Warrior Dash/St. Jude Donation Update - Thank You All

To all of those who have donated towards my Warrior Dash run for St. Jude tomorrow, for those who have been an inspiration in my second round of weight loss, and for my great network of family and friends, I want to say thank you.

With a couple more donations yesterday, I have been able to reach over my $1000 goal, which I raised from my initial $500 back in April. The initial donations I received from all of you was overwhelming and has inspired me to keep going for higher goals (both for donations and for my fitness level).

Inspirations/Dedications

My Bohawk, in honor of my cousin Marilyn

Here are but a few of the people I have in mind when it comes to this race and the donation efforts:

• For my cousin Marilyn who passed away in 1989 after developing a brain tumor as a child, but I know is with us in spirit. From this donation process and dedication, I have learned that people live as long as you keep their story alive.
• For my brother, who as a kid was slowed down only by the leg braces which remained between his legs for years.
• For my friend Jim, who was just medically cleared of the colon cancer that he found out he had last summer. He is the ringleader of the crew of people racing on Sunday, otherwise known as Team Carter.
• For my cousin Kyle, who is currently going through chemo for a brain tumor. His battle is far from over, but he is doing as well as he can, thanks to a strong spirit and a great support network.

There may be a few others I'm missing, and I apologize for this. Some of you may have donated money to this cause with someone else in mind, and I'll gladly dedicate the 3.1 miles to them as well.

What is the Warrior Dash?

Speaking of the race, for those not familiar with the Warrior Dash, you'd probably be interested to see some of what the race has to offer. Take a look at some of the obstacles on the course: http://www.warriordash.com/obstacles.php

When I did this three years ago, I was actually most worried about the Cargo Climb and getting stuck in the rope. And I almost lost a shoe in the Muddy Mayhem portion of the race. If I'm not mistaken, the race ended with the Warrior Roast. It looks more intimidating and dangerous on the webpage than it actually is.

This isn't a race about time for me, but for enjoyment. I will likely walk very small portions of this race to regain energy, as this isn't your typical 5K. They will have times for the race, but I couldn't care less.

Sadly, I won't stand out too much in this at the Dash

I was going to wait till race day to show this picture to the world, but I figured I'd show you what I'm wearing for the race. I was looking to get a California Raisins shirt to wear in honor of Marilyn (I believe that was a favorite of hers), but instead I got a D.A.R.E. shirt and a headband in the colors of the 80s. The great thing about this race is that people dress up even more than this, so I will look like a businessman in this outfit compared to some of the other costumes.

I will keep you all updated on how this race goes. Unlike the 5K I completed at the beginning of the month, I have no goal for time. I'd expect somewhere in the 32-33 minute range, but again, time is not of the essence in this one.

Last-Minute Donations

If you'd like to make a last-minute donation (June 15th) to provide a little more money to St. Jude than my network already has, follow this link and donate what you can:

https://waystohelp.stjude.org/sjVPortal/public/displayUserPage.do?programId=2252&userId=964629&eventId=333033

Again, I appreciate all of your donation efforts and sharing of my St. Jude page to get even more donations. It means a lot to me, my family, and most importantly, the kids of St. Jude.