and endurance, Arthur decided to take his charity running to a whole new level.  He participated in his first Ironman Triathlon event.  On July 26, 2009, Arthur raced at the 11th Annual Lake Placid Ford Ironman, an endurance event that consists of a 2.4 mile swim, a 112 mile bicycle race, and a 26.2 mile marathon run.  He completed this grueling event in only 14 hours and 5 minutes!
 

In addition to raising money in his mother’s name, Arthur had another incentive to raise as much money as possible before the Ironman event.   If he raised enough money, the ADA would receive a matching sponsorship from the Janus Charity Challenge, a charitable organization that attempts to convert endurance participation events into charitable events by supporting athletes who raise money for 501 (c) (3) charitable organizations. 
 

Arthur accomplished his goal and, to date, has raised nearly $10,000! 

 

Throughout his preparation for the Lake Placid Ford Ironman, Arthur completed a number of preparatory events and plans on continuing with a few others after as part of his fundraising efforts.  His pre-Ironman training and racing consisted of:

 

• The Caesar Rodney Half Marathon, Wilmington, Delaware (13.1 mile run)
• The Kentucky Derby Marathon, Louisville, KY (26.2 mile run)
• The Philadelphia Broad Street Run, Philadelphia, PA (10 mile run)
• The Jersey Man Half Ironman: (1.2 mile swim; bike 56.6 miles; run 13.1 miles)
• The Great Hudson River Swim (1.3 mile swim in the Hudson River, near the Brooklyn Bridge)
• The ADA Bucks County Metric Century, (100km/62.13 miles) Bucks County, PA
• The Lake Placid Marathon (26.2 mile run in Lake Placid, NY)
• The Philadelphia Triathlon (Olympic distance: 1 mile swim in the Schuylkill River; 40 k/25mile bike ride and 10km/6.3 mile run)

 

In the fall, Arthur will run the Philadelphia Distance Run in September and the Philadelphia Marathon in November. If you want to help Arthur continue to surpass his fundraising efforts, please contact him at abugay@galfandberger.com or click here to donate directly.

And, please note that Arthur does not receive any personal financial support from any organization, including the ADA or Janus.  Instead, he pays his own way, including registration for these events, travel and lodging.   Arthur’s goal remains a simple one:  raising money for a good cause.  An Ironman with a heart of gold!