Monday, July 20, 2015

Venus de Miles

I was fortunate to be chosen as one of the ambassadors for the Venus de Miles Ride/Run 2015. As an ambassador I get to host fun events and spread the word about the events beneficiary, the Greenhouse Scholars.
Live Grit owner Gillian Fealy and the VDM Chicago ambassadors
A little info on the event:
Venus de Miles is Colorado and Illinois’ first all-women's athletic event. Multiple course options welcome all ability levels and ages to this celebration of sisterhood and community.  Participants are treated to healthy food, cocktails, spa services, and a lot of fun. The event benefits Greenhouse Scholars, an education organization that works with extraordinary college students from low-income communities and inspires, supports, and drives them to change the trajectory of their careers, their families, and their communities - forever.

Out on the bike ride!
There are two different bike ride options, the 25 mile or 62 mile course. This year for the first time they also added a 5k run/walk option which is the event I'll be participating in! I really wanted to try out one of the bike rides, but seeing as how I have prior commitments later in the day (I'll be cheering Denise on at the finish line of her first Half Ironman!) the 5k was my best option.

For the weeks leading up to the event I've been hosting a group training/fun run from the Hyde Park New Balance Store. We welcome ALL paces, no one gets left behind. If you'd like to join us we'll be there every Monday at 6:15pm and head out towards the lake for about a 3 mile run.

Aside from the weekly runs I was also involved in an event hosted at Live Grit. Along with the owner of the store, myself and a few other VDM ambassadors invited anyone who was interested to meet us at the store for a 12 mile bike ride followed by a 5k run. The bike course was a 2 mile loop ending at the store so for those who needed a break or didn't want to do the full 12 miles they were able to chose the mileage they preferred. The run course was similar, a 1 mile loop also ending at the store.

One of my Midwest Vikings teammates came out to join us and kept me company for the 12 mile bike ride. When we finished up it was so hot out that we needed a break to hydrate before tackling the run. I was only able to run a mile before the heat finally won and I stopped at the store to refresh before giving my presentation about VDM and the Greenhouse Scholars.

For those unfamiliar with the Greenhouse Scholars here are a few highlights:

Greenhouse Scholars is an education non-profit that works with extraordinary college students from low-income communities and inspires, supports, and drives them to change the trajectory of their careers, their families, and their communities. Scholars are club leaders, sports team captains, and outstanding students. They are high-performing role models in their communities despite facing enormous obstacles. They have endured loss, abuse, homelessness, upheaval, and countless other
challenges.

The program provides:
• Professional networking
One-on-one mentorship
• Peer support
• Internships
• An annual Summer Symposium focused on leadership development
• Flex funding
• A tuition scholarship

We had a great turnout and I'm beyond ecstatic to participate in the event this weekend! If you'd like to join me for the run, the price is only $45 through July 24th and you can save $10 by using the code RACENEVERENDS (you can also use the code for either of the bike ride options).
Erica, me, Eanista and Janelle after the presentation
Bike ride done, time for the run!
My teammate Mark and I
What a great turnout! Thanks for joining us :)

1 comment:

  1. These photos do not convey the full extent of the hotness that morning. But it was a great event!

    ReplyDelete