'Tis the Season for Charity: AwesomeGov Combines Government 2.0 and Philanthropy

GovLoop members collectively decided that Adventures for the Cure

should receive AwesomeGov donation

Washington, DC - Dec. 21, 2009 - In the spirit of the 2009 holiday season, did you know government employees are giving back more than ever? Each year, the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC), the world's largest and most successful annual workplace charity campaign run by federal employees, donates millions of dollars to hundreds of charities that provide health and human service benefits throughout the world.

Inspired by the success of the CFC, GovLoop emulates this model with the launch of the AwesomeGov Fund, but added a community-driven, government 2.0 twist. GovLoop asked its members to submit and vote on the charity that will receive the AwesomeGov donation. There were nearly 100 charities submitted by members, ranging from Code for America to Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans to The Children's Inn.

By securing nearly 3,000 votes from GovLoop members, Adventures for the Cure (AFC) is the winning charity who will receive $1,800 from this innovative campaign. AFC will use the funds to support a diabetes camp for children and Kupenda for the Children, which helps children with disabilities in Kenya.

To kick-off AwesomeGov Fund, GovLoop donated $1.00 for each new government professional who joined the community between Nov. 15 and Dec. 15. During the campaign, more than 1,300 government professionals joined GovLoop. The additional donations funds given to AFC were part of the 12 Days of GovLoop Giving, which began on Dec. 3 as part of the AwesomeGov Fund campaign.



AFC was founded in 2005 by Adam Driscoll and Patrick Blair, recent college graduates who were beginning their careers with the federal government. Instead of sitting on the sidelines, they created a charity to help children with diabetes be active while effectively managing their condition. It was a topic Driscoll could relate to since he was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes as a child. Using social media tools to gain awareness, they have biked across country several times to raise thousands of dollars.

"Our goal is the provide children with diabetes the opportunity to maximize their ability to perform at their highest level in all areas of sports, fitness and life activities while maintaining intensive glucose control,” Blair said. “We are thankful to GovLoop for helping us create awareness for the millions of children who live with diabetes everyday who need to understand that while they have diabetes they can still live an active, healthy life."



AFC completely funds Extreme Weekend for Children with Diabetes, a camp designed to empower children with diabetes to achieve optimal athletic performance while learning how to tightly control their diabetes. AFC will give half of the AwesomeGov Funds to the camp and the other half to Kupenda.

"Promoting public service and giving back to the community are core values of the GovLoop community," said Steve Ressler, founder of GovLoop. "GovLoop members have donated more than $10,000 to a variety of charities through the Kiva GovLoop group. The AwesomeGov Fund reinforces the importance government professionals play in philanthropic organizations around the world."

GovLoop will donate at least 5 percent of revenue in 2010 to the AwesomeGov Fund in order to support activities including scholarships, trainings, charity donations and more for individuals and groups that promote public service and give back to the community.

For more information about AwesomeGov Fund, visit www.awesomegov.org. To see an interview with Blair and Driscoll, visit http://www.youtube.com/user/GovDelivery.

About GovLoop
GovLoop is the premier social network connecting the government community; a powerful space where those that work in and around government can collaborate, socialize and support each other in an effort to make government better. GovLoop's mission is to connect government to improve government. It is an active community of over 23,000 members from all levels of government and many countries that share knowledge on topics ranging from social media policy to technology to professional development. Members of the government community can join at www.govloop.com.

About Adventures For The Cure
Adventures For The Cure (AFC), a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt non-profit organization and USA Cycling club which exists to raise awareness for diabetes, to show those diagnosed with diabetes and their families how leading a healthy and active lifestyle can move you beyond your perceived limits, and to raise funds for diabetes research. The organization also raises awareness and funds for other causes that the board of directors has selected. For more details, visit http://adventuresforthecure.com/.

AFC Team Grabs Win at The EDGE 6 Hour Adventure Race

:: Marsh Creek State Park, Downingtown, Chester County, Pennsylvania. Bill Vickers and Mike Berry (Team Adventures for the Cure) grabbed first place in the 2-Man division and 3rd place overall past a large field of participants at The EDGE 6 Hour Adventure Race held October 25, which benefited the American Cancer Society.

Over 115 teams competed in the sprint adventure race, which consisted of a 10 km paddle, 8 km trail run, 20 mile bike course on or around Marsh Creek State Park. The sprint adventure race is sponsored by Gibbons Outdoor Adventure Leadership School Adventure Racing Association (GOALS ARA), a member club of the United States Adventure Racing Association (USARA). According to the USARA website, there are three major categories of Adventure Racing (AR):

• Sprint Adventure Race: Advertised winning time less than 8 hours
• One-Day Adventure Race: Advertised winning time 8 to 24 hours
• Expedition Adventure Race: Advertised winning time 24 hours or more

Mike Berry and Bill Vickers (Team Adventures for the Cure) enjoy their 1st place male and 3rd place overall finish at The EDGE 6 Hour Adventure Race.

NOTE: The following is reprinted with permission from Bill Vicker's Blog.

This is sort of hard to believe. 118 teams at an Adventure Race! Didn't know it was possible, and most folks wouldn't believe it, so I posted the garbled results below. They didn't transfer format to the mac. When I saw the park map, I was scratching my head how they could pull this off in a relatively small park and make it feel like an adventure race. My distances by digital map scale device. 10 km paddle, 8 km trek/run, 20mi bike mostly within the confines of Marsh Creek Park in Pennsylvania. Took about 90 minutes for each section. Of course the trek felt alot longer, and we even got to do a 15 meter swim--after all, it was Mike's first adventure race, and he is President of the Annapolis Triathlon Club. We had to show him all that adventure racing offers. Curiously, it was only the lead few teams that actually took that swim? That swim was followed by a nice uphill slog thru thickets of briars.


This wasn't a High Tech AR of the past--it was a true AR race. How do you do that in a sprint race?Maybe because it somehow had offtrail bushwacking, trail running, river crossings with a bike, road biking, singletrack biking, paddling amongst waterfowl and fishermen, and enough challenging navigation to make it feel adventuresome. Also, Jon N, the course designer, took the time to gps transpose the park trails to the 1:24,000 National Geographic topo map. He pain stakenly created possibly the best map in existence of that park! I asked him in detail how he did it, and he obviously has enough experience so that he pulled the design together in a long day of training. Maybe racers should always be the course designers? The gps transposed trails were a nice touch especially for those of us who had never seen the park. It helped level the playing field for out of towners. It was the best Goalsara race I have attended to date. Maybe I was just overly hyped, blessed, or happy to be out in the woods again? And I can't tell ya how fun it was. I have been having trouble with intensity sessions in racing and training, but AR was the perfect type of race right now. I really didn't think I would make it to this point again and especially run the race so well navigationally. I am definitely gonna be back in AR now and then, as it felt like home.

