runagainstcancer.org

Sheila’s Kicking Cancer’s Ass

alain — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 19:48:06 +0000

With the exception of announcing the new venue for Super Sunday, I haven’t posted here since Valentine’s Day 2011. So much has happened around here over the last year but that’s not why I’m writing today. Today is about Sheila.

I first met Sheila with her boyfriend Ray at the Mill Cities Relay back in December. As I approached to pet their pit-bulls, they recognized me as the RD from the 2010 Holiday 5K. Half an hour later, these two incredibly friendly and talented runners had become members of Team RaceMenu. One week later, Sheila scorched the the Miss Santa Holiday 5K in 21:18 to win her age group.

Recently, thanks to Facebook, I learned that Sheila is battling cancer. As you can see from the first picture above, Sheila ran Super Sunday this past weekend. Struggling, she hopped into the racemobile at the 4.5 mile mark and called it a day. She was sick and disappointed. We’re talking about a very competitve AG winner packing it in 90% through the race. Imagine how much pain she must’ve endured before throwing in the towel.

Sheila is in surgery this afternoon. A mere 48 hours after running Super Sunday, she is having cancerous polyps removed from her intestines as friends and family hope and pray that the cancer has not gone through her intestinal wall. (which would mean more chemo)

If you’ve ever participated in a RACE event, you’re part of our running family. We may only see each other a few times per year but we are connected by something much greater than race results. We run strong to kick cancer’s ass. Please send positive vibes Sheila’s way and maybe leave a comment below to help her get over this hill. Ray is by her side making sure she knows we’re all cheering for her.

super merry christmas sunday.

alain — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 23:22:26 +0000

for those of you (and only you) who follow this page, here’s a li’l secret: we’ll be sending out a super merry christmas sunday email. yeah, read into that. if you’re on twitter, might wanna’ follow @racecancer too.

thank you.

alain — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 22:40:57 +0000

The 2011 Super Sunday 5K/10K was a very unique event for RACE. It was the first race we’ve ever been forced to postpone and turned into the first race we’ve ever been forced to cancel. Hopefully it’s our last entry in both categories. Despite the difficulties, I believe we handled things well and exceeded the expectations of most participants. Based on comments, calls and emails, we’ve gained some raving fans. But we’ve also disappointed a few people along the way.

Runners, volunteers and anyone else interested, please join us next Wednesday evening to review the 2011 Super Sunday 5K/10K. This will be an open forum with a Q&A session by Alain, the race director. We’ll answer any and all questions, review what we’ve learned over the last few months and discuss how to apply those lessons towards improving future RACE events.

When: Wednesday, Feb. 23rd, 8pm
Where: Globe Bar & Grill, 565 Boylston St. Boston, MA
RSVP here: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=186593298046998

While the weather might’ve stopped us from racing down the streets of South Boston, it did not stop us from our primary objective which is supporting Livestrong. We’ve already raised over $17,000 through Super Sunday and expect to reach our fundraising goal of $20,000! So thank you for your support, thank you for your understanding and – most importantly – thank you for helping us kick cancer’s ass!

shirts at city sports today.

alain — Sat, 12 Feb 2011 20:17:01 +0000

if you were one of the first 1,000 registrants, you should’ve received our “you get a free tech shirt!” email from us a few weeks ago. we’ve got more space here at city sports today so we’ve got your shirts. we’re here until 8pm so come on down and remember, 15% off your entire . . . → Read More: shirts at city sports today.

no race, no run, just a party.

alain — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 20:55:36 +0000

sorry, they said no.

no race, no run, just a party. it’s final; an email has been sent to all registrants. hopefully you’ll get your run in on sunday and then hit our party afterwards. we’ll show you a really, really good time and our sponsors will really, really appreciate it. if you can’t attend, you can transfer your bib to another person or you can even get a refund. it’s all in the email.

hoping to see you sunday,
-alain

never say die!

alain — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 18:23:34 +0000

how ironic! we couldn’t send out yesterday’s email due to technical issues (the message is posted here) and now there’s hope.

please temporarily ignore yesterday’s “here’s the scoop” message; there is still a chance that we can race on sunday! if we get approval, it’ll be fun and a li’l crazy, but it would be a race. that’s all i can say for now; please cross your fingers and stay tuned that we get this one last approval.

never say die!
-alain

super sunday 2011: here’s the scoop.

alain — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 04:50:45 +0000

This is the email we tried to send to all registrants earlier this evening. We are having issues with iContact (our email service) so we can’t send this out until tomorrow (Thursday) morning.

