Please help :)

Ok, apparently I'm getting desperate. An email I sent to family and friends. Help if you can!!

An Ironman race is described as long, grueling, difficult, the hardest thing you will ever do…It should be considering it is a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, and 26.2 mile run, continuously. After my first triathlon, I was hooked.
I’ve gone through every step most triathletes go through, including the desire to compete in longer distance races. This brings me to the reason for this letter. I have been thinking about competing in an Ironman race for several months, but I realize it is a large commitment. Not only physically and mentally, but financially as well. I am finishing up my final year of graduate school and do not have a “real job” as of yet. An Ironman entry fee is probably the most expensive of endurance races: $475. The reaction I always get when I tell someone this is, “You have to pay that much to go through pain for 17 hours!?” Well, yes. An athlete has up to 18 hours to complete the race. Think about how many aid stations, police officers, and paper cups are needed to last that long? The general rule applies here: the longer the race, the more expensive the entry fee.
My desire is to compete in Ironman Louisville on August 31, 2008. I have never wanted to work so hard for something before. Training for triathlons is the hardest, but one of the most fulfilling athletic achievements I have come by. So I am asking, will you please help me reach this challenging, gratifying, and most courageous athletic aspiration? Any amount, whether it is monetary or simply prayer, I will greatly appreciate. Thank you so much for your time and I will keep you updated on my Ironman status.

All the love and thanks in the world,
~Robyn~