They broke up the teams into 4 sections to spread us out. We had a short run prologue to obtain our passport which directed us to our first section. It was partly a run up a technical washed out trail with a creek running thru it. When we got to the location of our passport/race instructions, it was the first time where I actually helped other teams jump up on the hay bales to obtain their instructions. Maybe I temporarily lost my competitive edge?

The 25 checkpoints were in a rogaine format (points assigned to each depending on distance or difficulty), the route choices had enough options to keep all of us entertained, and it was a very accessible race for newbies. Yes, they threw in "special tests" which included a memorization game which was maybe the most fun as we blew it off and took the penalty, which was slightly faster, then we progressed to tying a sequence of knots including a bowline, clove hitch, and a prussik, then floating a ping pong ball in a PVC tube by running back and forth to the Lake with a cup of water. This was a huge disadvantage with a 2-person team and our leaky tube. Realizing we would be there all day emptying the Lake water level, we took the clue from a neighboring team and bent the rules AR style. As much as I usually think "special tests" are goofy, I understood the importance of them this race. Obviously, they only had approximately 30 canoes for the teams, so spreading out the teams without delaying them on the paddle took careful planning.

Apparently 70 folks or teams were new to this, which is very nice to see. I suppose I was a wee bit confused about racing only a month ago, or ever racing again for that matter, but doing a team AR again was just the trick. I was very on the fence about registering. I ended up being glad I did, and I'm very thankful to Mike for making this happen and tolerating my hesitations. After the race, I have been doing experimental brain injury treatments that have me approaching racing form again. I couldn't be more stoked and mentally ready to start racing again on more than one cylinder!!!

This was Mike Berry's first AR race. He and I trained hard for the Mayor's Cup [New York City Kayak Championships] kayak race, so we had an advantage on the paddle. It was the fastest I have gone in a plastic canoe, as we had peaked for the Mayor's Cup only the week before and that race was cancelled due to appalling weather. I think we both felt awful or silly lapping the beginner teams ahead of us, trying to explain to them that we actually spend alot of time paddling. During one of our training sessions before the race, we bumped into a fellow triathlete who Mike knew from the tri club. Someone who looks up to Mike. Mike had to sort of play it down as he looked like an adventure racer convert all decked out in a backpack and trail shoes. I admit, I love converting triathletes to adventure racing. We are guessing his friend only thought we were out for an ultrarun, but they didn't see our kayaks stashed back at the beach.

The largest division had nearly 70 teams, and you can barely find our name on there. TMK and some superfast local folks, Tyad PT, had amazing races.

Strangely enough, I bumped into a guy who was claiming to be the oldest racer and wanted an award for that. In talking to him, I found out it was his first race back after having a right total knee replacement.

I figured he should have an award for that! So I took a picture of his knee. You can barely see the scar so don't bother straining your eyes. Medicine has progressed to the point where this guy was barely walking only 8 months ago, and he was now out doing an adventure race. With questioning, he did admit he wasn't allowed to run, but he can bike and paddle to his heart content, and was able to trek well with poles and a backpack. Inside his knee was a metal tibia/femoral prosthesis and a synthetic patella replacement. He was 54 yrs old. Pretty impressive!

Congratulations to Bill and Mike for representing Adventures for the Cure so well; here are the full results of the EDGE 6-Hour Adventure Race.

AACS Bike-A-Thon saves Eric's Life

Thanks to the young men of the AACS JV Soccer Team, coached/led by Rob Irias, Eric Pembe has successfully undergone his surgery and now will start his chemo therapy. AACS JV Soccer Team raised almost $5,000.00, which is $2,000 more than what Kupenda needed to pay for Eric's surgery and chemotherapy.

Here is Eric before the surgery

Here is Eric after the surgery

Awesome!!
LoveLife!
-Pat

Rohr masters Urban Cross and roars into MABRAcross lead

-by David Harrity: Halethorpe, Maryland November 18, 2009 : Keith Rohr (Adventures for the Cure) won his first career cylcocross race competing in the Master's Category 3/4 of the 4th annual Urban Cross at Ix held in Charlottesville, Virginia, this past weekend. The Frank Ix & Sons silk mill closed its doors in 1999 and provides an interesting backdrop as riders navigated through and around the abandoned grounds of the silk mill.

After his win, Rohr (pictured) is now leading the Men's Master's Category 3/4 (or Masters Cat. B) racers by 15 points with three races remaining in the 2009 BikeReg.com MABRAcross Series sponsored by the Mid-Atlantic Bicycle Racing Association (MABRA). Rohr joins fellow AFC riders Patrick Blair (Men's 3/4), Jimmy Klose (Men's Cat 4) and daughter Avy Rohr (Junior U16 Women) as current point series leaders in their respective divisions.

In team standings after Tacchino Ciclocross (Race #5) in the MABRAcross series, the top three teams were:

1. C3-Athletes Serving Athletes (60 points)
2. Kelly Benefit Strategies/LSV (44 points)
3. Adventures For the Cure (35 points)

AFC co-founder Adam Driscoll, remains in 2nd place with 432 points after his 4th place podium finish at Urban Cross. Driscoll is just 14 points shy of new MABRA Cyclocross Series leader Jared Neiters (Haymarket Bicycles/ Home Visit). In other , AFC board member Mike "Weezal" Caputi and rider Kevin Luckeroth each had his best career finish in a cyclocross race in Men's Cat. 4. Also in action, 15-year old Jimmy Klose snagged his first Category 3/4 series points and podium placing by finishing in 4th place just behind AFC co-founder Patrick "Pattt" Blair in 3rd at Urban Cross at Ix.

Interview with Keith Rohr (Adventures for the Cure)


Keith Rohr (pictured) racing at the 2009 Tacchino Ciclocross. [Photo courtesy of Joseph W. Metro]

DH: Keith, congratulations on your first win in cyclocross. Based on the results posted on crossresults.com, it appears that you did a lot of work in the off-season preparing for this year. Is that right?