Hello runners;

Thanks for your patience. Here’s the scoop with Super Sunday 2011:

The race is still canceled. State authorities (DCR & State Police) will not allow a road closure, nor will they allow us to organize a “fun run” on the sidewalks and paths. Not this week, nor next week, nor the week after that.
The party is still on. From 11am to 3pm, we’ll have live music, dancing, door prizes, hot soup, cold beer and non-alcoholic beverages. We’re working on other stuff but it’s too soon to say, so hopefully we’ll surprise you.
Early packet pick-up is at City Sports, Thursday 5:30-8pm & Saturday 12:30-8pm. (bib # for party + swag bag; shirt pick-up on Sunday)
Party registration opens at 10am Sunday; please remember to bring your ID if you want beer.
Day-of entry is $40; pre-registration is $30 until Saturday afternoon or $20 for your friends. Just apply coupon code —(in the email)— at checkout.
You’re getting a $15 discount on entry to the 2011 Holiday 5K, scheduled for Dec. 11th. We’ll send you a coupon code when registration opens in the fall.
Can’t attend this Sunday? Easy enough: just give your race bib to someone else; they can even pick it up on your behalf.
We are not offering refunds, but if you really want one, we’ll do it if you donate $20 to Livestrong. (here’s how.)
FirstGiving RACES 2011: Everyone gets participation credit towards the series. Since competition points are not awarded for this event, series scoring will be based on the remaining 5 races.

Finally, I want to thank everyone for the supportive emails and comments posted on our website and Facebook page. While I haven’t had a chance to respond to each of you, I’ve read everything and appreciate your kind words.

On behalf of the entire RACE crew, we thank you and look forward to seeing you on Sunday.

Run strong,
-Alain

email later today…

alain — Wed, 09 Feb 2011 15:57:08 +0000

thanks for your patience, runners.

getting answers from the state authorities has been very difficult; i’m sure they’re under a lot of stress with so many snow-related public safety issues. i just got an email from the dcr a few minutes ago. sadly, they’ve rejected our road closure requests for every weekend through the end of february. so it’s official – we will not be running down day boulevard. however, we continue with plans for a non-competitive “fun run” along the sidewalks & paths which flank the original race course. no timing, no awards. just good, healthy people running together.

we will be sending out an email later today; here’s what we know so far:

the weather forecast looks good.

mix1 is still coming with all-natural protein shakes.

harpoon brewery is still coming with cold beer (ufo & ipa).

whole foods market is still coming with hot soup & bread.

city sports back bay is still hosting race bag pick-up tomorrow (thursday) & saturday.

racemenu is still providing free bags, hats, beanies and (for the first 1,000 entrants) long-sleeve technical shirts.

we’ve got live music, a dance floor, lots of door prizes and a special guest speaker (stay tuned) so please come join us on sunday!

Super Sunday refund option.

alain — Tue, 08 Feb 2011 03:01:06 +0000

If you can not (or do not want to) attend the postponed Super Sunday event on Sunday February 13th, have no interest in a discount on a future RACE event and only want a refund, here’s how to get one:

Please donate at least $20 to Livestrong via the race director’s FirstGiving page (or better yet, your own FirstGiving page.)
Forward FirstGiving’s “Thank you for your donation” email to the race director (alain@runagainstcancer.org) with a request to cancel your registration and get a refund.
Complete steps 1 & 2 before 4pm Friday, February 11th.

Upon confirmation, we’ll cancel your registration and issue a full refund.

Yes – you donate $20, we’ll refund $30.

Keep in mind, RACE loses money on each refund so this reduces our donation to Livestrong. We are offering this refund option due to criticism that our “no refund” policy is unfair.

Please let us know (via comments) whether or not you think this is a fair solution.

If you’re expecting a refund, please read this.

alain — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 07:15:17 +0000

I am sorry, but we are not offering refunds. Please understand that we have many unrecoverable fixed costs on this event. We are working our butts off to come up with fair (or more than fair!) alternatives for you and will have an update ASAP. Unfortunately I am getting bombarded with emails asking for a refund and simply can not respond to all of them, so here is my statement to you:

I am sorry to inform you that we are not offering refunds. Obviously we can not control the weather, nor can we overrule a decision by the DCR or Mass. State Police. They have determined that the race must be canceled due to concerns for public safety. Meanwhile, we are coming up with options that many other event directors would never even consider.

Please understand that we are not a bunch of greedy people laughing over the forecast and counting how much money we’ve just scammed from you. We are a team of good people and dedicated volunteers trying to raise money for cancer charities while putting on a great event for you, the runner. Heck, we let cancer patients and survivors participate for free! And if that’s not enough to help you understand our decision, please refer to the statement which appeared on our website from last November until yesterday: ”If snow is in the forecast for race-day, event may be postponed to Sunday, February 13th.”

Here’s a screenshot from the cache: