Covenanthouse

Hey Guys! I'm doing something really, really stupid thing on April 10-11... I'm running a 100 mile race in the desert by Zion National Park in Utah. But at least this 100 mile run is for a good cause now...

A lot of you know I've been planning this for a while, and I wanted to make sure I got through the rest of training without injury before I started raising money. I've officially gotten through the tough part of training, the race is 12 days away, and now I'm tapering and prepping for the race. Not easy to carbo-load during passover...

The Race. About 300 top long distance runners around the world are gonna attempt the run and only about half of them will finish the race without quitting (DNF). Racers have 30 hours to finish, the course is at 4,000 feet of altitude, and there's 10,000 feet of elevation gain. As a lot of you know, I've been training for this since early November and had a few set backs along the way (Covid in Nov and an ankle injury in Feb!). I've had a lot of fun the past 6-7 months but I always prioritized waking up in the morning and getting my training runs in and now I feel ready to take on the challenge!

Why Am I Doing This? I get asked this question all the time... but best answer I can come up with is I like setting really big goals and working away at them. I think it's the same reason people decide to run a marathon, but to a different extreme. Also, while the training sucks, it really helps me with everything I do - keeps my mind sharp and my mood/energy levels high. And long runs are great for thinking/meditating and they're free therapy sessions, especially if you don't run with headphones! But the truth is I won't really know the real "why" until mile 70 or 80 when it's pitch black, cold, I can barely move my legs and my body is screaming at me to just quit!

What I Can Promise. I can't promise I'll finish the race because I've never run 100 miles and a million things can go wrong during the race. But I can promise that I'm in amazing running shape, it'll be harder than anything I've ever attempted, and I'll give it 100% of my effort.

And finally, I figured if I'm going to do this I should use this to raise some money for a cause I'm really passionate about....

Why Covenant House? I've worked with Covenant House a lot before and have helped lead 3 sleep outs in NYC. I love Covenant House and the work they do because they help teens get out of the cycle of homelessness at a young age... they teach young teens how to apply for jobs, save money, and be a strong/functioning member of society. I really like the idea of investing in homeless teens early to help them exit the cycle and I think the money they invest in the kids pays off in dividends. If any of you want to get involved with Covenant House please reach out and I'm happy to put you in touch with my contacts there!

Thank you! Huge thanks to Covenant House for all they do on daily basis... huge thanks to everyone that's donating... huge thanks to my running coach Darcie Murphy... and huge thanks to all the family and friends that have supported me (put up with me) throughout the training and will be cheering me on!!

Covenant House helps young people transform their lives and confidently start on their path to independence. Besides food, shelter, and clothing, our programs include outreach, medical and mental health care, education, workforce development and job placement, substance use treatment, civil legal aid services, young families, transitional and supportive apartment-living, and life skills training, in addition to public education and prevention. Hi friends, join me in making a difference by supporting a good cause! I'm raising money for Covenanthouse and any donation will help make an impact. Thanks in advance for your contribution to this cause that means so much to me.