KR: I started preparing for the 2009 cyclocross season in the late winter. I almost didn't race this year because of work-related hassles, but things turned around for me. I did a lot of mountain biking and entered the first Michaux Endurance Series race in early May and felt exceptionally good. Six weeks prior I had dramatically changed my diet and went completely vegan. Oddly enough, by June, the diet led to so much weight loss that my arms weakened and actually gave out during a mountain bike race in Massanutten causing me to separate my left shoulder. Fortunately, the shoulder was much better by the time cyclocross season started and the discipline of the rehab process helped me with my training discipline.

DH: With five top 5 finishes this season, was there anything different in your preparation for Urban Cross at Ix that led to your win?

KR: Funny. I almost didn't race Urban Cross because it seemed like a long way to go for a race. However, I knew AFC was gaining on the team points and I wanted to contribute to the team efforts by having a good race at Urban Cross. It turned out to be a good call because several of the team members did well that day. I can't say I did anything different other than making sure I rested well two or three days prior.

DH: Is your goal to win the Master's Category 3/4 35+ MABRAcross championship?

KR: My original goal set back in the late winter was to place in the top 5 of the cyclocross races that I entered. After Charm City Cross I knew I was strong enough to win a race, so my new goal was to win a race or two at the Master's 3/4 level. I'd like to finish the year as the season points leader, but that's more of a formality because there is no jersey awarded at my level. Either way, it's a nice measurement of my progress in the sport. If the season ended now, I'd say that it's been a successful year for me.

DH: Are you ready to be upgraded to the Master's Elite Category 1/2/3 races?

KR: I'd like to get another win under my belt at one of the upcoming races at Howard County Double Cross and then finish the season at the at the Master's 1/2/3 level for the MABRA Cross Championship in Taneytown, Md. That would be a great way to close out the season and get a nice taste for what's in store for next year.

DH: So, who do you have to thank for getting you to this point?

KR: Oh boy, that's a long list. First and foremost, forever thanks to my wife, Stacey, who never flinches when I say I want to do something bike related. It takes a lot of pressure off you when your wife is behind you during the race season. Another big prop goes to my coach, Rodger Carter. He's always believed in me even when I didn't believe in me. He is the cornerstone for my training in 2009. Of course, I can't forget my team-mates and ride-mates, Adventures for the Cure and TheMorningRide. I wouldn't be racing if my friends weren't racing with me. You guys rock!!!

Author's Note: Keith Rohr is the founder of Maryland Physical Therapy, a proud sponsor of Adventures for the Cure. Keith competed on AFC's 2008 Race Across America (RAAM) 4-man team.

BikeReg.com MABRAcross Series Point Standings

With 6 of 9 events complete, MABRAcross points and standings for Adventures for the Cure riders are as follows:

Men's Category 1/2/3 (Elite/Cat A) (57 riders, leader with 446 pts)
2. Adam Driscoll (432 pts)
34. Patrick Blair (82 pts)

Master's Category 1/2/3 35+ (55 riders, leader with 560 pts)
15. Jonathan Houghton (162 pts)

Men's Category 3/4 (Cat B) (76 riders, leader with 134 pts)
1. Patrick Blair (134 pts)
26. Jimmy Klose (24 pts)

Master's Category 3/4 35+ (69 riders, leader with 164 pts)
1. Keith Rohr (164 pts)
37. Steve Klose (16 pts)

Master's Category 3/4 45+ (52 riders, leader with 153 pts)
6. Steve Klose (102 pts)
13. Dave Tambeaux (39 pts)
40. Jim Klender (11 pts)

Men's Category 4 (Cat C) (23 riders, leader with 16 pts)
1T. Jimmy Klose (16 pts) [upgraded to Cat. 3/4]
8T. Daniel Atkins (5 pts)

Women's Category 4 (20 riders, leader with 13 pts)
3T. Lynda Artusio (5 pts)
20. Kari Petyak (1 pt)

Juniors U18 (8 riders, leader with 147 pts)
3. Tommy Klose (129 pts)

Juniors U16 - Men (11 riders, leader with 151 pts)
8. Alec West (40 pts)

Juniors U16 - Women (3 riders, leader with 170 pts)
1. Avy Rohr (170 pts)

Next up ...
Saturday, November 21 and Sunday, November 22: Howard County Double Cross, Races #7 and #8 of the MABRAcross Series, held in Highland and Elkridge, Md., and presented by Schooley Mill Cross and Rockburn Cross.

About Maryland Physical Therapy
Maryland Physical Therapy (MPT) located in Glen Burnie is dedicated to providing an atmosphere which promotes optimal healing. MPT offers a variety of services related to the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of movement dysfunctions and to the enhancement of physical health and functional abilities. To learn more, visit http://www.marylandpt.net/.

About Adventures For The Cure
Adventures For The Cure (AFC), a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt non-profit organization and USA Cycling club which exists to raise awareness for diabetes, to show those diagnosed with diabetes and their families how leading a healthy and active lifestyle can move you beyond your perceived limits, and to raise funds for diabetes research. The organization also raises awareness and funds for other causes that the board of directors has selected. For more details, visit http://adventuresforthecure.com/.

Help GovLoop Give Back .... to Adventures for the Cure!

November 15, 2009 | Adventures for the Cure has been entered to win the AwesomeGov Fund sponsored by GovLoop.com and is seeking your votes to help us win the contest.

To vote for Adventures for the Cure, go to:

http://govloop.uservoice.com/pages/6040-awesomegov/suggestions/386668-adventures-for-the-cure-http-adventuresforthecure-com

The following is an excerpt from the GovLoop.com and AwesomeGov.org websites.

****Don't Need to Log-In/Sign-Up - Vote/Comment Away***

Help GovLoop Give Back!

GovLoop.com will donate $1 for every government member that joins GovLoop between now and December 15. You can suggest as many charities as you like and you'll have up to 5 votes. Feel free to comment on the options, too.

The charity with the most votes as of 11:59pm ET on December 15 below gets the loot. More info at awesomegov.org

GovLoop, the premier social network for government, brings the "awesomeness" to the next level by tying in philanthropy with government 2.0 through the AwesomeGov Fund.

GovLoop is a big believer in social entrepreneurship – companies like Tom's Shoes that donate one pair of shoes for every pair of shoes purchased. We've been a big supporter of initiatives like the GovLoop Kiva groups, where over 65 GovLoopers have already come together to donate over $10,000 to charity, and big fans of the fine folks at the Combined Federal Campaign.

