“What do you mean you are going to run 100 miles?!?! Are you crazy?”

The conversation goes something like this:

Me: “I’m going to run 100 miles.”

Person X: “What do you mean you are going to run 100 miles?!?! Are you crazy?”

Me: “Yes, but it doesn’t bother me much.”

 

In the past I have lead advocacy and awareness programs about how cancer affects us all, and what we can do about it. This summer, I will be taking part in the Million Dollar Marathon which is being organized and presented by Above + Beyond Cancer. Above + Beyond is a public charity that was organized in 2011 to elevate the lives of those touched by cancer. In 2013, the organization is focused on reducing new cancer cases and cancer recurrence through programs that emphasis diet and vigorous physical exercise.

This marathon will involve 160 runners, each taking their turn as we run across the US 26.2 miles at a time.

My goal is to complete four consecutive marathons in a row. It is a total of 104.8 miles. I will be starting in the Washington DC area and running east late in July.

Now’s normally where the “That boy’s crazy” part comes in.

Cancer is no joke, and you do not have to be crazy in order to get it. Cancer does not care what colour your skin is, who you pray to or if you have plans for the rest of your life. Cancer is a bastard and I am going to run it back to hell. I only ask you show your support for the crazy running man on my donation page.

While I have chosen to push myself past my known limits, into what I am sure will be a challenge, my goal is to motivate someone into action toward their own goals.

Billy Joel said it best:

Please visit my donation page and show your support. No donation is too small and all are tax deductable.

 

http://coasttocoastforcancer.org/RoninSherpa/

The Million Dollar Marathon: 104.8 miles toward a cure

Welcome, and thank you for visiting this blog. I’m Steve, the Ronin Sherpa and I live in Apex, NC.

This summer I am taking part in an event called The Million Dollar Marathon. It is an unprecedented event during which 160 runners will cross the United States, one after the other, each running a marathon. We will pass a baton of hope and raise money for cancer research programs that support cancer survivors and their families.

This event is the brain child of Steve Cannon who was the first human to run around Lake Michigan, averaging 40 marathons in 40 days.

Each team member is tasked with raising $7500.00 and then running a marathon. All told, we aim to raise a million dollars. Team members come from all walks of life. Some have family members who had cancer. Some are cancer survivors themselves. For some this will be their first marathon, and for others it will be one of many they run this summer.

A marathon is no easy task. Many who run aspire to finish one in their lifetime. Those of you who follow this space know I regularly run marathons. I am confident I can cover the distance of 26.2 miles. Being an event of this magnitude, and proportion, I feel the need to task myself and reach further than I have before.

If I am going to ask my friends and family members to dig into their pockets to give and support this cause, I feel it my responsibility to reach further than my current grasp and give more than I ask.

I will be running four consecutive marathons for a total of 104.8 miles. (168.7km) The run itself will take place in late July, and I will be running from Washington DC to Rehoboth Beach, Del.

Over the summer I will be posting my training results here, explaining the products I use and support and I will even have a few surprises for those who continue to follow my efforts.

Cancer is a bastard that steals beauty from peoples lives. Help me to run cancer into the damn ground.

My funding page is here. Please give and give generously. I hope my actions prove to you my dedication. Help support me with your dollars. 

 

Thank you for your time and attention. I love you all.

I am a LIVESTRONG Leader and this is my statement.

I am a LIVESTRONG Leader. This means I use some of the time allotted me on this earth to represent a cause I believe in. That cause is helping people and their families deal with how cancer changes their lives. If you want details of what this entails I can share speaking with couples frightened that their diagnosis of cancer will take away their dreams of growing a family: Visiting children in the hospital who lay vomiting on a bed, hooked to tubes and wires while I hold a strong face when the panic and bile in my guts makes me want to cry and run away: Standing fast with people who are dealing with this disease while others abandon them out of fear and ignorance: Intimate moments of reminding people how beautiful they are after having large parts of their bodies cut away or hacked off in an attempt to stop the spread of cancer: Holding hands and praying with people while they sit waiting news which is too much to bare alone: I have stood in front of career politicians asking for their support for over 34 billion dollars for cancer support, research and navigation programs (None of which goes to LIVESTRONG, I might add.) in hopes to spare future generations the need of doing any of this.

LIVESTRONG is about helping those with cancer, it is not about professional cycling. I shook Lance’s hand once and have spoken with him twice for no longer than a few minutes each time. The subject matter we spoke of had nothing to do with professional sports or cycling. I spoke with him about my Uncle Sid who was taken away from us by cancer. I shared Uncle Sid’s love for solving puzzles and how he built wooden wagons for children. I gave Lance my thanks for his part in creating an organization through which I could give sound to Uncle Sid’s now silent voice.

