Once this 1992 Old Town High School graduate committed to participating in the race, he and his wife Jennifer actively began raising funds for Can Do MS. Talon said his initial goal was to raise $2,000.

"The 'Can Do MS' people just contacted me and we're at $8,250. People have been pretty generous," said Talon. "So I keep telling the woman I'm working with at charitable donations, 'I think you have to up it [the goal] another $1,000.'"

Talon's passion for long distance running started back in high school when he ran cross country and track. Since then, he and Jennifer have both participated in races and marathons, but this upcoming Western States 100 will be unlike any course he's taken on before.

"It's either the longest or one of the longest 100 milers out there. It's the Boston of ultra marathons," explained Talon. "Training for this has been tough. I've got a full time job and a house to help run."

And even with all his experience, he admits just looking at the map of this weekend's course makes him leery.

"It's basically a downhill course, which you would think that's a good thing but it destroys your quads, so that's a concern. In the middle, you see some deep canyons and that's where temps can get into the 110 degree range. You can start at 20 degrees at the start of the race and then be at 110 degrees six hours later."

As grueling as the run may be at times, Talon plans to keep one foot in front of the other. And when he needs a little extra motivation, he plans to think of his wife and the others with MS who will benefit through his involvement in the race.

If you'd like to support Talon, you can make a donation by logging on to https://www.gifttool.com/donations/Donate?ID=1795&AID=1978. If you have any questions about the race, Talon can be reached via email at btws100 @ gmail.com.