Randy's Run Experience
As my readers know, I have passed on information
about "Quench the Fire Run/Walk" which occurred December 2, 2007, it's
first year. Well now it's over and I want to point all my readers in
Randy's direction. Randy worked hard to make this run come to life. ALL
my information came from his blogs and his bulletins. Here is a link to
his page and below that his own words (hopefully with permission) on
the event.
THANK YOU RANDY FOR THE LOVE AND SUPPORT THAT YOU
OFFER YOUR MOM. YOU GIVE HER SO MUCH IT OVERFLOWS AND SPILLS OUT
AFFECTING EACH AND EVERY ONE OF US WHO SUFFERS.
In Randy's Own Words
Hello All,
A day has passed and I wanted to throw some thoughts together about this run and the process of getting it to completion.
We had about 300 participants. I was committed to more, but it did not work out that way. Beyond that, the run was a great success. The park proved to be a good venue and the weather was nice, but a bit cold that early in the morning. We heard more than once that our run was well-organized and that it was a fun event. We had lots of raffle prizes including JetBlue tickets which went to a pain patient who suffers from RSD (my mom's condition). Richard Dean Anderson and the Laker Girls were a hit. The run promoter and the finish line timing company both said that we did a great job for a first year event which normally only draws about 100 people. Dennis Kinch, the guy who walked Rte 66 from Chicago to L.A. last year was there. He got in Saturday afternoon. He walked for 12 hours straight from Manhattan Beach to Long Beach to arrive for our run. He said a few words about what can be achieved if you commit to it. Our Romanian doctor, Alexandra, did come out. She even helped volunteer at the event. She had a great time. She donated some authentic Romanian items to our raffle. And, of all things, she is a fan of Richard Dean Anderson. She was able to meet him and to get his autograph. That was very cool.
The
run was a success, but the most gratifying thing for me was what
occurred after the run. The participants came and checked out our
vendors and listened to see if their raffle numbers got called. In
doing so, they interacted with others and met people who were affected
by chronic pain and RSD. They networked with each other
and made new friends and supported each other. There were those who
had no idea such a community existed. They thought they were alone in
their pain and in their condition. A couple people volunteered to help
out next year. One such person did not have a pain condition. She is
a police officer from LAPD who simply wanted to help. In the midst of
all of this, people were spreading awareness. People were creating
opportunities and avenues and POSSIBILITIES! That was my ultimate
goal. That is what I committed to achieve.
Some
things that I have learned in Landmark classes were reinforced while
putting this run together. Commitment and playing a big game are huge
concepts. Being committed, but not attached is huge. When I committed
myself to making things happen despite what the result might be, I
often got the desired result anyway. There were times when I did not
and it would be frustrating. But, I let it go. I just stayed in my
commitment to the run. I lived in my possibility of being love and
passion. My committee was doing the same. The morning of the run, one
of our committee members received a $500 donation before the sun even
came up. That was awesome. That same committee member's sister raised
$2100 in pledges which she presented to us on race day. We were
getting raffle donations up to and including the day of the race. We
all lived in our commitment to the run.
Sometime
during the middle of this process, we found out we were not getting a
title sponsor. We almost lost the run because we were not sure we
could afford to put it on. But, we stayed in our commitment, we
re-adjusted some things, and we made it happen. We were unattached to
the answer "No" and we moved on. We played a big game and it was
recognized by many who appreciated our efforts to bring awareness to an
underserved community. It even brought some to tears to some people as
they were overwhelmed by emotion. They were moved that somebody was
speaking up for them and what they were experiencing.
Mom had an incident where she twisted her bad ankle in a tree planter. It took her out of action
for about an hour. She recovered, however, and participated in the
rest of the event. Mom experienced a great deal of satisfaction
related to this event. She saw its evolution and was very pleased with
the end result.
Thanks to everyone - committee members, donors, sponsors, volunteers and participants - who made this happen!
Dream Really Big and have a wonderful holiday season!!!!
Randy
9:32 PM
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