15+ relay teams.
15 solo runners.
260 miles of running across hot Georgia tarmac.
Why? For the challenge and to raise money and awareness for House of Heroes (HoH), a Columbus, Georgia based not for profit whose mission is to help veterans and public safety households with basic house repairs and renovations. A great cause...our vets, police and fire officers deserve our best.
This past week, I caught up with my friend John Teeples, who is heavily involved with the HoH Run for the Heroes and is once again serving as race director. John was fresh off running 78 miles or so over 40 odd hours at the Barkley Marathons. I was lucky to grab him for a few minutes.
John, how are you feeling after Barkley?
It was harder than anything I have every attempted. The terrain, the distance and the tough challenges of running on mostly unmarked trails. I cannot even describe the difficulty of the race.
Wow, and now you are working hard to get the HoH Run for the Heroes pulled together. How is it going?
We have a lot of interest this year. It looks like we will have 12-15 individual racers and 15 or so relay teams. There is a lot interest in the relay race and folks from Fort Benning are putting together teams. We are also again blessed with committed sponsors this year.
What is the fund raising goal this year John? You guys did real well last year.
Last year, we raised over $70,000. We would really like to go over the $100,000 mark this year. We know times are still tough for folks, but the people we are helping need the kind of assistance HoH's projects provide. We are grateful for every donation and volunteer we get.
How did the run go last year?
It was hot out there! Our winning relay team defied the heat and covered the distance in about 34 hours. That is pretty fast. We did have three individual finishers. The run for the individuals was a little less of a race versus just hanging in there for the entire run. It is hard to run 260 miles. We did have 3 get it done though!
Where does the money raised by the Run for the Heroes go?
The money goes to provide assistance to military vets, public safety officials and their families in making repairs and improvements to homes. HoH chapters are popping up in areas all over the country. It is such a worthy cause! We literally help these people with the hard work and resources needed to get repair and renovation work done to improve their quality of life.
How can people sign up or donate to the HoH or the run?
The best way to go is to hit the website http://www.runfortheheroes.com/plaintext/home/home.aspx
There you can find information for making a donation, race participation or sponsorship opportunities.
John, I know you are a pretty modest guy, but the work you and the rest of the HoH crew are doing is so awesome. You and the team are role models.
I am just doing what everyone else would do in the same situation. Our vets and safety officials deserve our help.
(Me thinking - hmmmm, not enough people doing enough good deeds like HoH these days.)
Well John, thanks for you time, maybe we can figure out a way to run some together soon.
We will figure out something!
If you can help..head on over to one of the links and donate!
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