World Cancer Day - Tri for the Cure!

Today is World Cancer Day. Almost everyone has been affected by cancer in some way. Some of us have lost a loved one or friend. Some have personally fought this terrible disease themselves. Whatever your personal connection to cancer, know that you CAN make a difference in a number of different ways. From making a donation to one of the many reputable organizations out there to fundraising for the cancer charity of your choice to volunteering your time to do things for cancer patients - please find a way to get involved in the fight!

There are a few ways that I plan to help this cause in 2014:

1) I just announced today that I am volunteering as a triathlon coach for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Northern Ohio "Team in Training" chapter. I am super excited to work with these individuals and help them achieve their goal of completing the Greater Cleveland Triathlon. This race is literally in my backyard and I am friends with the race director so I am confident it will be an awesome experience!

2) I am completing my first 140.6 iron-distance triathlon at Rev3 Cedar Point in September and plan to race in honor of my cousin Danielle who lost her life to cancer in May of 2012. Danielle was a true fighter and an inspiration to everyone who came in contact with her. I will complete this race and raise money for cancer for her. As a member of Team Rev3 and a past member of Team Fight I will again raise money for Team Fight, the team that supports The Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults.

3) I will support and love anyone I know that is suffering with this disease as well as people I have yet to meet. Being compassionate is important. This can happen to any of us!

This is a battle that is personal. We must all get involved. Please do something this year to help with the fight - whether monetary, volunteering your time or even just increasing awareness of the disease. Every little thing really does make a difference!

Running & Racing For a Cause - You Can Make a Difference!

There are so many reason to run! It would literally take me hours to list them all! Some of the more obvious reasons are that it's good for your health (physical and mental), helps you look and feel better about yourself, gives your life meaning and direction in being involved in something bigger, etc. But the reason I would like to focus on in today's post is running for charity. Running makes a difference in the lives of so many people - not just the athletes themselves.

A large number of races exist for the sole purpose of raising funds for a worthy cause. For example, a couple weekends back when I raced the Kirtland Strides of March 5K, that race exists to help raise funds for Deepwood, an organization that helps individuals with mental and developmental disabilities. The half marathon that I am running next week in Dover raises funds for Habitat for Humanity.

Some race organizations themselves get involved with charity organizations. For example, Rev3 Triathlon is a supporter of The Ulman Cancer Fund. Last year when I completed the Rev3 Cedar Point 70.3 triathlon I signed up to raise fund's for Ulman's Team Fight. It was rewarding to raise funds to help young people affected by cancer. At this very moment, Rev3 is undertaking a huge effort to help Ulman...they are literally running across America! Some of my Team Rev3 teammates are on that journey right now. Others including myself are participating virtually by running as much as we can each day. Rev3 hopes to raise $100K in its 21-day running adventure. We still have a ways to go. Please consider donating. Every dollar helps!

The next time you think about why it's valuable to run local community races, be sure to think about all of the organizations that are supported through your efforts! You can and do make a difference just by participating. If you are unable to participate due to injury or lack of time, just donating helps make a difference too!