Running Buddies

Thursday, May 3, 2012

Chisum Crew and the 2012 Undy 5000

A quick note to my dear baby sister, Lea, who wrote this post and our wonderful readers - This should have been posted yesterday, May 2nd, and was not.  You have my humble apologies for dropping the ball on this one.  Thank you for your continued love, support and understanding.  Best, Laura



Today would have been our father’s 70th birthday. We would have gone all out and had a huge party, full of laughter and love and tons of food. Everyone would share stories and memories and we would have sighed happily and wondered why we didn’t do this more often. Then we would have scattered to the winds again for another few years. We would have done all of these things today, and it would have been magical.

Today, instead, we are each in our separate homes, spread out across several states. We are sending one another text messages and leaving voicemails, saying I love you and I miss you and I am here for you.

For the past two years, we have participated in the Undy 5000 to raise awareness and funding for colon cancer, the terrible disease that claimed our father before his 69th birthday. We begin every season on his birthday with a big announcement of our grand prize and various sponsors, then raffle off thousands of dollars worth of generously donated prizes until the final drawing during the Undy 5000 5k in late October.

Today we should be announcing an entire season of new prizes and ways to win. We should be, but we are not. After a great deal of soul-searching, we have decided to take this year off instead. Our hearts simply are not in it. Today I cannot see how all of this hard work is making a difference in the fight against colon cancer. Did anyone talk to their doctor after reading one of our posts? Have we inspired someone to lose weight, eat better, and drink more water? Did a single person schedule a colonoscopy as a result? Are we any closer to a cure? I simply don’t know. And though our focus was always on honoring our father and channeling our grief, I wonder if this is the right way. What I do know, however, is that Laura and I need a break from this. We need to focus on our families, our educations and careers, and, most importantly, on our hearts. We have some healing to do. We have a great deal of grief to process.

Will we be back? Quite possibly. For now, we need to rethink our approach and reevaluate our goals. We are still dedicated to the cause and the race and to the memory of our father. We are still absolutely passionate about making healthy choices and getting tested to prevent another family for having to go through this. For right now, however, we will demonstrate our focus in another way. We will laugh and cry at the same time while we repeat oft-told tales of that time Daddy shook his little booty as he danced across the parking lot of the miniature golf course, the way Daddy always knew exactly what cards you had in your hand even before a single card had been played, how Daddy was the first man to give me flowers, to take me on a date, to give me jewelry. Today, we will remember the man and all that he taught his children. We are so blessed that he lived to see each of us graduate, participated in every wedding and attended so many births, that he was present for so many special moments and that he watches over us still. I like to think that today he is surrounded by all of those wonderful friends and family members we lost along the way, sitting beside “the old man on the mountain” and smiling down. I know I am imagining myself sitting at his side, refilling his tea glass, laughing at his stories, smiling knowingly as he raises a devilish eyebrow over a sparkling eye. I can almost see the toothpick in the corner of his mouth and the cigarette between his fingers. Today, that is what I need. That is prize enough for now.

Monday, April 2, 2012

Sticking Together PrintRunner Sticker Giveaway

The secret to finding a cure for colon cancer? Sticking together and spreading the word! The secret for winning customized stickers from PrintRunner? Undy5000 Chisum Crew! Show your style with beautiful, full color stickers from PrintRunner! These versatile and high quality gems are perfect for promoting your business, personalizing your gear, customizing invitations, and more. The only limits are your imagination! The Prize: 250 Custom Stickers from PrintRunner.com Standard shape, 2" wide by 3.5" high, full color (four color process), black and white The Deadline: April 8,2012, Midnight EST. The Sponsor: PrintRunner.com, located in Chatsworth, California, is now one of the best printers in Southern California. Though humble in beginnings, the company has grown to proudly offer value, quality and full color printing. PrintRunner is an easy online print service resource. Visit their website and try printing sticker for your next project! Thank you, PrintRunner, for providing us with this great giveaway. Undy will receive a set of stickers for hosting. We are excited to use them to promote our charity! a Rafflecopter giveaway

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

CBS Cares and So Do We Giveaway

We love it when companies take part in raising awareness for health issues - we love it even more when the issue is near and dear to our hearts, namely, colon cancer awareness. :)

By now, we hope you have seen this great ad featuring Sharon & Ozzy Osbourne regarding the CBS Cares Colonoscopy Sweepstakes. If you haven't seen it yet, go check it out.

We invite you to take part in CBS Cares Colonoscopy Sweepstakes. Enter to win the Grand Prize: A 4-Day/3-Night trip to New York, NY and a Colonoscopy procedure for the grand prize winner. Prize consists of round-trip coach air transportation for grand prize winner and guest to New York, NY from a single major U.S. airport nearest the prize winner's home, double occupancy deluxe hotel accommodations for three (3) nights, a colonoscopy procedure for the grand prize winner only and $500 cash. NOTE: This sweepstakes is open only to legal residents of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia, 40-79 years of age at the time of entry. :( Sad for those of us younger who are at risk due to family history of the disease...but we are still happy to show our support.

To get everyone motivated to sign up, we're hosting a little giveaway of our own! We're giving away eight Ozzy Osbourne downloads for "Rock Band 3"! NOTE: We are NOT giving away the game Rock Band 3, just a code to unlock eight Ozzy Osbourne downloads for the game.

Good luck and happy entering!