Hello friends!
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| Here I am signing up for the Arizona Ironman 2014! |
You may have heard of my crazy endeavor for 2014. I am going to do my first full Ironman to help raise hundreds of thousands of dollars in the fight against all blood and bone cancers.
Short story: Nearly a dozen Oklahomans will train and cross the finish line of the Arizona Ironman 2014 in an effort to raise $200,000 for the GO MITCH GO Foundation, an Oklahoma-based non profit to fight against Leukemia and Lymphoma.
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| The "Go Mitch Go Foundation" was created in honor of Mitchell Whitaker, a Bethany, Oklahoma native that died of Leukemia at age 10. His last words were "keep fighting." |
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| After my first half Ironman in 2011 |
Long (personal) story: In spring of 2011 I decided to challenge myself for a great cause by doing my first half Ironman triathlon at the Oklahoma Redman through Team in Training, benefiting the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Up until that point I had only done a 10k but wanted to increase my work outs and loved the idea of a triathlon since I am swimmer. Not only was it the hottest summer on record, but 2011 proved to be a summer of milestones and breakthroughs. I crossed the finish line and ended up with new friends and higher confidence.
Although I did not have a direct connection to Leukemia and Lymphoma, I thought it was a good cause and with a co-worker, raised $6,000. A few months later I found out that my Aunt Liz (maternal Aunt) was diagnosed with Leukemia. I instantly knew that my journey couldn't have been a coincidence and that God had a plan.
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| Me & my Aunt Liz |
I continued to do triathlons, hooked on the community and the sense of accomplishment. Throughout training I felt a tugging on my heart to do more. Something was telling me to do a full Ironman. I have never done a full marathon and I frequently get knee issues so this seemed unrealistic. I asked around for some of the "easier" Ironman courses (oxymoron?) and Arizona came up. Then it all clicked...my Aunt is from Phoenix and I wanted to do the race in her honor! Why wait until it's too late? Time isn't slowing down and I need to do something now. However, I couldn't find anyone to do this adventure with me until Scott Hines went in my corner!
My co-worker Scott Hines is an investigative reporter at KFOR-TV. He is very athletic but never tried a triathlon. He ran up to me one day and said he wanted to do a full Ironman. That's when I knew I had God's stamp of approval and we hit the ground running.
Scott and I feel blessed to live in such a philanthropic state and have a platform to get other involved in the fight against cancer. In November 2014, Oklahoma will be represented in Arizona to cross the finish line in one of the most grueling endurance events. Join us. Join Team Oklahoma. Donate and spread the word!
Come to our launch party this Sunday to find out more! Click HERE to buy your tickets ahead of time for $20. Tickets are $25 at the door. All the $ will go to The GoMitchGo Foundation.
Or click HERE anytime to donate!
OKLAHOMA STRONG. IRONMAN STRONG.
KEEP FIGHTING.
Please stay tuned to this blog for the latest on our journey to the Arizona Ironman!
