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Salamanca man finishes 266-mile run to raise money, awareness for cystic fibrosis

Bradley Poole was a man on a mission and ran through every town in Cattaraugus County during the hottest week of the summer.

ELLICOTTVILLE, N.Y. — Temperatures soared into the 90s, and the humidity made it feel like the triple digits. It certainly wasn't picture perfect weather for running last week — now imagine running 266 miles in that heat! 

Bradley Poole, 32, did it to raise money and awareness for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

Poole has cystic fibrosis, and he started running a few years ago to improve his lung function. It didn't take long before he got hooked on the runner's high.

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Breathing can be tough for him on a normal day, so he knew averaging more than 40 miles daily during his trek all across Cattaraugus County would be a challenge. The hills were tough enough already, but then the heat wave made things even harder.

"Very tough and challenging, especially mentally challenging," Poole said. "I actually wanted to quit after the first day. I was out there for 12 hours, went straight through and ran 46 miles because we had to take a detour. Instead of 42, I went 46, and it was over 100 degrees on the pavement. But I had set this goal for myself so I knew deep down inside that I had to finish it."

And he did it!

He had a cheer section all along his route, which took him through every town in Cattaraugus County. Friends and fellow cystic fibrosis warriors, as he calls them, joined him for parts of the run.

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He has raised close to $50,000, and his goal is $100,000.

His fundraising campaign will remain online for a few more weeks, so if you would like to donate, click here.

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