Friday's Photo

A picture is worth a thousand words.

The start of the 2011 Marine Corps Marathon
Photo provided courtesy of Paul Oberle

Got Bibs?

Photo provided courtesy of Paul Oberle

Team Hope For The Warriors® is comprised of two groups of people.  First, the Team is a program that supports our wounded service members and helps them get back into competitive athletic pursuits.  Often, this requires special adaptive equipment, such as a handcycle.  Once they have their adaptive equipment, we continue our support by providing race bibs, travel and lodging so that our wounded Team members can compete with their fellow military brother and sisters.

Robin, our president, on the scenic route of the
American Odyssey Relay.  Photo by Paul Oberle.

This program is supported by community Team members, many who obtain bibs from Hope For The Warriors® for key, sold out races.  Didn't sign up in time for the Marine Corps Marathon?  No problem, we have bibs.  NYC Marathon lottery didn't go your way?  We got it!

Links to register to any of our Team races can be found on our Team Web Page.

We have bibs for the following races:

American Odyssey Relay--April 27-28
Hope For The Warriors® is forming two teams for this amazing relay race.  Each team will combine our wounded heroes with community athletes.

TD Five Boro Bike Tour--May 6
Registration is closed for this event but we still have a few race bibs left.

Marine Corps Historic Half--May 20
Run the streets of historic Fredericksburg, VA.

Rock 'n' Roll, Virginia Beach Half--September 2
First time Team Hope For The Warriors will be in this sold out race!

Rock 'n' Roll Philadelphia Half--September 16
Another new race this year for our Team.

Army Ten-Miler--October 21
Hooah!  We are excited to add this race to our Team schedule.

Marine Corps Marathon--October 28
Last year's marathon sold out in 28 hours.  We are already selling our bibs now.  Sign up today!

The ING New York City Marathon--November 6
We have already sold half of our bibs for this race.  We are not sure if we will have any left when the lottery is announced.  Why wait?!

To keep up with all of this information, I encourage you to "Like" the Team Facebook page and read the Team Blog.

Michael Cuomo, actor, "Happy New Year" and ROTC student
Jack Rosenhammer complete the NYC Marathon together in
perfect "No man left behind" style!

Marine Corps Marathon - Team Hope For The Warriors®

One of the many Team members competing on a handcycle.
Photo provided courtesy of Paul Oberle

Approximately 40,000 people are expected to take to the streets of Washington, DC on October 28, 2012 for the 37th Marine Corps Marathon, but only the special few will be running for a cause greater than themselves.

The Marine Corps Marathon does not open until March 7 and last year, the race sold out in 28 hours.

This race is one of the largest marathons in the world and one of the best organized.  If you are someone who supports our military families, this race is even more special.  It is a way to give back and honor those who have served and sacrificed.

And when you are part of Team Hope For The Warriors®, you will run alongside many of the wounded service members that the Team supports.  Our Team takes to the streets on foot, prosthetics and on handcycle--determined to be defined by their accomplishments, not their injuries.

As a member of Team Hope For The Warriors® you can personally and positively affect the lives of wounded service members and their families, just by doing what you love to do—running a great race!

To learn more, follow the link to the Marine Corps Marathon Team page. Each team member will be required to set a minimum goal of raising $575 for Hope for the Warriors®.  Many use the tools we provide to set and exceed a much higher goal. 

Want to learn more of have questions?  E-mail our Team Director Jenlene.

Team member at the 2011 MCM.  Photo provided courtesy of Paul Oberle

Year In Pictures - A Smile at Mile 26.2

Photo provided courtesy of Paul Oberle.

Paul and Sally Kelly have done so much for Hope For The Warriors®, I could do an entire blog on their efforts and their impact.  As a matter of fact, here is Paul's blog if you would like to read more.  Together, the couple has raised more than $38,000 for Hope For The Warriors®. 

Beyond the fact that they raise funds and awareness, both Paul and Sally have become mentors to other athletes.  Paul, a quadriplegic, competes on a handcycle and has helped new service members who are still adapting to the equipment.  Sally has supported Team efforts and trained with other members to help them reach their race goals.

For the past several years, Paul has raced in countless marathons and Sally has raced in shorter distances, including several half marathons.  In 2010, she helped a teammate from Team Hope For The Warriors® train and complete her first marathon.  After that, Sally decided that she too would join the ranks of marathon finishers.

This photo shows Sally after she completed the 2011 Marine Corps Marathon and her smile says it all.  She completed her first marathon at an age that many Americans are thinking about retirement and taking life easy.  And not only was her first marathon inspiring, she place 30th in her age group out of 90.  An amazing accomplishment for a first marathon and in such a huge marathon.

As a sidenote, not only could I do an entire blog on Paul and Sally, I could also do an entire blog on members of Team Hope For The Warriors®.  To see more incredible photos of amazing people, I encourage you to "Like" out Team Facebook page.