Beauty & the Beast Bicycle Tour

Jenlene made a trip to Tyler, TX this past weekend for the Beauty and The Beast Bicycle Tour.  Anne Woods, Hope For The Warriors® PR Director, posted a fantastic piece on the Hope For The Warriors® blog covering the entire event.  I invite you to please take a look! 

Here’s a quick recap:

Sebastian & Tracie

Texas Wounded Warrior Foundation was the beneficiary of this year’s tour.  The organization invited Team Hope For The Warriors® to attend and also took the opportunity to donate a recumbent bike to Sebastian Gallegos and an upright bicycle to his wife, Tracie. Sebastian, a Marine, is a single arm amputee currently in rehabilitation at Brook Army Medical Center in San Antonio.  Please read Anne’s post for the full story of our wounded Team in action!  

Open road ridin'

Conquered the Beast!

NYC Half - Success!

New York City Half – come and gone already?!  We had our crew out there to cheer on the Team who all enjoyed a fantastic day in the city with our runners.  

CONGRATULATIONS to Kurt Kaehler! Kurt felt great and ran faster than he did during any of his training for the half.  He even got so motivated that he is going to go big and run with the Team in the ING NYC Marathon this fall! 

“I ran Sunday in the NYC Half with Team Hope For The Warriors® and for my first race ever and also my first time with the team and it was the best experience I ever had. Hearing the crowds cheering us on with "Go Warriors" was terrific. I PR’d 1:57:55 which was better than all the training I did leading up to the race.”

Thanks Kurt!

We'd love to hear about your experience too :)

Get a Taste of the MCM with the Marine Corps Historic Half

The Marine Corps Historic Half – the perfect warm-up for the Marine Corps Marathon in October! The MCM is just so popular people wanted more, and here we have the 5^th anniversary of the MCHH! The half marathon will take place on Sunday, May 20 in historic Fredericksburg, VA and is hosted by Marines themselves.   The Healthy Lifestyle Fitness Expo, large, very well-organized, is offered on Saturday the 19^th and is a great opportunity to see what other organizations are partnered with the MCHH, check out some fantastic running gear, see what other fun races are scheduled in the area, and maybe even score some free swag J Not up to committing to the half marathon distance yet?  The Semper Fred 5K is perfect for you! The fun 3.1 mile run/walk allows the whole family to have an event for the weekend.

Team Hope For The Warriors® is excited to head to Fredericksburg again for the MCHH in May.  Just like the MCM, this race appeals to both the active and wounded military community – a perfect fit for the Team!  What a great opportunity to run for something greater than yourself…join Team Hope For The Warriors® for the MCHH to help make it possible for those who have sacrificed for our nation.  We are asking for each runner to commit to a minimum fundraising goal of $375 for Hope For The Warriors®.  Your registration with the Team provides a bib for the Marine Corps Historic Half, a Team jersey (if you don't already have one), training plans, fundraising ideas, Hope For The Warriors® informational materials and access to the post-race Team tent. 

We ran into Drew Carey last year, who was running his first half – who knows what excitement this year will bring!  Ready?  Let’s do it!  The MCHH is two months away – we’ll see you there!

A St. Patrick's Day Celebration...the Warrior Way!

St. Patrick’s Day weekend hosts hundreds of spring races all over the nation. Often the first weekend of enjoyable warm weather (at least for those of us in the north!), runners can jump start their running seasons with a race of their choice.  From 5K run/walks to full marathons, there is surely an event for everyone.  And green costumes are generally the requested attire – pull out that leprechaun gear and shamrocks!   

We have a large crew hitting NYC’s St. Patty’s Day celebration with the Half Marathon on Sunday the 18^th – please see Feb 28’s post!  We also have Team members who are going big and running the full Yuengling Shamrock Marathon on March 18.  Taking place in Virginia Beach, VA, this Shamrock Marathon is celebrating 40 years of Irish fun.  It’s needless to say that this race is hugely popular!  

