Its Not Too Late to Race Contest

Posted on April 2, 2013 by Eric

Well we are hitting the home stretch before we reach the 2013 Fifth Third River Bank Run on May 11th. There are 40 days until race day. Although most of the blogs that the Road Warriors have written about focus on the 25K, I want you to remember that there are other events on race day that you can participate in. Even if you haven’t started training yet, it is not too late to get yourself ready for the 5K run, 5K walk, 10K or even the 25K (if you get some serious training in over the next 40 days). As you have probably read in previous blogs, this will be my 5th consecutive Fifth Third River Bank Run. The reason that I continue to participate in this race is because of how awesome the event is. In the 7 years that I have lived in the Grand Rapids area, I have yet to witness an event as inspiring as this one. If you choose not to participate in a race, you owe it to yourself to be either a volunteer or a spectator. I promise that you will be astonished at how amazing this race really is.

So what are you waiting for. I know that there are many excuses not to be a part of this race, but if you just commit to experiencing this phenomenal event, you will not be sorry that you did.

I want to give you some incentive to participate in the 2013 Fifth Third River Bank Run. As you may or may not know, I am raising money for Paws With A Cause, an amazing non profit organization that trains assistance dogs for people with disabilities. I could write pages upon pages about the magic that this organization creates for disabled people but I am not going to do that here. If you are interested in learning more about Paws With A Cause, please click here. I am going to have a contest. If you donate $25 to Paws With A Cause, I will enter your name into a drawing to win a free entry to this year’s Fifth Third River Bank Run. The registration code that you may win is valid for any of the events held on race day (5K, 5K walk, 10K, 25K). Even if you don’t win the drawing, the money that you donate is going to be put to good use by Paws With A Cause, as they need your donation to continue providing assistance dogs to people with disabilities!!

So what do you say? It is crunch time!! It is not too late to get training. If you are interested in making a donation and entering the drawing for a FREE ENTRY, CLICK HERE. On Wednesday, April 10th, I will put the names of people who donate into a hat and pick a winner (make sure to leave your email address when making your donation). If you have questions, please reply to this blog post. Thanks and make sure to join the Fifth Third River Bank Run Road Warriors this Saturday for a FREE training run at the David D. Hunting YMCA (foot and ankle clinic at 7:15 am and run at 8:00 am). I will see you on the road!!

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Looking for a charity partner?!?!

Posted on March 8, 2013 by Becky

Looking for a charity partner to run on a team with for the Fifth Third Riverbank Run?!? Look no further, Ronald McDonald House of West Michigan is the place to be!

I have been getting to watch the Ronald McDonald House of West Michigan in action for the past few weeks and it is an absolutely amazing organization. For those of you who are unfamiliar with RMHWM and what they do, it’s pretty awesome! RMHWM is a place where families can stay when children are receiving medical care and are need of some support. There are Ronald McDonald Houses throughout America and we are so fortunate to have one right here in West Michigan. With such outstanding medical facilities near us, many people travel from all across the world to use them and need a place to stay. Ronald McDonald House not only gives people a place, they provide emotional support, meals, transportation, and lots of care.

I am not a parent and I may not ever be. I can’t possibly understand that heartbreak that would come from having a child who is ill and in need of serious care. I do know, though, that one of the last things that I would want to be concerned with at that time is whether or not I can get home, navigate a strange and new city, find and pay for a hotel, and other things of that nature. RMHWM is such a continual fountain of love for the people that stay there, down to the last details. They even have daily volunteers to make fresh-baked desserts

I go on and on about how miraculous RMHWM is, but I think I’ll save the rest for you to find out and get involved in your awesome ways. Here are some ways that you can be supporting this awesome cause:

1) They are always in need of some extra hands! People daily make desserts and dinners for the residents of the house so that’s one less thing for people to worry about and it provides home-style comfort. Learn more about the house and volunteers at their website.

2) Do you like to run? Join the team and “run for Ron” this May in the Fifth Third Riverbank Run! They would love to have team members in all races and being part of the team is a great opportunity for everyone! You’ll get an awesome t-shirt, race day perks (including bathrooms!), and a chance to meet Mr. Ronald McDonald himself Running for a charity partner is a very rewarding way to get healthy and support your community. Find more information here or commit to the team by emailing Margie at mkindel@rmhwesternmichigan.org.

3) Donate financially towards the Ronald McDonald House of Western Michigan. You can use wonderful Daniela’s active giving page! Here’s the link!

The Ronald McDonald House of Western Michigan is an absolutely amazing place – I’ve learned a whole lot from them! Join us in supporting them and their mission in whatever way you can!

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Paws With A Cause and FREE STUFF!!

