Gopher the Gold benefiting the Wright family: Post Race

Gopher the Gold

10 races completed!!!!! That is 6 5K (3.1 miles) races and 4 10K (6.2 miles) races totaling a distance of 43.4 miles in races! That is 5 families and 5 organizations brought to the hearts of you all. That is $8,492 poured out from generous hearts to help the Howell family, the Cooper family, the Rutherford family, and the Wright family directly as well as countless others through the other organizations on my schedule. That is countless prayers lifted up before our sovereign God! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

Double-digits!!!

My 10th race just happened to be a 10K. Shocking, I know, that I did not plan to run a 10K for my 10th race. It just happened, which is so unlike my type-A, figure everything out, personality! This race of my series was in honor of Alyssa Wright, who was diagnosed with cervical cancer in 2011 which recurred in fall of 2012. Praise the Lord that she was able to come to the race having completed all her treatments and being cancer free!!!!!

Alyssa, Kase, Jeff, Ben, and me before the race.

It means so much to me when the families I am running for are able to come to the race! It is such a reminder to me that running is the easy part. Running is something I choose to do, something that gives me a break and strengthens my body. Cancer is something that attacks from the inside out. Cancer, along with the treatments, depletes the body of its strength. However, faith, family, determination, friends, support, prayers, encouragement all work to strengthen the spirit despite the weakening body. Meeting families effected by cancer in addition to my own experience continues to confirm this point.

Alyssa pointing to "her race" on my shirt

Not only did the Wright family come to support me during the race, they came to work and celebrate! Alyssa was a little nervous getting started due to the tingling and numbness in her legs caused by chemotherapy. However, she was quickly encouraged by her sweet family and friends! The Wright family truly showed up! Alyssa's parents, brother and family, and two close friends joined us for the race! There were lots of "first 5K" accomplishments that morning!

Meeting family members!

Alyssa's dad, Kase (who obviously worked the hardest!), Jeff, Alyssa, and friend, Megan.

As noted by this picture, I was super pumped! 10Ks have been great races for me and I really have a fun time doing them. I decided to race with music for this one. My mind has fought against me the past few runs, so I thought I would just blast some Mumford and Sons. It definitely did the trick! It was a celebration the whole way through and kept my mind focused, not on my finish time or how sore (and muddy) my legs were, but the reason I was running - for Alyssa and her family!

Woot! Race #10, I own you!

Little man came and received his first race bib! You better believe that is going in his baby book!

So excited to have a race bib like Mamma's! He also wore his race shirt and race band (Team Rutherford)

While we were running through water puddles up to the middle of my shin and mud pits up to my ankles, Benjamin lavished in some of his favorite things: American flags and people who get to drive cool vehicles really fast!

"Big, HEAVY 'Mer-keen flag!"

Ben got his very own badge and even grabbed one for Kase, who was working hard (as seen above).

Now, I mentioned shin-deep water puddles and ankle deep mud pits. It was crazy! The day before the race, an e-mail was sent informing everyone that there was standing water and some mud on the course due to all the rain. The course for the 10K was half paved and half trail. The night before the race, after reading the e-mail about how the course was wet, the skies opened up and it just poured the entire night! Within the first mile of the race I had run through 4 different deep puddles and my feet were completely soaked! Then we headed back to finish with the trail running so we ran through the same deep puddles. By the time we got on the trails, my shoes were so wet and I was so high from running that I decided to follow another women and run directly through the mud!

Clean, bright shoes and socks

plus lots and lots of rain (this picture does not even do it justice!)

equals mud sock line and black socks!

This gives you a better picture of what many of us looked like after the run!

Despite the mud, or maybe because of it, this was one of my favorite races. The course was fairly flat and gave variety in being part paved and part trail. I was glad to feel well throughout the entire run, minus a strained hip something in the last half mile. I ended with a time of 55:12, which is not a personal best but it was so much fun!

Full out sprint to the finish!

Because of the way the course was laid out, I got to see the Wright family twice! Not only did they walk the entire thing (with Kase encouraging Jeff to run through EVERY puddle!), they each RAN across the finish line! I love that husband and wife have almost the exact facial expressions as they finished! Adorable!

Jeff and Kase finishing strong!

Alyssa felt great through the entire walk!

Next up were Ben and Kase. They are only a month apart in age and were so adorable as they kept talking about racing and admiring their bibs!

Ben: "Number 1!" Kase: "Dude, that's what you think!"

Kase did stellar! He raced the entire way! Benjamin, on the other hand, decided that Corduroy Bear and he would rather be playing on the slide. I tried to coax him but we didn't make it far beyond this point...

Kase is the little guy giving it his all in the white shirt (bottom left)

Ben still got a medal despite his change of heart mid-race.

Ah! This is so much better than running. Why would you ever choose running over sli...

Whoa! I did not see that coming!

Since my July families were introduced later than I would have liked (running 6 races in 7 weeks will do that to you!), I will be accepting donations for the Wright family and donations to the RSG1 Foundation in honor of Amy Sain until my next race on August 7th! Please remember that you can send a check made to the "Aaron R. Moeller Memorial Fund" with how you would like your donation directed in the notes section. Thank you!

Thank you!

Coming up: The Red Carpet Run in West Bloomfield, MI to raise money for the Hillman Cancer Center in Pittsburgh, PA.