Last summer while I was working I was introduced to Team Challenge.
Team Challenge is the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America’s endurance training and fundraising program. With Team Challenge, you’ll find new strength inside yourself, and help find cures for Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, two painful, seldom-discussed and debilitating digestive diseases. With our Half Marathon and Triathlon Training Programs, you’ll train for a rewarding and exciting endurance event at one of our great destination races while raising vital funds for research into these diseases. These dollars will help make new treatments possible and fuel the search for cures.
I was very interested in their program, but it just wouldn’t work out for me that season. I added myself to their mailing list and moved on. In retrospect it is a REALLY good thing I didn’t join the team because right after that I hurt my back and wouldn’t have been able to run the race they were doing in December.
At the beginning of this year I started getting emails and mail about this year’s upcoming season. I RSVP’d for an information meeting in January and forgot about it until a couple days before. I wasn’t going to go and my bestie talked me into it. “Worst case you can have a glass of wine and go home” she told me. Okay, fine. One of the races they were participating in this year was the Napa to Sonoma Wine Country 1/2 Marathon. As soon as I checked out the event website I was in love. And I knew that they only way I was ever going to be able to do this race was with Team Challenge.
I went into the meeting fairly hopeful about the whole thing. I knew I would need to raise a lot of money, but I also knew someone with Crohn’s and someone that works for a Gastroenterologist… so I had that extra motivation. As soon as I sat down I met a couple other “potential teammates,” both of the coaches, a mentor, and this season’s honoree.
One by one the coaches and mentors got up and spoke about the program and their experiences. As the night went on it was just reaffirming the decision that I had made on my way to the meeting – I was going to do this. Then Denise, this season’s honoree, got up and spoke. She was the final straw. Here was this amazing, strong woman with Crohn’s that had been through so much and given up so much all ready in her short life (she is around my age). Even with all this going on, she joined Team Challenge 2 years ago and participated in a half marathon in Las Vegas. By the time she was done she was in tears and so were the rest of us.
Before they were even done with the presentation I was filling out my paperwork and getting ready to hand it in. I was GOING to do this. I was going to raise this money, support this cause, and run through the amazing Napa Valley.
Over the next 4.5 months I need to raise a total of $4,500 for Team Challenge. Over 80% of this money will go to the foundation to help find a cure for Crohn’s and Colitis. I know that raising this money isn’t going to be an easy task, but I’m up for it. I just have to convince 45 people to donate $100. Or 90 people to donate $50. That is nothing right?
So if you want to be one of those people to donate $50 or $100 (or even $2, I’m not picky) please visit my fundraising webpage: http://www.active.com/donate/napaCFL13/CFLMRoth
Anyone who donates because of this blog post, I will do a special blog post at the end of the season with links to their blogs. We can all use a little extra bloggy love right? So please consider supporting me and Team Challenge this year.
