Archive for May, 2009
My Reason
Sunday, May 24th, 2009 | News | No Comments
After a little less than a week of fundraising efforts, generous individuals have already donated 10% of our goal amount! Thank you to all who have supported us this way and to those who will yet donate. We most certainly couldn’t do it without you, but we certainly will with you.
Sometimes during hard spots in training or just hard spots in life when things get a little tough and I am tempted to complain, I think of my friend Brian. He can hardly do a thing for himself. He must rely on others to fill all of his needs. But even with the great limitations that are his, he is happy. He enjoys his life, every bit of it, and freely shares that love of life with all who get in his way. I want to grow up to be more like Brian Brenchley. Thank you so much to all who are helping to give Brian the chance to race and to share his smile and goodness with all who see us. He really is the reason I race. Thank you for helping us.
Summer!
Tuesday, May 19th, 2009 | News | 1 Comment
Summer is here and how happy I am that it is! Summer means less stress from school, more sleep, rest for my soul, and more time to train and race with Brian. I just finished a very challenging semester of grad school and am ever so grateful for the time off. I am now halfway through my doctoral program. Yeah!
I returned a few days ago from a humanitarian mission to Costa Rica. “Awesome!!!” is the best way to describe it. It was a great way to end a challenging, but enlightening, semester. Now that I am back, I am getting into the full swing of training. My schooling has taken the majority of my time and I have not been able to train as I would have liked during this last semester. I have been out running several times in the last few days to remind my body of what I am about to do. Swimming and biking will begin within the next week. Here we go!
Also, we were recently notified that we made it into the St. George Marathon again this year. This is one of our favorite races and will be our third year running it. We love St. George!
Fundraising for Brian
Tuesday, May 19th, 2009 | News | No Comments
Team Brenchley is officially making the jump from marathons to triathlons. I know, we are CRAZY! Brian’s dad says that we are now just trying to find out exactly how crazy we are. It will be an exciting journey, that’s for sure!
In order to compete in triathlons, we need to get the required equipment and gear that will allow Brian and I to participate and compete in these events. Triathlons have three events: swimming, biking, and running. We already have our running chair, so that is not a problem. We have also made a boat and harness setup that will work well for us. I will swim while pulling Brian behind me in a boat. All that is left is the bike and trailer combo. I will ride a road bike while pulling Brian behind me in a specially designed chariot/trailer.
Our goal is to raise $5,000 by June 15th. Five years ago, with the help of family and frinds, we were able to raise enough money to purchase a custom racing chair and to cover associated racing costs. We were amazed by the support we recieved. We would like to solicit your help again. The goal amount of $5,000 would allow us to get the majority of the equipment we need to not only participate in triathlons, but compete in them. We have never yet come in last, and we don’t ever plan on doing so!
So many of us take the majority of our blessings for granted. We can pick up the phone and call a friend, grab a snack from the fridge, and jump in the car to run an errand, all without hardly thinking about it. Brian can’t do any of these things, at least not by himself. He has been blessed his whole life to have family and friends that support him and give him great life experiences. Though these efforts will never give him the same experiences that most of us take for granted, they have allowed him to live a full and happy life. My goal is to continue that legacy.
By running over 197 miles of competitive road races with Brian over the last 5 years, I have become a much better person. I have learned things about Brian, about myself, and about sacrifice. I have watched the faces of able bodied spectators as they have seen Brian doing things that they had considered impossible to do themselves. I have watched as something clicked inside them as they silently asked the questions, “What impossible things can I do?” and “Who can I help today?” I have smiled as we passed surprised runners that thought they were too tired to keep going, only to be passed by a guy pushing another guy in a wheelchair. Because of Brian, they took courage, picked up the pace, and finished well the race they had started. I have watched myself become better and try harder because of Brian. It was once said that there are things that we will do for love that we would never do for money. That has been my experience running with Brian.
Please join me in helping Brian have an incredible experience competing in triathlons this summer. Your help, however large or small, will bless Brian as well as those that see him and meet him. We cannot do it without you. To the many finish lines to come, LET’S DO THIS!