Ladies and Gentlemen,
Sorry for the long time away from updating our Facebook. Since my 6th place finish at the Lean Horse 100 last August, I have taken some time to slow down and spend time with my family running a few marathons and half marathons. This time away from ultras has given me time to reflect and prepare mentally for the toughest season yet. I will be attempting 7 ultra-marathons with 5 of them being 100 mile distances. I am hopeful that my placement in the Silver Rush will open up another opportunity to run in the legendary Leadville 100 race in August. Three races in specific, if I am able to complete them, will afford me the opportunity to be in the lottery for the 2018 UTMB 100 which is held in Switzerland, France, and Italy. This is an epic and lofty goal to complete this many ultra-marathons in one season so it has been my new challenge to foster awareness for a worthy cause.
This year we will be working to raise funds for Saint Jude’s Children’s Hospital again. As many of you know, Adrienne and I had to have our own son tested for Leukemia when he was two and he was suffering from severe joint pain and was unable to stand. With both of us working as educators, we had solid insurance and good jobs. We were not sure what our finances would look like if we were to receive such a diagnosis and we knew we would need to do anything we could to help our son. We were very fortunate that his blood tests came back negative. We were extremely relieved, but started to think of other families who would receive the news that their son or daughter wasn’t as lucky as we were. So, with the help of Whitney Whitworth (CHS Student Senate Sponsor), Kevin Olson (CHS Media Teacher), and his production students at Central High School, we set out to raise funds for the cause to help others in similar situations.
While working with St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital over the past two years we have raised almost $9,000. This money has afforded a number of chemotherapy treatments for families who simply want their child to be healthy so that they can return to having a typical normal life. As some of you may know families who come to St. Jude’s for help never pay a dime for their child’s care and treatment. St. Jude’s focuses on putting the child and family in a situation where they can center their attention on getting healthy as soon as possible. In addition, St. Jude’s is a world leader in cancer research. Know that your donation will go to assist other families in need and fund new, innovative research that seeks to eradicate childhood cancers. We are hoping to raise $5,000 or more ($1,000 per 100 mile race). Donations can be made in a number of ways: 1. A specific amount per mile completed. 2. A flat donation per race completed. 3. A flat donation at any time. We will keep everyone updated on our Facebook page to let everyone know how each race is progressing and how the fundraising is going.
Thank you all in advance for your continued support of St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital and our efforts to aid children in need.
Sincerely,
Brian, Adrienne, Sullivan, and Teagan