The snide media make their living with the sensationalism of kicking the great who fall. I do not fault them for their ignorant tirades, nor will I add logs to their pyre.

I support Lance Armstrong. I have said this many times and my feelings on the matter have not waned. Damn the torpedoes. Whether he did or did not use performance enhancing drugs is not my concern. I do not feel duped if he did, nor do I feel vindicated if he did not. The spectacle of professional cycling has little to do with the fact I like to ride a bicycle, and it has even less to do with the 28 million people and their families who are dealing with the issues cancer has brought into their lives, right now.

Lance stepped down as the Chairman of LIVESTRONG so that the focus could remain where it should be: on people dealing with cancer. Nike withdrew their personal sponsorship of Lance as an athlete. None of this is beyond what was expected. Lance is a big boy, he will be fine. I am not worried about him. He has homes all over the world, a super model girlfriend and a beautiful family. I’ll buy his next book, and you probably will too.

Now let us get back to work dealing with what is really important: cancer devastates the lives of people it touches. From the moment the doctor says “You have cancer” and the blackness fills your thoughts, LIVESTRONG gives you a path to run on and a lighted direction to go toward. My Uncle Sid is still helping people figure out that puzzle of ‘expert doctors’ and ‘proper insurance claim forms’ and government funded programs that help people with cancer screenings and treatments.

The work goes on…

http://blog.livestrong.org/2012/10/17/lance-armstrong-to-step-down-as-chairman-of-livestrong/

Tour de France: Quote of the Day

Tour de France Quote of the Day

Chris Horner to coach: “I hurt my knee.”

Coach to Chris Horner: “Well don’t think about it.”

Memorial Day Weekend

Memorial Day Weekend has long been the unofficial start to Summer. I for one welcome our new oppressive heat and humidity overlords. As we all love a good time with friends, if you include alcohol in your weekend plans, please drink responsibly. Keep a watchful eye out for cyclists. While you may only be going out for more bean dip in your cute little sporty car, understand you are a two ton tank compared to the cyclist who is on 16 pounds of carbon fiber wearing the equivalent of his or her undies.

Just please be aware of cyclists, there are a lot of us out on the road.

Ride to Recovery and Become Films

Bicycles changed my life. My friend Col. Mike Troster works with an organization named Ride to Recovery that uses cycling to help military vets change their lives. To mark the 10th anniversary of 9/11. Ride to Recovery set out to accomplish a remarkable task: ride 911 miles and visit the sites of the 9/11 attacks. A film crew accompanied them on this epic trek and they have produced a movie about this journey and the heroes who undertook it. Have a look at the trailer below and then visit http://becomefilms.com/ to order your copy and support these fantastic guys.

<p><a href=”http://vimeo.com/35445129″>Official trailer for Recovering, the documentary film</a> from <a href=”http://vimeo.com/becomefilms”>Become Films</a> on <a href=”http://vimeo.com”>Vimeo</a&gt;.</p>

Sherpa’s book of the week: Chrissie Wellington, A Life Without Limits

Chrissie Wellington is the greatest triathlete on Earth. 13 times she has run an Iron distance triathlon, and 13 times she has won. On four separate occasions she has won the Ironman World Championship held in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii each year. She beat the standing speed for finishing time, a record which stood for fourteen years and she beat it time by more than 30 minutes. On a regular basis she finishes in front of professional male triathletes. This past year, Chrissie soundly won the Kona World Championship Ironman after a bike crash which would put most people out for months or years. She swam the 2.4 miles with a torn pictorial muscle, and the road rash scars she bore would make your skin crawl. Her determination and grit are unstoppable. Her dedication to her craft is a model of perfection.

How can you not want to read about this woman’s life?

Earlier this year Chrissie announced she would step away from Ironman for a bit, and this book is just one of the things she has on the slate. I was excited to read about Chrissie. I have viewed her as a hero for many years now, watching the Ironman coverage online and on NBC trying to catch a glimpse of her. As a triathlete, cyclist, runner and just as a person who tries to make himself better with each day, Chrissie’s accomplishments are awe inspiring. Each evening when I spend time on my bike in the trainer, I watch an Ironman DVD and in most of the modern ones, she is there motivating me.

I had to have this book.

Not to be released in the US until May, I called some friends in the UK and asked for a big favor… A few days later, and a few Euros in shipping, I now have a copy.

From her humble childhood, to University and wanting to become a lawyer, and from long distance cycling in Nepal to her first triathlon, this is the story of a girl who becomes a woman, and a woman who becomes a World Champion.

Chrissie’s story is one of success and failures, and learning how to deal with both. She remains one of my heroes and this book is one I will read again and again for inspiration.