If you think walking to class in the Athens winter is intimidating, try running 26.2 miles in Antarctica.

Chad Leathers, a University alumnus, will run 26.2 miles in Antarctica to raise money for researching the genetic disorder affecting his brother, Drew.

Chad Leathers, a 2007 University alumnus with a degree in photography, will run a marathon in Antarctica to raise money for neurofibromatosis research.

NF is an incurable genetic disorder involving tumors that can cause problems such as learning disabilities, extreme pain and cancer.

Leathers is one of 10 people in his group running in the Antarctica marathon on March 7.

“I don’t say no to anything,” he said.

Leathers first got involved with NF fundraising because of his brother Drew, who has taken extreme medication and gone through surgery due to his NF.

At the University, Leathers began UGA Tumornators, which is now holding a fundraising campaign on campus.

He also did charity work in his hometown of Lilburn.

From February to May 2007, he raised $35,000 for NF research through donations from around the world.

Some donors contributed to the cause after seeing a slide show Leathers made about Drew’s battle with the illness.

Leathers now works in New York as development officer for the Children’s Tumor Foundation.

“We’re seeking a cure for not just Drew, but all the other people affected by this,” he said.

Leathers said when the director of the Children’s Tumor Foundation approached him a few years ago about running in Antarctica, he immediately agreed to the fundraiser.

“You’re always thinking of the next thing,” he said.

To train, Leathers ran outside in the cold New York winter. The farthest he has run to date is 16 miles.

“It will be a test more mental than physical,” he said.

Leathers said he both dreads and looks forward to the Antarctica race, saying the wind is even more daunting than the cold.

“It’s going to be beyond challenging, and I love challenges,” he said.

Faced with the task of running for miles across a “frozen tundra,” Leathers explained his University experiences helped him get to the point where he is prepared for anything and will aid him in Antarctica.

“University of Georgia has been pivotal,” he said. “If I miss one thing aside from my family, it’d be UGA.”

The University even taught him a lesson before he stepped foot on North Campus.

Leathers said throughout high school, he looked forward to attending the University, so when they rejected him, he was crushed.

Instead of going to school in Athens, he attended a community college, raised his grades and transferred in a year later.

“That speed bump built persistence,” Leathers said, a persistence which will certainly be important to the marathon runner.

He said his Antarctica race is “not an easy effort,” but a symbolic one.

For Leathers, running in the cold climate against the winter elements represents the winding road to finding a cure for NF.

“We won’t give up,” he said. “You have to work hard or otherwise, you’re not going to make it.”