Our Team Hope For The Warriors® jerseys will be seen amidst all the green (hopefully our Team members sport some green sweats, hats, socks...something to hold true to the spirit!).  We’d like to extend a huge shout out to Heather McNeil, Marlene English, and Donald Sills -- they are starting the marathon season early here in mid-March!  They made a good choice – hard to think of a more fun, light-hearted and celebratory marathon to start with :) 

Thank you Heather, Marlene, and Don -- we’ll be there with you in Irish spirit!!

Marine Corps Marathon 2012 - Run for a Reason

MCM 2011

The Marine Corps Marathon (MCM) breaks records every year, with 2012 being no exception. General registration for the race opened yesterday (March 7) and completely sold out in a jaw-dropping (literally!) 2 hours and 41 minutes – the fastest sell out in world history! And we thought last’s years 28 hour fill was quick?!  It’s no doubt that the MCM is hugely popular…did you or any friends miss that tiny window of opportunity? Not to worry, there is an even better option – run the MCM with Team Hope For The Warriors®! This is our 7^th year running the MCM and we’re looking forward to having our largest representation to date, with 250 bibs in our name. Just like the entire event’s popularity, Team bibs have sold out every year as well!

And the handcyclists are off!

The Marine Corps Marathon is a Team favorite for both community and wounded members.  Twelve of our wounded heroes crossed the finish line last year!! We’d love to see that plus some this go around. Accomplish your own goals with Team Hope For The Warriors® and help make it possible for those who have sacrificed for our country.  The 2012 MCM will be run on October 28 – will YOU cross the finish line with the Team?! Confirm your Marine Corps Marathon registration with Team Hope For The Warriors® today!

A beautiful day on the course!

MCM weekend with the Team is more than just the race – we encourage Team members to stay in the same hotel (will advise closer to date), we invite runners and family to attend our pre-race Team dinner, and we have Hope For The Warriors® tent in Charity Village for pre- and post-race hospitality and bonding.  Quite the deal for a beautiful weekend in our nation’s capital - we’d love to join forces and support your fundraising and training journey to get there! 

Oh, and we have free post-race massages :)

Feel free to take a look at all of last year's photos to peak your interest. Photos coutesy of Paul Oberle. 

Questions? Email Jenlene or Jordan :-) We'd LOVE to hear from you!

American Odyssey Relay...Gettysburg to DC

AOR 2011

Relay race?! A relay race like the best gym days in school? Yep!! Except WAY better.  Team Hope For The Warriors® is geeked to be participating in the American Odyssey Relay (AOR) for a second time.  The Relay starts in Gettysburg, PA on Friday, April 27 and continues, non-stop, to the finish on Saturday, April 28 at the National Harbor in Washington, DC.  The course takes runners by Civil War landmarks, through gorgeous American countryside and over the Mason Dixon line, and end with Washington, DC monuments.  Divided into 36 segments, one teammate runs while the others are the support crew in the van and eat, bond, and rest.  Talk about great camaraderie!  Please feel free to read more on the American Odyssey Relay!

Manny cruising the countryside!

With the historical course and team support necessary to accomplish the mission, AOR is a truly fitting event for Team Hope For The Warriors®. So, interested in participating in one of the Team’s most exciting events of the year?! Spots are still available!! The $115 registration includes:

·       American Odyssey Relay Bib

·       Hotel accommodations in Gettysburg, PA

·       Team Hope For The Warriors® running jersey & Team kit

·       Team van for event

·       Food and drinks during event

·       Safety equipment

Woohoo!! Jenlene, your Team Director ;)

AOR runners commit to raising $700 to support the mission of Hope for the Warriors® and support the athletic endeavors of America's wounded heroes. Are YOU up to the challenge?  Let’s do it - we’ll see you the last weekend of April! Please contact Jenlene for more information.

Thanks!!