With that approach in mind, we came up with the idea for the AwesomeGov Fund, which aims to highlight, honor and support government by raising awareness about government-related individuals, groups and programs that are inspiring in their ability to create impact and make government better. We are committing a minimum of 5% of all revenue in 2010 to the "AwesomeGov" Charity fund.

To celebrate the launch of the fund, GovLoop will donate $1.00 for each new government professional who joins GovLoop between Nov. 15 and Dec. 15. The process will be community-driven. GovLoop members will submit charity recommendations, vote for their favorite causes and the total amount will be donated to the winning charity. You can participate at govloop.com.

About Adventures For The Cure
Adventures For The Cure (AFC), a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt non-profit organization and USA Cycling club which exists to raise awareness for diabetes, to show those diagnosed with diabetes and their families how leading a healthy and active lifestyle can move you beyond your perceived limits, and to raise funds for diabetes research. The organization also raises awareness and funds for other causes that the board of directors has selected. For more details, visit http://adventuresforthecure.com/.

Blair Captures Lead in MABRAcross Category B Standings

Halethorpe, Maryland November 10, 2009 : After a strong second place showing at Tacchino Ciclocross, Adventures for the Cure co-founder Patrick Blair (pictured) is leading the Men's Category 3/4 (or Cat. B) racers by 17 points after five events in the annual MABRAcross Series sponsored by the Mid-Atlantic Bicycle Racing Association (MABRA). Blair joins fellow AFC riders Jimmy Klose (Men's Cat 4) and Avy Rohr (Junior U16 Women) as current point series leaders in their respective divisions.


In team standings after Tacchino Ciclocross (Race #5) in the MABRAcross series, the top three teams were:

1. C3-Athletes Serving Athletes (60 points)
2. Kelly Benefit Strategies/LSV (44 points)
3. Adventures For the Cure (35 points)

AFC co-founder Adam Driscoll, remains in 2nd place with 357 points behind new MABRA Cyclocross Series leader Joseph Dombrowski (Haymarket Bicycles/Trakkers).

With 5 of 9 events complete, MABRAcross points and standings for Adventures for the Cure riders are as follows:

Men's Category 1/2/3 (Elite/Cat A) (47 riders, leader with 370 pts)
2. Adam Driscoll (357 pts)
27. Patrick Blair (82 pts) (down 5 places)

Master's Category 1/2/3 35+ (52 riders, leader with 440 pts)
14. Jonathan Houghton (162 pts) (up 5 places)

Men's Category 3/4 (Cat B) (61 riders, leader with 107 pts)
1. Patrick Blair (107 pts) (up 1 place)

Master's Category 3/4 35+ (50 riders, leader with 149 pts)
2. Keith Rohr (129 pts)
31. Steve Klose (16 pts) (down 2 places)

Master's Category 3/4 45+ (48 riders, leader with 140 pts)
6. Steve Klose (102 pts)
13. Dave Tambeaux (39 pts) (up 4 places)
35. Jim Klender (11 pts)

Men's Category 4 (Cat C) (18 riders, leader with 16 pts)
1. Jimmy Klose (16 pts)
8T. Daniel Atkins (5 pts)

Women's Category 4 (19 riders, leader with 13 pts)
3T. Lynda Artusio (5 pts)
18T. Kari Petyak (1 pt)

Juniors U18 (8 riders, leader with 147 pts)
3. Tommy Klose (129 pts) (down 1 place)

Juniors U16 - Men (11 riders, leader with 124 pts)
8. Alec West (40 pts) (up 3 places)

Juniors U16 - Women (3 riders, leader with 170 pts)
1. Avy Rohr (170 pts)

Next up ...
Sunday, November 8: Urban Cross, Race #6 of the MABRAcross Series, held in Charlottesville, Va.

About Adventures For The Cure
Adventures For The Cure (AFC), a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt non-profit organization and USA Cycling club which exists to raise awareness for diabetes, to show those diagnosed with diabetes and their families how leading a healthy and active lifestyle can move you beyond your perceived limits, and to raise funds for diabetes research. The organization also raises awareness and funds for other causes that the board of directors has selected. For more details, visit http://adventuresforthecure.com/.


(Story by David Harrity; photo courtesy of Andrey Doroshenko)

AACS Students Raise Over $5,000 for Skin Cancer Victim

-by David Harrity, Halethorpe, Maryland : November 7, 2009: What's the point of riding around in a circle? Over 30 students and parents learned why by gathering with team members from Adventures for the Cure cycling team on Sunday, October 25, for a 4-hour bike-a-thon, which circled around the 11-mile mile BWI Trail. The result was netting over $5,000 in charitable donations from friends, family and supporters from the Annapolis Area Christian School (AACS) campaign.


Roberto Irias (center, pictured above) speaks to parents, students and riders before leading them in prayer at the start of the AACS Bike-a-thon.


The bike-a-thon was organized by Rob Irias who coaches the AACS Junior Varsity soccer team. Irias teaches Spanish and the Bible at AACS. Irias said, "I had never organized a bike-a-thon before and decided to do it, in hopes of teaching my players what it means to serve." Irias who is also a member of the AFC cycling team member was asked how the idea got started. Irias replied, "I know that I love to bike and I'm sure the idea began on one of my early morning rides. I said to myself: "What if I have my guys get sponsors that will give them money for every mile they bike?" I mentioned this in passing in one of my soccer practices and I saw a spark in their eyes. The challenge of biking many miles with a group of friends proved appealing to my teenage guys."

The charitable donations have been forwarded to Kupenda for the Children to raise funds mostly for Eric Pembe (pictured before and after surgery), a young Kenyan man with Albinism who is suffering from a severe case of skin cancer that requires immediate chemotherapy and subsequent medical treatments. Irias stated, "As far as Kupenda and Erick, I consider myself blessed to be part of Adventures for the Cure. It was through them that the avenue was opened and we all (my team and I) became aware of the need that Erick had and still has." Additional funds will go to support general needs of Kupenda to support children with disabilities."

I asked Rob if his students enjoyed the ride, Irias replied "My guys kept saying what a great time they had. They had feelings of accomplishment both physically and spiritually as they knew that what they had done is going to have an eternal impact. Let's just say that AFC is well know at AACS, and it's not just because of me."

Cynthia Bauer, founder of Kupenda for the Children is a Baltimore native now living in the Boston, Mass., area and is a long-time friend of Adventures for the Cure founders Adam Driscoll and Patrick Blair. Kupenda and Adventures for the Cure often combine their fundraising efforts to raise support for children with disabilities as documented in the award-winning film, Adventures for the Cure: The Doc. On December 3, the documentary film will be shown in a Bicycle Film Festival sponsored by Bicycle Stations, located at 204 14th St. N.W., Washington, DC.



