St. Jude 2009

With Pam's situation this year we decided we would particpate in the run less as runners and more as fundraisers/organizers/supporters. Our fundraising went very well. The organizing was fun and effective and the supporting was a better experience than I ever thought it would be. Pam managed to hit the road for 1.3 rainy miles through Chillicothe, a full 20 miles less than she ran last year, but last year she hadn't gone through a couple surgeries, chemotherapy and radiation (which ended the day before the run), so I think she did a fantastic job on the road.

I have a few pics posted here from my point of view during the day. If there were a police line up of just people's calves, I could identify about 63 people easy. I also could pick out a few butts in running shorts. It was a great day. I even took a few videos from my seat. Enjoy, but don't forget to check out the pics too.

This gentleman ran with us for a bit on Lakeshore west of Woodland Heights. He neglected to pay his minimum buy-in of $750 so we may have some litigation forthcoming.

The rains came...an actual blessing...while on Wayne Road.

These girls in the back have great personalities.

The crazy and satisfying finish up Fulton.

So...how did little Chillicothe stack up in the fundraising arena with the other runs? Really, really well. Here are Saturdays totals (all are subject to grow, I know we are near $82,000 now).

1. Memphis $952,500

2. Chicago $330,000

3. Bloomington/Normal $210,000

4. Macomb $115,000

5. St. Louis $90,000

6. CHILLICOTHE $80,500

7. Tri-County $73,000

8. Washington $63,000

9. Quincy $56,000

10. LaSalle/Peru $55,000

11. Canton $54,000

12. Dunlap $50,000

13. Galesburg $46,000

14. Lincoln $37,000

15. East Peoria $35,000

16. Pekin $31,000

17. Champaign/Urbana $21,000

18. Decatur Area $20,000

19. Springfield $18,000

20. Richwoods $15,500

21. Elmwood $13,500

Great job Chillicothe fundraisers. Good luck staying ahead of us St. Louis and Macomb. B/N & Chicago, don't think we aren't aiming for you also. Memphis...

St. Jude Run Worries

On Thursday August 2nd, 2007, I had to get my mind right as I prepared to join 25 or so fellow Chillicotheans cover 50+ miles in one day for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. In the end everyone did a wonderful job and we raised nearly $30,000. Here are my thoughts I shared with the group as I struggled to prepare.

Everyone,

We had an excellent meeting last night and I do want to thank Tara again for her hard work.

There was a bit of anxiety at the meeting last night as everyone is thinking about the run. This is my third year and my thoughts are always about "my" physical condition, can "I" run as far as "I" want to, can "I", can "I", can "I." I need to reset my mind and take the "I" out of it. Saturday is a fun day of fellowship, of challenging ourselves. It is far easier than what the event is really about, and it isn't about running or me. Running just brings attention to our goal of raising as much money as we can for sick kids and their families.



So, here is my thought. From a running standpoint, there is nothing to gain from running today and tomorrow. Your muscles will benefit more from not running and you will be nicely prepared for Saturday. In place of the hour of stretching, running, getting another shower, use that time to ask a few more people to contribute to St. Jude Runs.

Not a single St. Jude kid or family will benefit from your actual run. They need the attention you bring to St. Jude and the dollars you raise. So, rather than spending the next couple of days worrying about whether you have run enough, consider whether you have raised enough. There is still time. Thanks for all you are doing for these kids.

Rick Lingenfelter
Fellow Fundraiser