Posted on February 5, 2013 by Eric

I know that this is not the first time that I have mentioned my charity partner, Paws with A Cause. As I have mentioned before, Paws With A Cause is a non-profit organization that trains and provides assistance dogs for people with all kinds of disabilities. Road Warrior Anna and I had a chance to tour their facility in Wayland and had quite the experience. First, the Wayland facility is the National Headquarters. This is the location where all the dogs are trained. The dogs can be trained to assist people with a hearing disability, to help someone get a cold beverage from the fridge, or to assist someone to a standing position, among many other things. Each dog is trained specifically to the client in need. Paws With A Cause, this amazing company based just south of Grand Rapids, sends trained dogs to people all across the country.

Do you think that this is an organization that is worthy of help from us? If you would like more confirmation about how awesome Paws With A Cause is, give them a call and take a tour of their headquarters. They can also let you know how you could serve them.

Now to the FREE STUFF that I am sure piqued your interest in this blog. Did I mention that Paws With A Cause functions solely on monetary donations? They need our help!! I know that times are tight for everyone, but if you really want to make a difference in the life of someone who really needs it, THIS IS YOUR CHANCE!!

I have a free entry to the Fifth Third River Bank Run that I want to give away. This entry can be for any of the events (25K,10K,5K, 5K walk) on May 11. Here is how it works: If you want to be entered into the drawing to receive the free entry, you must donate a minimum of $25.00 to Paws With A Cause through my donation page (below). If you make a donation by Monday, February 11th, I will put your name into a hat and pick one out. If you are chosen, I will email you the promotion code that will get you your free entry to the Fifth Third River Bank Run. If you have already made a donation of $25 or more, your name already goes into the hat. If you have already registered for the race, unfortunately I cannot get your money refunded, but if you get chosen, I can get you a free entry to next year’s Fifth Third River Bank Run.

How does that sound? This is a great opportunity to help Paws With A Cause and to help yourself by participating in the AWESOME Fifth Third River Bank Run!! Plus, you will then be a part of Team Paws. Paws With A Cause is offering several race day incentives to be a part of their team (i.e. a tent at the start/finish with a porta john, gear check and refreshments). If you decide to raise money for them, they have even more incentives depending on how much money you raise. To make your donation and to register for the race, click on the links below. LET THE DONATIONS BEGIN!!

To make a donation click HERE.

To register for the Fifth Third River Bank Run click HERE.

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Creating new family running traditions

Posted on February 3, 2013 by Garcia

: Milo and Alesandra sporting their new kicks…. and Anna just being Anna!

I never would have imagined how much being a Road Warrior would unite my family. Honestly, I was a little nervous about how much time I would be devoting to my team, and missing time with my family. But it’s actually been the opposite. My husband and daughters have been so supportive with my training, and it’s actually rubbed off on them as well. Early on in my training I convinced my husband to run the 25k and most recently, my oldest daughter Alesandra, has signed up for the Junior 5k. Running has become an activity that unites the three of us. It’s something that we can do together, as well as separately, and have plenty to talk about at the dinner table.

This weekend we took it one step further with our training. We made a family trip to Gazelle Sports in Holland to get both Milo and Alesandra fitted for new running shoes. Jen at the Holland store did an exceptional job at helping my family. She took the time to listen to what they said about how they run, watched them walk around the store barefoot and brought many suggestions for them to try. She was extremely knowledgeable about running, because you guessed it… she’s a runner too! This was not my first great experience at Gazelle Sports, the location on 28th St. has the same high level of customer service. I strongly suggest that if you are committed to running any race, you should get fitted for a pair of shoes too.

It was when we were leaving that it dawned on me; this will be our new tradition. Training for races and shopping for our new shoes. It made me so happy to see them excited about their new shoes and we couldn’t shut up about getting a chance to try them out on the snow. The Fifth Third River Bank Run can be a family event. Whether your family decides to run the same race, or you have some running different ones, it can still be a family tradition. I hope that in years to come my family will make the trek to Gazelle’s and continue our running journey.

Now, I cannot leave out my youngest daughter, Anna. Even though she is 6, she plans on running the fun run and even more exciting is that she wants to help me raise money for The American Cancer Society! She was even brainstorming ideas on how her class can help me raise money. The joy I felt listening to her passion about Team ACS. It made me realize that my husband and I are doing something right with these girls.

I hope that your family can join in on the fun with running. You can make it a family event, whether it’s the running or raising money for charity. If you haven’t already signed up, it’s not too late! You still have 13 weeks until the race. And it’s definitely not too late to donate either! Just click on Team ACS and you can help us stop cancer in West Michigan.

Will you create a new family running tradition?

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