About Annapolis Area Christian School
Annapolis Area Christian School (AACS), founded in 1971, is an independent, Christian day school that concentrates on preparing students for college and for life; that has grown into a robust community of learning that is setting the standard for Christian education in the Baltimore/Washington corridor; whose faculty engages students in a rigorous college preparatory program of learning that is enhanced with electives and extracurricular activities; that stresses basic academic skills and an appreciation of the arts; whose aim is to graduate servant leaders who will represent Jesus Christ faithfully in the world; and whose graduates have been accepted at and have graduated from many of the nation's leading colleges, universities, and military academies. Visit http://www.aacsonline.org/.

About Kupenda for the Children
Kupenda for the Children is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt Christian-based organization that exists to meet the needs of children, with disabilities. Ultimately the goal is that these children will feel that they are loved and accepted.

Kupenda for the Children meets this mission through advocacy and sponsorship of school fees, child assistance and medical intervention, construction of special needs facilities, and the coordination of volunteer assistance. Kupenda serves children with disabilities, such as cerebral palsy, deafness, deformed or missing limbs, spina bifida, the effects of polio, visual impairment, Downs' syndrome, autism, epilepsy, and other physical and mental disabilities. To learn more, visit http://www.kupenda.org/.

About Adventures for the Cure
Adventures For The Cure (AFC), a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt non-profit organization and USA Cycling club which exists to raise awareness for diabetes, to show those diagnosed with diabetes and their families how leading a healthy and active lifestyle can move you beyond your perceived limits, and to raise funds for diabetes research. The organization also raises awareness and funds for other causes that the board of directors has selected. For more details, visit http://adventuresforthecure.com/.

AFC Team Moves Up to Third in MABRA Cyclocross Series Standings

Halethorpe, Maryland | November 7, 2009 : Adventures for the Cure cyclocross team has moved into third place according to the latest release of the 2009 MABRAcross series point standings. AFC hopes for a strong showing at tomorrow's Tacchino Cyclocross, Race #5 of the MABRAcross Series sponsored by the Mid-Atlantic Bicycle Racing Association (MABRA).

After four races in the MABRAcross series, the top three teams are:

1. C3-Athletes Serving Athletes (48 points)
2. Kelly Benefit Strategies/LSV (35 points)
3. Adventures For the Cure (29 points)

The AFC team is led by Adam Driscoll, who recently made the jump to UCI Elite / Category 1 cyclocross racing, and currently sits in 2nd place with 295 points. Driscoll is five points behind defending champion Weston Schempf (C3-Athletes Serving Athletes). Schempf is the 2008 Men's Elite MABRA Cyclocross Series champion.

Adventures for the Cure is well represented throughout the series. Here's a rundown of the placement of individual racers:

Men's Category 1/2/3 (Elite/Cat A) (47 riders, leader with 300 pts)
2. Adam Driscoll (295 pts)
22. Patrick Blair (82 pts)

Master's Category 1/2/3 35+ (45 riders, leader with 320 pts)
19. Jonathan Houghton (125 pts, -195 pts)

Men's Category 3/4 (Cat B) (53 riders, leader with 90 pts)
2. Patrick Blair (77 pts)

Master's Category 3/4 35+ (50 riders, leader with 114 pts)
2. Keith Rohr (111 pts)
29. Steve Klose (16 pts)

Master's Category 3/4 45+ (43 riders, leader with 105 pts)
6. Steve Klose (86 pts)
17. Dave Tambeaux (27 pts)

Men's Category 4 (Cat C) (12 riders, leader with 16 pts)
1. Jimmy Klose (16 pts)
5T. Daniel Atkins (5 pts)

Women's Category 4 (15 riders, leader with 12 pts)
3T. Lynda Artusio (5 pts)
7T. Kari Petyak (1 pt)

Juniors U18 (5 riders, leader with 117 pts)
2. Tommy Klose (105 pts)

Juniors U16 - Men (11 riders, leader with 97 pts)
11. Alec West (20 pts)

Juniors U16 - Women (2 riders, leader with 140 pts)
1. Avy Rohr (140 pts)

Next up ...
Sunday, November 8: Tacchino Cyclocross, Race #5 of the MABRAcross Series, held at Rosaryville State Park, Upper Marlboro, Md.


About Adventures For The Cure
Adventures For The Cure (AFC), a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt non-profit organization and USA Cycling club which exists to raise awareness for diabetes, to show those diagnosed with diabetes and their families how leading a healthy and active lifestyle can move you beyond your perceived limits, and to raise funds for diabetes research. The organization also raises awareness and funds for other causes that the board of directors has selected. For more details, visit http://adventuresforthecure.com.

A Charity Writing Marathon!!!

Brett Wood is writing 50,000-word (175 page) novel in just one month! It will be a writing marathon!

In the process she is raising money for AFC through her donation page. I wonder what she is writing about??

-Pat
LoveLife!

AACS Bike-A-Thon - COMPLETE SUCCESS!

Here is a slideshow of pictures from the AACS Bike-A-Thon. We will make another post with the total amount raised when we get all the numbers.





-Pat
LoveLife!

Nominate "Adventures for the Cure" for "Best Non-Profit Use of Social Media"



at Mashable's 2009 Open Web Awards.

AACS Bike-A-Thon is Postponed until 10/25

Due to a 100% chance of rain today we had to postpone the Bike-A-Thon until tomorrow. The men of the JV soccer team at AACS will be riding from 1pm-5pm around the BWI loop!

-Pat
LoveLife!

The AACS Bike-A-Thon will be postponed until Sunday 10/25 due to weather.

If you would like to join us for the ride be at Friendship Park in Severn, MD off of the BWI loop between 1:00 pm and 5:00 pm Sunday, October 25.

To find directions: search for "BWI Hiker& Biker Tr, Severn, MD 21061" in Google maps. There will be a lot of AFC team members in attendance! Hope to see you there!

You can email adventuresforthecure@gmail.com for more info.

Granogue Elite Men 2009

AACS Bike-A-Thon is Postponed until 10/24

The AACS Bike-A-Thon will be postponed until 10/24 due to weather.

If you would like to join us for the ride be at Friendship Park in Severn, MD off of the BWI loop at 8am on Saturday, Oct 24th.

