(Photo by Stephen Goldsmith) NOAH’S ARK: Noah Savage looks for an opening in March 2008 during his senior season with the Princeton University men’s basketball team. The former Tiger and Hun School hoops standout is looking to make an impact in the fight against cancer when he will be running in the San Diego Rock and Roll Marathon on June 5 to raise funds as part of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s (LLS) Team in Training.

PU Hoops Alums Savage, Lake Teaming Up To Go the Distance in Fight Against Cancer

Bill Alden

Shortly after Noah Savage started working for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s (LLS) Team in Training last fall, he realized that he could give more to the non-profit organization.

“A lot of my co-workers have run marathons,” said Savage, a former Princeton University and Hun School basketball standout.

“I looked at them and they are not necessarily elite athletes. I feel like I am this big college athlete and I need to get out there and do it.”

In January, Savage checked the marathon calendar and found a natural fit for his fundraising project.

“I looked into marathons in June and I saw the San Diego Rock and Roll Marathon,” said Savage, referring to the race that is scheduled for June 5. “I have been there twice and loved it. I wanted to go back.”

Savage decided that he didn’t want to go it alone and lined up former Princeton hoops teammate and Rancho Santa Fe, California native Nick Lake to join him in the running and fundraising effort.

“Nick Lake is a great runner and he wanted to get involved,” said Savage.

The two coined a name for their partnership, “The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly,” and created a website, http://pages.teamintraining.org/nyc/rnr11/thegoodthebadandtheugly, to promote the effort and allow for on-line donations.

“Nick is the good runner; I am bad and look ugly doing it,” joked Savage, noting that he has never competed in a road race and that his longest run in training for basketball was three miles.

Savage and Lake have set a goal of raising $15,000 for the LLS. “A lot of runners try to raise around $7,000-10,000 individually,” noted Savage. “We thought as a team that we should go for $15,000.”

For Lake, teaming up with Savage was a no-brainer. “This was an easy decision for me,” said Lake, who ran cross country in high school and estimated that he had run as far as 12 or 13 miles in that capacity. “I enjoy running and the challenge of a marathon and it is for a good cause.”

As additional inspiration, the two have dedicated their effort to Christian “Crunch” Regulski, a Robbinsville boy afflicted with brain cancer who was “adopted” by the Tiger men’s basketball team and died this past February.

“When we first decided to do this, we thought of dedicating this to Crunch; he has been in our hearts and thoughts,” said Lake.

“He was such a cool kid and became a good friend. I draw strength from thinking about him. When I don’t want to train or I am struggling on a run, I think about what he went through and how tough he was.”

Lake acknowledges that putting in the miles on the road has been tough. “I have gotten my long run up to 12-15 miles and I am doing runs of five or six miles one or two other days,” said Lake, who lives in Hoboken but has been spending a lot of time in Memphis on a work project.

“When I started, my knee was hurting. I am taking it easy. I would rather come to the starting line feeling good and being a little undertrained but not hurting.”

The 6‘6, 200-pound Lake is feeling good about the response the effort has already gotten. “It has been great,” said Lake of the contributions which were up to $4,845.00 by May 16 according to The Good, the Bad and the Ugly website.

“It is one thing to ask for money but for this cause we are getting a lot of support from friends, family, the Princeton basketball family, and Crunch’s family. Any donation, large or small, will help.”

Savage, for his part, is dealing with some pain for the cause. “I have done most of my training in Central Park,” said the 6‘5, 220-pound Savage. “I am up to 12 miles now but I have a strained ab. I am more excited than nervous.”

Both Lake and Savage are excited to be involved in something that could help others.

“I am really enjoying doing something that can help others,” said Lake. “It is just taking a little bit of effort from me for something that could have such a big impact.”

Savage concurs, citing his desire to help people like Crunch. “We take our health for granted; we need to put an end to this for kids and adults,” asserted Savage.

“The grants the LLS gives have a straight line to research and the development of drugs. The fundraising and getting the word out is more work but it feels good. We have the “Connection to the Cause” events where you hear from speakers who have been directly impacted by the work of LLS. It is great when you hear someone say my husband is alive because of this drug.”

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