Latest News from FiftyTwo4Mom

Charlotte was an amazing city.  It was a little rough CouchSurfing with 5 different people in 8 days, but everyone was really great.  I wanna thank Chris, John, and Rich, Stephen, Jeremy, Rob and Sassha, and Ryan all for letting me crash on their couches and helping me get around the town.  The week started out really well, getting lots of support from local businesses and restaurants.  Olive Garden, Red Robin, Sticky Fingers, and TGI Fridays all were kind enough to donate gift cards to help reduce my food budget.  Several local businesses area also looking into what they can do for sponsorships.  My only real blip on the week was trying to go to my race on Saturday, when it was on Sunday.  I asked the security guards where the race was and they responded, “The race this week is up in Tennessee,” referring to the Spring Cup and Nationwide events in Bristol.  I said no the 5k, and they said “Oh that’s tomorrow.  You’re a bit early for that race.” 

When I finally got to the race, everything went really well.  The Young Life 5k was run on Charlotte Motor Speedway, formally known as Lowe’s Motor Speedway.  There were over 300 runners, and a few hundred spectators.  Running on the track was an experience I wont soon forget, though not the most comfortable surface, one of the more fun courses.  I did run my fastest 5k, 21:47, and placed 33^rd out of 323 runners.  Lots of people took information and donated in person. 

Later in the evening I met up with Michigan State alumni up at their local bar, Dilworth Neighborhood Grille, to watch MSU vs. Maryland.  The game was stressful for all the MSU alum, but they were all very friendly and generous to donate last minute.  I hope that Tampa/St. Pete is just as great with MSU now playing another weekend in the NCAA tournament.

More Charlotte photos are available at: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=43838&id=172123116132894

This week I found myself in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina for the Shamrock 5k Run put on by Bearfoot Sports.  This was my first trip trying CouchSurfing alone.  The family I stayed with in the first half of the week was really great and really helped to get me around the island and help with tips on businesses to hit up.  I found many of the local business owners to be very friendly and receptive to what I was doing and was able to generate a lot of interest.  The weather all week was perfect except for one day that it rained non stop all day. 

The day prior to the run I even met a local TV reporter who gave my information to the newspaper and the day of the run there was an article on the race that included information on FiftyTwo4Mom.  The guys I stayed with on the last two days were also from CouchSurfing and one of the, Damien, even ran the race with me on Saturday.  The race was great.  It was run on the south side of the island near the water and the course was flat.  I placed 27^th out of almost 300, and my friend Damien placed 9^th, just edging out a 12 year old, who obviously beat me by quite a bit.  I want to thank Bearfoot Sports for allowing me to pass out information to the runners and to make an announcement prior to the awards presentation.  I met a lot of nice people, even a guy who was legally blind and completed the race.  I thought that was one of the most amazing things I heard, and applaud him for what he does.  I also met the organizer of the Palmetto Pacers Running Club who is going to post information on FiftyTwo4Mom on their website.  Overall, the week was great and I look forward to next week in Charlotte, North Carolina.

To see our Hilton Head pictures, visit our Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=43837&id=172123116132894

The week in New Orleans started off well.  Our host was very gracious and even cooked us dinner and took us out for desert the first night.  I was able to reach out to the New Orleans Running Club and several other organizations to generate support for our cause.  We had a more difficult time with local businesses, as it seemed there were a lot of people in town running for charities.  I think I read on the Rock ‘n’ Roll website that almost 45% of runners were running for charity.  This is why I sometimes find the larger races to be a little more difficult to raise money.  I was also able to get a local “blogger” to do a post on our cause and I hope that that stirs up some buzz for FiftyTwo4Mom.  The race itself was a great course.  Nice and flat, and very scenic.  I found myself not paying as much attention to my time as I was having such a good time listening to all the music and interacting with people (runners and spectators).  Overall, New Orleans was a difficult city for FiftyTwo4Mom, but I still remain optimistic that our efforts in the city will bring results in the coming months.  For now, I am taking a week off, then on to Hilton Head Island, South Carolina for the Shamrock 5k.