To find directions: search for "BWI Hiker& Biker Tr, Severn, MD 21061" in google maps. There will be a lot of AFC team members in attendance! Hope to see you there!

You can email adventuresforthecure@gmail.com for more info.

-Pat
LoveLife!

AACS Bike-A-Thon

Roberto Irias, who is on the AFC Men's Racing Team is the coach of Annapolis Area Christian School's JV Soccer Team. His team was so excited about all the stuff that AFC does that they decided to start their own AFC Campaign to raise money for Kupenda For The Children.


They are doing a Bike-A-Thon on Saturday October 17th to raise money for Kupenda! They have already raised quite a lot of money and the donations are still coming in!

Read more about their AACS Bike-A-Thon Campaign.

-Pat
LoveLife!!

AFC Enters to Win the America's Giving Challenge

Hi everyone, Our cause just entered in America's Giving Challenge, which gives us a chance to win $50,000!

To win, between now and November 7th we have to get the most donations to our cause (every person can donate once per day and have it count as a unique donation). We can also win daily awards of $1,000 and $500 if we can get the most people to donate in any 24-hour period.

As a special coordinated challenge to win a daily award, we encourage everyone to donate between 3:01pm Oct 8 through 3:00 pm Oct 9.

The great thing about this Challenge is that it doesn't matter how much you give, but instead how much you do to encourage friends and family to get involved in our cause. We all need to come together and start promoting the cause if we want to win.

Each of us may have tons of friends on Facebook who we can ask to donate to our cause. But let's think big too—can you put our cause in your email signature, can you throw a party and get people to donate through the cause when they enter, can you organize other people to go out and fundraise from all of their friends? As you reach out to your friends be sure to tell them why this cause matters to you. The possibilities are endless so let's talk about what we can do to win on the Wall of the cause or by replying to this bulletin. I think we can do it! But it's going to take all of us.

Check out the Giving Challenge (www.causes.com?m=e1e9d030), then visit our cause to see how we're doing so far and get involved.

Thanks,
Adventures for the Cure

UMBC Magazine spotlights Adventures for the Cure

Adventures for the Cure was founded by Adam Driscoll and Patrick Blair, both graduates of the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC). In the Fall 2009 edition of the UMBC Magazine, the pair were featured in the Alumni Profiles article, Pedal Power.

Matt Gilman on the radio!

One of AFC's newest members, Matt Gilman, was recently on the radio check it out here:

Interview with Matt Gilman [18:05m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

For those of you who don't know Matt, here is his website: http://www.blindbiketrials.com/

-LoveLife!
Pat

Lums Pond - Race Report - Mark Johnson

One of AFC's newest members: Mark Johnson recently competed in the Lums Pond Duathlon. Alex Driscoll was also there!

Here is Mark's Race Report:

last Sunday I participated in the Lum's Pond Duathlon in Middletown, DE. We were greeted by Mother Nature's warm embrace of heat and blanket like humidity. The venue hosted a Triathlon as well so in total there would eventually there would be about 650 people on course cycling and running. These are cool events as it merges a diverse population of disciplines, talents, and gear. I saw several familiar faces - the ever popular "Baby Sugar" and companion Cleo, a dude I use to race with regularly on the roads 30+ years ago and folks I know from the cycling world.

The race -

We started with a 2 mile run - giddy up as the leaders rolled out and would come in around 9:37-40. I was certainly in their wake as I "rolled" through the 2 miles in 12:58 (yeah that's 2 miles guys - wait until you get old). I was happy with the 6:29 pace as I haven't even done that in training lately - muscle memory I reckon.

Next was the transition to the bike - chaos in the pits as people are gasping for air, whipping off their flats and getting into bike shoes, helmets, and running their carbon fiber, aero barred, 2 wheeled machines on the bike course. 19.5 miles of flatish roads. I have to admit there's nothing like the sound of Zipp wheels in the morning as some leg shaved, bullet headed elite blows by you...sweetness. I assumed the position of trying to be extended onto the aero bars of my Dolan carbon fiber, time trial bike. I "looked" really fast. The efforts netted me a time of 54:43 for 21.4 mph avg, Not too bad.

Transition 2 - dismount the bike, run through the maze of people and bikes and rack the bike, throw off the helmet, and slam into the flats again!

Off on the final 3 mile run - your body is screaming "I wanna go home, haven't you done enough to me today"? The runners wobble out trying to find the running legs - I immediately got a cramp in my left hammy and thought this would not be pretty. Continued on and thankfully the run course was mostly shaded to lessen the suffer a bit. Ended up running 20:24 for a 6:48 pace.

Baby Sug and Cleo allowed me to hang with them afterwards as we both thought we medaled in our age group. Seems we both need some remedial work in reading. We hung around to accept our 3rd place awards... but both ended up 4th in the age groups! We both slipped away from the awards area and I for one called myself a dumb ass.

A good day, great event, looking for more DUs.

-Mark Johnson

Mark Pare conquers Mt Washington

At the start! You can see the top. That is a long ways up.

One of the toughest climbs in the United States and Mark did it in 1 hour 32 minutes. Not only did he do the climb fast but he also raised money for Adventures For the Cure. He has raised over 450 dollars! Awesome job Mark!

Here is a write up from Mark:

The ride itself was very tough for the first three miles. I expected it to level off or the grade to lessen, but the first three miles seemed to get more and more steep with the highest grade being in mile 3. An old vet told me at the bottom that the race starts at 4.5 and he was right. Many people had front chain rings the size of a small peanut butter jars. The highest I could go was 30x27, and I left it twice the whole time. There is a 1.5 mile section that is not paved and the paved road is scarred by road clearing cats, so you have to search for clear pavement constantly. Once you get above the tree line, the dirt road kicks in, and climbing on that is challenging. There was one steep section there where my rear wheel was slipping, but it worked out. At about mile 6, a switchback nails you with a very steep section that just stopped many folks. There is no flat or downward section in the 7.6 mile course. At the end, the road kicks up to 22% for about 50 -75 yards to the finish. All-in-all a great race and a tough one. I do not have anything to compare it with, but it is billed as the "World's Toughest Hillclimb" and maybe that is true.

Mark very close to top

another picture near finish line. Look how steep that is.

Mark with his Dad at the top

Awesome job Mark!!

AFC

Thank You Nate And Sarah Mudd!

Nate and Sarah Mudd were married this past Saturday evening. They have been friends of AFC ever since we first started and they have supported us always. For their wedding favors they told us that they wanted to donated to AFC and Kupenda.

