Come In From the Cold - Challenge Courage Indoor Track Races

Charities Challenge’s Wintertime Indoor Track Series Continues this Sunday morning, December 2 @ Bethel University in Arden Hills with the 7^th Annual Challenge Courage Indoor Track Races.

For more information and registration options go to http://charitieschallenge.org/

Doors open at 8 AM, first event starts at 9 AM.




Fully Automated Timing (F.A.T.) and scoring by Josh Gerber of WayzataResults.com will allow for immediate race results.

Come En-Courage one another’s athleticism, training and racing, an irreplaceable gift to athletes of all ages and abilities.

Sunday’s forecast is for cold temps and icy outdoor paths of a Minnesota December, making Sunday’s 2nd of 5 Indoor Track Challenge Events at Bethel U oh-so welcoming-warm.

There will be races of a variety of distance, mid-distance and sprints events, 5000m, 60m, Mile, 200m, 800m, a separate judge Mile race walk, finishing with a 400m. Enter each or all events for one entry fee, and a special reduced rate for students under age 19.

There will be challenging athletic competitions and fast-fun for athletes of all ages and athletic abilities.

Perhaps you can set a personal racing record at this year’s Challenge Courage races, and even take a shot at setting an All-Time record for the Challenge Courage Event or even a record for the entire Indoor Challenge Events Series All-Time. See last year’s and the standing All-time racing records for a little added motivation to your athletic training http://charitieschallenge.org/html/challenge_courage.html

Reaching for worthy goals for which one chooses to train diligently takes courage (i.e. “heart”). Go for a record of your own!

Each CC Challenge Event highlights the power of an RxExercise prescription in improving the quality of life for many of us challenged with one of a variety of health challenges, challenges like arthritis, cancer, diabetes, depression, heart disease and more. Such health challenges call for special courage.

CC’s Challenge Courage Races Event theme is “Celebrating Strength & Courage”.

Train & Race for “Courage & Strength to Better Meet Life’s Challenges”! We can each train and race to be stronger and therefore better prepared for life’s challenges.

Come en-Courage and cheer on one another in our training and racing Sunday morning at Bethel U. This kind of En-Couragement is truly an enlivening, irreplaceable gift and a wonderful way to actively lift one another’s spirits during the Holiday Season!

And, if you can’t make the indoor races this Sunday or the Challenge Isolation Indoor Track Races on Dec 16 at Bethel U, please consider joining us and hundreds of other runners and walkers from across America for “The Biggest Christmas Day 5k in the USA” at Como Lake on Tuesday, Dec 25. Learn more about this unique-in-America Christmas Day – Joyful 5k at http://charitieschallenge.org/html/christmas_day_5k.html

More CC Race Event Workers always welcome, too, as Josh needs about six volunteers to help him/us. Please RSVP with me if you want to join our CCREW this Sunday, or any other time, and learn about our CCREW Rewards Program. Volunteering brings benefits, intrinsic and extrinsic rewards, to all CC Race Events Workers.

2012 ThanksGiving Day - GivingThanks 5k Story & Photos

Thanks to everyone who played an active part in Charities Challenge's 7^th Annual ThanksGiving Day - GivingThanks 5k - Attitude of Gratitude Celebration, yesterday at Como Lake in St Paul. Find the slideshow with theme music here http://www.charitieschallenge.org/html/thanksgiving_day_5k.html

Enjoy remembering some of the morning's special experiences as you view the online photos slideshow while hearing again some of the 2012 ThanksGiving Day 5k theme songs. Be sure to turn up your computer sound before clicking on "Slideshow".

The 1151 photos at 1 second per image will take about 20 minutes to view. But, I hope you find the music inspiring along with the images of so many sharing their walk/run with loved ones.

You’re welcome to freely copy any photos from the gallery “index”, add the photos to your digital photo files, and even send the photo(s) to family and friends via e-mail. And, like so many others, post your favorite photo(s) to your Facebook page.

I learned during early check-in from one regular runner of this Holiday Run that she took from last year’s TD5k photos select images and created a printed collage for family/friends with whom she ran. What a great idea for a Christmastime gift after the ThanksGiving Day 5k! You’re welcome to add your commemorative bib or the image of that colorful collector bib # to any photos collage you may create. Cool. And, I’d love to see any such collages you may create. So, post those photos collage to Charities Challenge Facebook group page or send them to my e-address.

When you view the photos slideshow you’ll see “Miles of Smiles” evidencing the Power of RxExercise (exercise as medicine) to cheer each of us during even these darkening days of fall into winter, and how sharing a run/walk even improves our relationships with loved ones who walk and run by our sides.

Thanks to about 20 CC Race Event Worker (CCREW) volunteers who helped produce this Holiday Run Event. Others are welcome to join our happy CCREW for any of our 26 Annual CC Events. CC volunteers can earn a variety of valuable CCREW Rewards for being so actively supportive of others’ RxExercise experiences. Some CCREW also are earning fundraising credits to help cover CC’s cost to send them as RxExercise Ambassadors to Great Destination Events, like the Maui Oceanfront Marathon in January, Ireland’s Dublin Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon in August, and Marine Corps Marathon & 10K in October. Go CCREW! And…Go RxExercise Ambassadors!

Thanks also to each of you who brought non-perishable food items, and a few who added cash donations, that CC delivered immediately following the event to Roseville’s Keystone Community Services. Thanks to CCREW member, Phil Face, for making that delivery.

By walking, running and/or volunteering about 900 others at the ThanksGiving Day – GivingThanks 5k, you made an immediate difference in your own healthier-happier life, as well as so many others’ lives, by “Sharing the RxExercise Challenge” with families & friends. Walk and run with a year ‘round “Attitude of Gratitude”, and be ready to come back next year happier-healthier, faster and fitter than ever.

When measured against the big world of road racing events, many of which seek to grow in numbers into sometimes very big crowds, CC Events are intended to be boutique events with an upper limit of participation that keeps our events safe, more pleasant for everyone, allowing for more personally satisfying experiences shared by family & friends many of whom are recognized by name by both fellow athletes and our CC Race Event Worker (CCREW) volunteers.

Nonetheless, the 2012 ThanksGiving Day 5k saw a CC record number of participants of 900+ walkers & runners, plus guests and volunteers. That's filling our Como Lake "house" on Thanksgiving Day. Well done to all!

Before the New Year, you’re oh-so welcome to come back to Como Lake for the 7^th Annual Christmas Day – Joyful 5k http://www.charitieschallenge.org/html/christmas_day_5k.html

And, to get through this winter’s icy challenges there’s another opportunity to improve your racing speed by joining in on CC’s Indoor Track Challenge Series continuing next Sunday at Bethel University’s indoor track facility. Join us there to “stay on track” with your training and racing for faster “funner” times http://www.charitieschallenge.org/html/indoor_track_challenge_series.html

You’re also invited to keep up with Charities Challenge RxExercise News, Events and inspiring stories by adding Charities Challenge to your Facebook “Friends” https://www.facebook.com/groups/41310607820/