*LAST MINUTE CHANGE OF SCHEDULE* This event has been postponed to 9/22/22, sorry for the inconvience.

We are just thrilled to be hosting a book reading and signing with Joe, a former West Seattle Runner employee! He will talk about his journey, do a reading and signing. We will have some refreshments on hand. I am really loving his book! All proceeds are going to Parkinson's research!

In 2018, Joe was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease just shy of turning 57. As is common for those afflicted with incurable neurological diseases, his life changed dramatically with his diagnosis though not necessarily for the worse. Shortly afterward, Joe and Lynn retired to Seattle near where Lynn had grown up and where her family still lives. Stress is a well-known trigger for PD. Hence, removing the stress of an engineering career made sense.

Always one to enjoy sports and outdoor activities, Joe embraced the fact that vigorous exercise is the only therapy that has been shown to be effective at slowing the progression of PD. He turned to running as his primary mode of exercise although he still often bicycles, hikes, and plays soccer. Until his diagnosis, Joe’s running workouts had never been longer than about six miles. Post-diagnosis, he doubled down on the sport and in 2019, at age 58, Joe ran his first marathon and has run 12 marathons since.

In his debut as an author of Run With It: A True Story of Parkinson’s, Marathons, the Pandemic, and Love, Joe describes how exercise and Parkinson’s have become dominant forces in his life. His new purpose is to inspire others with PD, or any other disease or medical condition, to cope through a considered and comprehensive regimen of vigorous exercise.
https://joesgottarun.com/book/