One last belated blog from the A-Team: Some Closing Thoughts

Ok, who is even reading this still? Probably nobody, but I/we feel compelled to submit some parting words for this 2010 Run for the Reason.

Our last day (Saturday) was best described as fast and easy - a phrase we used frequently during our relay. We started running at around 430 am and each of us had relatively strong runs. Our enthusiasm for being done with the running portion and commencing the celebratory portion was not easily masked. We were delighted to only have to run 3.3 miles each, despite gale-force head-winds and excessively humid weather.

Overall lessons learned:
1. Duct tape really is a god-send.
2. While body glide seems good in theory, it is not always the best idea.

3.Sometimes being awesome can garner a negative response from your peers.

4. When the can is full, its full. Enough said.

5. Body odor can take many different forms and can travel in very unique ways.

6. Finally, really...YOU CAN'T TOUCH THIS, ooooohhh oh oh oooohhhh oh oh.

One final thanks to our drivers for keeping it fresh; to the other teams for pounding the pavement; and to Kevin Manogue for all your work - we missed you man! Until twenty-eleven, we out!
Brooke
**Sent from my BlackBerry**

Team C - uphill! Or downhill?

Ahh! We can smell the cookout! Kevin finished his leg up hill! Jeff
started his uphill! Amazing! Almost there! On our last runner, we will
be there soon! Get ready!

Team B - Final comments

Guest blogger KK - Funny how the IT peron is the last one to have the courage to attempt the blog and I still needed assistance. We are arriving in sunny Dauphin Island, freshly showered and feeling just a little bad for Team C after seeing the monster that awaits them in the Dauphin Island brige. But we have faith in them - I swear, the John Roberts Peavy bridge was just as bad and without the scenery.

We are almost to the finish line, although right now I would say we are less than 100% certain how to get there, hope we don't miss the cookout. This has been an awesome few days - hard to explain how we can run for 1 hour and sit on our cans for 23 hours each day, yet be so exhausted, but it is all worth it. Big thanks to our drivers, who have the real stamina - they have to focus while we play, and I never heard one complaint - Rosa, Denise, Ben and Cherie, you all are the best! Thanks to all my teammates on Team B (the B is for BEST)- it has been a true pleasure to be stuck in a stinky RV with you for three days. You all are the greatest, can't wait for next year!

Team B - Topography Maps

Guest Blogger Nicole: Ok, I learned that bridges do not show up on topography maps. I want to send out a special thank you to my wonderful teammates Kathleen and Waymon who climbed Mt. Everest with me today in hurricane force winds. I could not have made it without them. Maybe a few sore muscles, a few blisters but a great experience.

Team B....We have come to the end of the road!

This is the guest blogger "T-Rock" giving the low-down for Team B.

We ran our last and final leg today. We were greeted by the A-Team this morning with a small oak tree attached to the baton. Thanks a lot guys we really appreciate it. I guess we have been too much cardio the past few days, and not enough weight lifting.

We had a rather uneventful run....except for the pit bull that decided to chase Kathleen. I would like to take this opportunity to give a shout out to Brian, Nicole, Kathleen, and Lee for taking on all the bridges on our leg.

So we have another Run for the Reason in the books. We would like to take this opportunity to thank Alabama Power, our sponsors, and all who donated (too many to type but it takes a lot of people and a lot of coordination to pull this event off). I would like to give a special shout out to all that participated in the event the runners and the drivers.

I would also like to take this opportunity to give a shout out to Kevin Manouge. Get well big guy! You are a rock and inspiration to all of us. We know you are here in spirit, and we would also like to say thanks for coordinating all this for us.

We are looking forward to doing this again next year. We would also like to remind everyone about cancer awareness and the reason we do this run. This is a labor of love for the American Cancer Society, and the race for the cure.

Team C - Good Morning from C

Well we are up! Round 5 (final round) Ding, Ding, Ding! Our last leg
starts in about 2 hours, we are about an hour away. Having breakfast
right now! The boys had a waffle house trip without all the girls when
we arrived at 5:30AM (thanks for the invite boys) we are now headed to
the RV. We will see how everyone holds up for the last leg, comming
soon....

Team B Midnight run though Jackson

Our starting point for this leg was outside a sheep farm. Yes, they were real sheep. As we waited for Team A, the owner of the sheep walked down the road to make sure we weren't stealing any of his sheep. Supposedly, there have been a rash of sheep stealers lately. Of course it was a Friday night and perhaps there were some special beverages consumed by the sheep owner that impaired his memory. After introductions to the sheep farmer were over, we gathered our "welcoming tools" for Team A. We took advantage of Team A's speedy guys vanity with a fake photo op and then blasted him with showers of silly string! Success!

Then we were off and running. Waymon led us off with another tough leg in the mountains of lower Alabama (seriously, you have to check the elevation). I think his entire run was uphill. Holly was second and got the benefit of the downhills that Waymon had conquered. She was very thankful to Waymon! A big shoutout to Jackson, Alabama. They were rocking on a Friday nigt. Jennifer took the baton next and was rewarded some hills (she has somehow avoided them throughout the whole relay :-)). Meanwhile while Jennifer was knocking down those hills, we had Master DJ Bryan cranking out music on request. We would no sooner name a song and "voila" or "walla" in LA terms, than DJ Bryan would have it pulled up on Itunes and we would be singing. Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen was especially moving. Kathleen ran next and had a fairly uneventful leg, but was very speedy this night. Nicole picked up the baton next and started running strong. She was asked along the way if we were making a movie! Forrest Gump II maybe? After a great run, I picked up the baton and had an uneventful run too (thankfully no police this time!) The moon followed us down the road and kept me company! Bryan picked up the final leg and turned in one of his best run times on the relay! A smooth and timely handoff to Team C and we were off to the LaQuinta in Satsuma, AL. We were very warmly welcomed and it was an awesome hotel! Off to sleepy land for a few hours sleep to be ready for our last run in just a little while!

