Here we go again...... I know it has only been a month and a half, and I said that I wouldn't, but I'm going to ask for your support again. It does get weird when you beg friends, so I want to throw out this caveat before I start. I UNDERSTAND if you do not participate and appreciate the fact that you took the time to even read this. In May, I ran the Ouachita 50 miler with the Honor Scroll and was amazed by the support everybody offered. The idea to raise awareness and money for the ACS only came to me a few days before the race. In less than a week, YOU generously donated over $1700 and provided almost 200 names for the Honor Scroll. In my mind, this was an impressive accomplishment on YOUR part. I honestly do not expect a repeat within this short period of time, but a guy has to try, right?
Running is a strange thing. For me, it started with a few miles per week and has snowballed into, as my wife says, a crazy obsession. I started running in 2006 as a way to lose some weight, entered my first 5k in May and the rest, as they say, is history. That first 5k was HUGE for me- it showed me that ANYTHING was possible. The VOICES showed up soon after and started pushing me harder. Longer distances from the 10k to Marathon got checked off my list of “things to do”. The Boston Qualifier at my first Marathon seemed to be as “good as it gets”.
Naturally, the VOICES kept pushing and a few 50k's later I was thinking BIGGER. When both my parents were diagnosed with Cancer within 4 months of each other it became obvious that there really was something BIGGER out there. Not the 50 miles WE ran back in May but the cause the WE all supported. Weird how things work. All this time I was thinking about what I could do and how far I could go. Luckily, I have my club to help me figure things out. This is really a team effort and I am not ashamed to ask for help.
On June 18-19, I will “attempt” to run on the Gainesville, MO track for 12 consecutive hours. This is the annual Relay For Life event in Ozark County. Starting at 7 PM and ending at 7 AM- I will circle this loop as many times as possible. You can donate by clicking HERE or, if you are local, at the Relay.
I have not figured out all the logistics of how it will work, but I will be honoring those affected by the MONSTER that is cancer throughout the night. The entire 12 hours will be dedicated to ALL but I am asking for you to give names for specific laps, miles or time for those you know. Any advice on how to pull this all together is welcome and appreciated- I DO have a habit of jumping in without a life jacket. Like last time, it is NOT necessary to donate- you can submit a name and I will honor them regardless.
I am also asking for your help in a few other ways, so bear with me here. If you are local- please come down and help “crew” for me. By this I mean to help provide water and snacks so I do not have to stop. Another way to help locally is to come run a lap or two with me in the middle of the night. It will get lonely out there- pace will not matter and if you have a specific lap/mile/time- please come out and help me honor your loved one- we will WALK together if need be.
If you are NOT local- here is my crazy “perfect world” scenario- find a track, put together your own Relay team, find some people to honor and take turns walking/running the 12 hours. Raise some money for YOUR Relay team. Yeah, worth a try.
Last thing. I am going to set up an event on the VOICES Face Book page. It is a 12 hour challenge. I challenge all of you to log at least 12 hours of exercise between now and June 19th. It can be any type of exercise of any length of time that you choose. Running, walking, cycling, softball, chasing kids, whatever.....Just strive for 12 hours total by the 19th. I hope that you will all accept the challenge and let others know about the CAUSE- it is important and together WE can make a difference.
Okay- last thing- fo' real this time. If you donated money last time- please do not feel an obligation to give again. I truly appreciate the support you gave and KNOW that you are still supportive. (Of course- I could use some new shoes)
You can contact me through my email- runlikeamug@yahoo.com or call/text 417-239-5064
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