Last night we received a large donation from them! Thank you so much Nate and Sarah! We will be sure to put that donation to good use at the Extreme Weekend For Children With Diabetes.

-Pat
LoveLife!

The Nightmare Tour 2009

The newest member of the AFC Junior's Team is Maria Denunzio. She is a 14yr old Ultra Distance Cyclist... I didn't know that existed!! Check out her ride report from her recent 170mi bike ride!!

The Nightmare Tour is a one-day 175 mile bike ride around the perimeter of Lancaster County, PA. It takes place in the heat of August, and encompasses 13,281 feet of climbing. That is approxmently climbing Pikes Peak 1.8 times. This ride has been called by many the "toughest bike ride in the state of Pennsylvania." Each year, only about 100 riders attempt to take on the challenge of the Nightmare.

Watching the 2008 Olympics in August really inspired me. I had more or less been away from the sport for four years, after "burning out" from my first century ride. I started thinking about seriously riding again, but that kind of fizzeled out when the Olympics ended. Then in September, when Lance Armstrong announced his return, that pushed me over the edge. I got into my head that I was going to ride the Nightmare. I wasn't going to try to finish it, I WAS going to finish it.

In February, I told my grandmother "Nanny" that I was going to do this. And now, I really knew that I had too. Once I told Nan, I was locked in for good. "Ok, I told myself, lets do this." In March, I joined the track team, figuring it would give me a head start on my bike training. I ran distance with track, which was about 30 miles a week, and even though I was far from a star at meets, I kept running. Finally, (FINALLY!) school ended in June. Now it was really time to start training. I participated in Bike Virginia at the end of June, and ended up with 582 miles going into July.

In July, I really stepped up my training. Almost every single day, I went over to a ridge by our house and rode up and down it, over and over and over again. I don't even want to think how many times I rode "my hills," all six of them. After every ride, I told myself "I am never going on those boring hills again." Somehow, though, I always found myself on them the next day. I finished July with 814 miles, almost all of them on my hills. The ones that weren't on my hills were on the course during the weekends with my parents. The hard part was over! Now I had a week of rest and then the Nightmare on August 8th. This was going to be cake. :)

The morning of the Nightmare I got up at 4:00 AM. By this point, I was very excited. My dad and me left the house at 4:30 and got to the start point in Marietta around 5. Everyone else was starting at 6:00, but since I ride a lot slower than them, I was going to start an hour early. The first 45 miles of the ride are hill after hill after hill. I knew that once I got across 222, I was (basically) home free. For the first 60 miles, I rode by myself. By mile 40, though, guys (I was the only woman riding this year) were starting to pass me, so I had brief company. Lunch was at mile 108, and I was 45th coming in, out of 62. I was shocked. I thought everyone would have passed me by now. Seven miles out of lunch, the hardest hill on the entire ride presents itself. It looks like a wall. I knew that if I could get myself over Swamp Church, I had this in the bag. I started going up. There was a party going on in one of the houses, and my mom went over to ask them to cheer for me. They did, it was really cool. My sisters were walking beside me for the first 200 yards, egging me on. Then, the hill kicked up and they got tired and I was on my own.

One of the support cars for a rider ahead of me had written on the road messages of encouragement. Near the end, when you can't see the top because of a right hand bend, and it is incredibly steep, were the words LIVESTRONG. A picture flashed through my head of Lance on Alpe d'Huez and then I was over the hill.

At 9:20 that night I pulled into the finish of the Nightmare after riding in the rain and dark for an hour. I had done it. I was so happy and very tired. It took me 14 hours of ride time, but I had 175 miles in my legs that day. What I had been thinking about for a year had finally happened. As an added bonus, I was the youngest female to ever finish and the second youngest person. (The youngest was a guy named Matt who rode it the day after his 14th birthday two years ago, and also ended up riding the double century this year. My fourteenth birthday was in January.) The question now is where do I go from here?

And a BIG BIG thank you to my parents who rode with me on the weekends and all during Bike Virginia and even part of the Nightmare :)

-Maria Denunzio

Speaking Engagement: Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Columbia

07.31.2009 - Columbia, MD - This Sunday, August 2, starting at 10:00 am, co-founders Adam Driscoll and Patrick Blair will be speaking at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Columbia (UUCC). Newcomers and guests are more than welcome to attend.

At Sunday's service, you will hear from, and interact with, two “Gen-Y”-ers who will inspire us to step up your game. A UUCC service for all ages, but be sure to encourage the youths and young adults in your lives to join us for the morning!

Read more about our guests and one of their adventures in this article from The Baltimore Sun: “Grueling Ride for a Good Cause”, published on June 14.

Michael Adock will be playing piano.

Worship Associate: Julie Boughn

Location:
Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Columbia, http://www.uucolumbia.net/
Owen Brown Interfaith Center
7246 Cradlerock Way
Columbia, MD 21045

Driving Directions: http://www.uucolumbia.net/contact.html

What is the dress code?
Members wear everything from jeans and sneakers to traditional Sunday best.

Fall Dates Set for AFC's Extreme Weekend for Children with Diabetes Camp

Halethorpe, Md., July 28, 2009 – Enrollment is now open for the Fall 2009 edition of the Adventures For The Cure Extreme Weekend for Children with Diabetes 3-day camp to be held November 13–15 at the NorthBay Adventure Camp in North East, Maryland.

The Extreme Weekend is for ages 12 through 18 co-ed with type 1 diabetes and is set to offer a unique experience that will entertain, educate and engage the campers at the beautiful facilities of NorthBay Adventure Camp located along the Chesapeake Bay.

The camp’s director Ron DeNunzio stated, “Our mission is to provide children with diabetes the opportunity to maximize their ability to perform at their highest level in all areas of sports, fitness and life activities while maintaining intensive glucose control necessary for proper diabetes management. This diabetes camp is like no other as it’s geared towards proper diabetes management in the environment of sports and other extreme activities. Unlike most other camps, Extreme Weekend does allow ages 15-18 to be campers. This is a very critical age for teenagers with diabetes.”

The camp coincides with World Diabetes Day held annually each November 14. Introduced by International Diabetes Federation (IDF) and the World Health Organization in 1991, World Diabetes Day has been celebrated by diabetes representative organizations worldwide ever since. During this very special weekend, children will be shown anything is possible with diabetes as long as one has the right skills and knowledge. During the weekend adventure, children will be able to learn from skilled athletes with diabetes – ultramarathon cyclists, marathon runners, triathletes, and others who are actively involved in high activity levels and sports while maintaining intensive diabetes management. DeNunzio adds, “There are no other camps in the United States that offer all of this in such an informative format in such a beautiful setting.”



