For most people, the idea of running a marathon is too much. For Elverson resident Jeff McBride, who will be running a benefit marathon just six months after heart surgery, running a marathon is the first step in returning to life as he knows it.

On September 17, 2012 McBride, 27, had open-heart surgery to replace his aortic valve and aorta after he was diagnosed with a bicuspid aortic valve with severe regurgitation and stenosis, a condition which caused his heart to enlarge to the point where medical action was necessary.

On March 17, 2013, exactly six months to the day after his surgery, McBride will be running the 26.2 miles that make up a marathon as a fundraiser for the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP).