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When he hit the nineteen mile mark, the pain and doubt set in.

"Why am I doing this?," he thinks to himself. Everything hurts. Feet, ankles, knees, hips, sides, even hair; You name it, it hurts. But he continues on.

Soon the wall crumbles a brick at a time and the runner finds new life. Onlookers issue encouragement as the final steps in this 26 mile gut check are within sight.

John Pawlowski knows the pain won't last but his mental strength will. He presses on to finish another marathon. If he needs an extra motivator, he has one available.

Pawlowski's daughter Mary-Louise provides inspiration in spades. Many fathers gain strength from their children. This is different. This is much more than the usual scenario.

A life changer

	Auburn Media Relations
	Pawlowski came running when Auburn called

Pawlowski had been successful as the head coach at the College of Charleston. He took the Cougars to the 2006 Lexington Regional title - a rare feat for a Southern Conference program. The past two seasons, his club was left out of the NCAA field. Both times, their case for inclusion was strong and Pawlowski's frustration mounted.

It had been a tough season. After being spurned by the Regional Selection Committee in 2007, Pawlowski was dealt the kind of blow that made baseball seem trivial.

His daughter Mary-Louise -- now 13 -- was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer called primitive neuroectodermal tumors or PNET.

"It forever changes your life," Pawlowski said. "You pick up the paper and see things like this happen to others but you never think it will happen to you, your family, or your child. It has impacted me and given me drive to do my part - just to do whatever it is I can do."

Since that diagnosis, Mary-Louise has undergone successful surgery to remove the tumor. The chemotherapy continues, and through it all, her mental strength and toughness shines through.

"The protocol is she has six more sessions that will go deep into the fall," the coach said of his daughter. "She just has to keep fighting through the fall.

"So many people have stepped up to the plate with prayers and support."

Mary-Louise was on hand for a special pregame ceremony in which the Clemson Baseball Office where Pawlowski played and was an assistant, presented Mary-Louise and her family with a check for $15,000.

Another big moment

There will be more fund-raisers but they will come from a new locale. After the 2008 season Pawlowski was approached for the Auburn job. His candidacy was not a huge surprise since he was on the short list when Auburn hired Tom Slater before the 2004 season. After Slater's resignation in May, the Tigers came calling again. As has been the norm, Pawlowski's life again changed quickly.

This time it was good news.

"On Friday, June 20th I went to my office to work at College of Charleston. That evening, I was working at Auburn," he said. "That is how quickly it happened."

Most of the time, coaches get hired because the last guy did not win enough. That premise applies in Auburn, but Slater's problem was not related to assembling talent. Auburn annually brought in great freshmen classes. The knock came on developing the athletes and finding whatever formula the successful clubs have to win against similar talent.

"We want to find the right makeup with the will to win," Pawlowski said. "It takes a special person to be successful at this level. We want kids who want to be out there. We want the kids hustling, the ones having fun with energy and excitement. That is contagious."

Pawlowski's emphasis inside the program will be on discipline. He may not have 25 marathon runners, but he wants a focused, hard-nosed bunch.

"We have to mentally prepare for the game within the game," he explained; "Check our egos at the bat rack and focus on the team."

He takes over an Auburn squad that went 28-28 last season and one that has not claimed a spot in the eight-team SEC Tournament since 2003.

Pawlowski is intent on changing both of those statistics but understands the path to glory is rocky.

"I consider it the ultimate challenge to work in this conference with the best coaches and players in the nation," said Pawlowski. "Everybody in this conference is good. Everyone has great coaches and great facilities. There is not much separation.

"I think at anywhere in the SEC, it is not unrealistic to think any program is far off from their goals. The players are there. The commitment is there."

Pawlowski understands commitment.

Run Coach Run

	Mark Etheridge
	Auburn looks to take the next step

Pawlowski spent eight years in pro ball as a pitcher after a successful three years as a Clemson star. He got the running bug between rotation starts. His coaches would ask him to run for fifteen minutes and at the end of that time, Pawlowski found he could keep going. He had a knack for distance.

As his career evolved from player to coach, the running changed as well.

"When I got into coaching, it became a way to get away from cell-phones and pagers and relieve stress," he explained. "It continued over time and now I run for a cause. I have enough inspiration because of what has happened in my personal life."

Pawlowski has run seven marathons running Kiawah three times, Baltimore, the Marine Corps in Washington DC, West Palm Beach, and last October in Chicago. In that 2007 Chicago Marathon, AP reported at least 49 runners were taken to hospitals and another 250 received treated at the race. There was even one fatality causing the race to be halted in the low-90 degree heat.

Pawlowski finished without incident and raised $10,000 for Cougar Baseball through pledges to his "Run-Coach-Run" Fundraising Program.

This fall, marathon number eight is planned for New York City.

And Run-Coach-Run has a new benefactor.

"This season I plan to run the New York City Marathon on November 2 and have people sponsor me per mile," Pawlowski said. "My daughter wanted to do this and donate the proceeds to the Medical College of Georgia. She wants to give back to the Cancer Center for what they have done for her."

With a worthy cause, the coach feels the support swirling around him.

"I don't try to race," Pawlowski said. "I try to finish.

"I'm going to finish, and this year my daughter will be there waiting at the finish line."

Editor's Note:

You can follow Mary-Louise Pawlowski's progress at mlpfoundation.org

Also check back later for more from Pawlowski as he talks about the Auburn program.