After attending her first Extreme Weekend, 16-year-old camper Kelsey McGill (pictured left) had this to say about the camp, “I wasn’t very good about checking [blood sugar levels] before attending camp but the nurses were extremely encouraging in helping me be proactive with my diabetes. Now I check probably three more times than before I attended camp and my sugar levels have improved significantly.”

With a staff of medical expertise, experienced coaches and athletes with diabetes, the goal is to enhance the lives of children with diabetes and to further educate them on critical team-building development skills. The adventure camp offers participants a fun and safe challenges such as rope courses, a climbing wall, nature trails and an environmental education center coupled with open group discussions. By leading through example and education, children are encouraged to get involved with sports after completing the camp. Participants will learn the valuable benefits of exercise and sports from individuals who are highly qualified and who are actively involved with the Diabetes Exercise Sports Association (DESA) and other diabetes organizations.

Location:
Extreme Weekend for Children with Diabetes camp is held at the NorthBay facility in Elk Neck State Park, North East, Maryland.

Ages:
Available for campers age 12-19 coed (must turn 12 by September 1, 2009).

Dates:
November 13 – 15, 2009.

Cost:
$180 ($160 for room and board, plus $20 non-refundable registration fee) per camper.

Scholarships:
Financial assistance is available based on need. For more information, please visit the http://www.adventuresforthecure.com/extremeweekend.html

About Adventures For The Cure
Adventures For The Cure (AFC), a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt non-profit organization and USA Cycling club which exists to raise awareness for diabetes, to show those diagnosed with diabetes and their families how leading a healthy and active lifestyle can move you beyond your perceived limits, and to raise funds for diabetes research. The organization also raises awareness and funds for other causes that the board of directors has selected. For more details, visit http://adventuresforthecure.com.

For more details, visit our website to view pictures from our previous weekend adventure: http://www.adventuresforthecure.com/extremeWeekend.html

For more information, contact:
Ron DeNunzio, Director – Extreme Weekend
rwdenunzio@msn.com or (717) 471-4636

Off Road Assault on Mt Michell race report!

Off Road Assault on Mt Michell!

Bill Blandford(profile) at Mt Michell

Race report from Bill:
Here's a couple links. My GPS and the ORAMM Site Course Page (scroll down for a good elevation profile)

Started with a road ride outta Old Fort, NC. Gearies in the front. SS's in the rear. For those who had ridden TMRs with me lately and remember how I couldn't shut up about rigging up a 1X3 on my Surly, you may be surprised that the night before the race I pulled the gears off and ran a 32X20. Gears??? What was I thinking.

Road start almost spread out the pack well enough for Kitsuma, the first single track switchback climb. Best SS strategy here was just to walk. Most switchbacks were bottlenecked by a group of walkers. Some were unridable anyway. I managed to clean 2 switchbacks in a row after passing a group of about 8 gearies. Peak 1 descent was very technical, lots of clipouts and crashers. I got the ass on the tire and rode it. So then just as hands start to get numb you're climbing again to Peak 2. Descent from Peak 2 is long rocky, rooty, sidehill, rhododendronny, switchbacks (basically perfect singletrack) and I realized that 35psi was too much for the front really fast. I got some big props from a couple guys who noticed I was riding rigid.

Some Serious Hills here!

Rest Stop 1 - filled 2 bottles with CeraSport(can be found here), let some air out of the front tire. Then my buddy Dave rolled in. We rode together out of rest stop 1. Next stop single track climb up to Star Gap all ridable. After Star Gap downhill was a 4 mile climb on grassy old fireroad. I passed dozens of gearies on that climb.

Bill poised on the downhill

Mile 27 to 36 was the crusher. Curtis Creek Road is a Pisgah Natl Forest fireroad lined with campsites. The last 4 miles are steep steep steep. My 32:20 had me passing dozens of gearies again. More than once my red polka dot AFC Jersey got me some "King of the Mountain" props;-) My strategy for this climb was that I had to get outta the saddle I'd only push it hard if the summit was in sight. Otherwise I'd dismount and walk as fast as I could. I think that two riders in their 22:34 littlest granny were a bit shocked when I strutted past pushing the Surly.

Rest Stop 3 at mile 36. Then a 4 mile fireroad downhill, then a 5 mile fireroad climb (but not as bad a the steep Curtis Creek). Then about 2 miles of climbing on the paved Blueridge Parkway. Here's where it starts to get Crazy. Left turn into dense woods by a little brown sign that says Heartbreak. 400 yards or so of hike a bike up a step rooty, licheny rock washed out trail. Then down-down-down for 50 minutes. About a dozen guys passed me cause I had to take it a little easier on the rigid fork. Hands felt like lobster claws from hanging on and holding brakes. More and more and more perfect technical single track. And when it finally ended, guess what...

Back to Kitsuma again. It's like deja vu all over again. Befriended a gearie named Roger on the fireroad climb to Kitsuma trailhead. He shared some salt pills with me and kept me from cramping. And he was the only gearie that climbed in a gear that rivaled my SS. He motivated me to ride every section of switchback that I had to walk on the first time up this trail. Forgot that there were two peaks as I was bombing down thinking the race was over, bam, another climb...?? One more peak and then down down down again. Happy to clean the ass tucker sections even when I was running on fumes.

Got the road descent and realized I was going to be really close to 8 hours. But I couldn't big ring it in so I was forced to coast down watching the minutes tick 7:57, 7:58, 7:59, 8:00:-(

Finished with a big crowd of friends and family. Built a dam in the creek with Benson (7) and drank Highland Pale Ale (tasty local brew) while we waited for Dave to finish. Great timez!!!

Bill hanging out with family after race!

8 hours on a mountain and still smiling!

Adam and Tracy get Married July 12th!!

Adam and Tracy got married July 12th at Oregon Ridge Park with a beautiful outdoor wedding. For their honeymoon they went to Fenwick Island, DE for a very relaxing time at the beach (thanks Deb and Julie).

In picture from left to right Adam Driscoll, Patrick Blair, Alex Driscoll, and Mike Caputi

I DO!!

First dance as Mr and Mrs Driscoll

moving fast!

Beautiful sunset on our honeymoon! Bella our new puppy got to come on the trip too!