Team C - lights out!

Well yes we had no sun light from midnight to our hand off at 4:20 AM
to team A. But we are all getting our last power nap in before the
final leg! Ahhhh! So excited! Mobile Bay get ready, you are our finish
line and we are beyond pumped. Bitter-sweet finish ahead:
- to be finished and let our legs rest for a few days=sweet
-but memory-making/good-times coming to a close=bitter

We have a few more memories to make in this last leg, I looking
forward to those most! Can't wait for some AWESOME food at the finish
line! I'm drooling right now. Check back in a few hours for last leg
updates... It's goin' be GOOD!

Team C - 1:30 AM - Sat

Well we are in action, Christina is out on the road right now. (see
picture) Keeping her pace and looking strong. Making our way
South=Some Humid weather. But everyone is holding their own. We've
pretty much the highway to ourselves. Nothing's sweeter then taking in
this expierence of a lifetime! Thanks to all involved for making it
possible!

Team C - midnight run #4

Ahh, nothing like "Dearhead" AL to start off our fourth run. Everyone
is feeling 100% and ready to conquer the world! Really? Not quite, but
everyone is in good spirits, the finish line is getting close. Tired
bodies, but we are ready for our night run! Check back for some more
details on leg 4! Ahh! Love from Deerhead!

Team C - another handoff - Fri. 6:00

This is our handoff to Team A. Kevin (aka DJ Lance Rock) Jeff (aka
bull) Brandon (aka rodeo clown). looking awesome!

We saw are fair share of drama, honks, waves, yelling; happy, sad,
mad. Whoo! All part of the weekend fun. Had some threats... But we
just smile and give some friendly waves.

Just finished eating some awesome: All-you-can-eat catfish! Thanks
dave's!

At the hotel now. Lookin forward to a solid 2.5 hour nap. Back in a
few..

A-Team Day 2: Honestly, we pity the fools.

We departed the superb Key West Inn at 3:30 am groggy and ready to hit the road and get over the 3rd run hump, so we could high-five each other with much enthusiasm for getting on the backside of the relay. Christine and I immediately sought refuge in the back room so we could get a couple more winks before round 3. It has to be mentioned that with Obi-Wan and Luke Skywalker at the helm, Christine and I actually caught 3 feet of air while we were lying in bed. That's some serious driving skills, people. And if we haven't mentioned it yet, our drivers do deserve a big fat bear hug for not only keeping on course but for also their encouraging words while we run, for example, "you should run faster, you're slowing us down."

I gotta tell you, we had some rough runs this morning. We were all a little bit sore and a little bit cranky. My spirits were really broken and when I finished my 4 I wasn't a happy girl when I boarded the bus. Our most entertaining moments were:

* Discovering that we had either an 80's hair band superstar in a midst. Its really a beautiful thing when you find out you're in the very presence of excellence. Christine really mixed up things up this morning by wielding a red headband/bandanna featuring white skulls. She looks like a ridiculous female pirate version of Bret Michaels.

* 2-Cube topping even himself by upchucking his breakfast and two gatorades right after his hand-off to Chesley Of course he still ran sub-8 miles. He is now affectionately being renamed Chuck.

The highlight of our morning has been the Big Boy breakfast at Karls Kountry Kitchen, or whatever, taking in the fine aromas of Thomasville, and getting 3 hours of sleep before our next leg. It should also be noted that there is no surliness or punchiness from any members of our team. But, again, that's probably because we are awesome.

We'll holla lata, but you should be anticipating a special edition blog from us shortly.
**Sent from my BlackBerry**

A Team - Day 1, Leg 2: Hot Plate!

One thing you can say about this group, we are consistent…consistently awesome. I am amazed with how consistent our paces have been, even with the weird diet, the weird sleeping schedule and the weird playlists that Chesley plays. Each of our second legs presented the same variety of excitement and lameness as the previous leg and the boys each came in with solid 7-8-minute splits and the girls each finished right at 9:45 splits. We capped off our second leg last night with a little Mexican Fiesta in Clanton, as all of us were tired and came to the mutual decision that we'd rather risk the potential intestinal havoc it might wreak later and have Mexican food than eat Wendy's or the likes. The fruits of our good decision making were realized when we were served a bucket of steaming hot refried beans by a waiter wearing a skin tight apron while exclaiming, "HOT PLATE HOT PLATE!" Whilst our group dined on chips and queso, I surveyed the crowd what their favorite moments of the day were and was provided the following fodder for conversation:
·         A fun little jaunt to Target to purchase an open box special boombox to hook the iPods up to. The result has been a glorious RV ride showcasing several hours of the group's greatest hits, such as the Macarena, Purple Rain, and Mmmbop. 
·         During my 4-miler right at dusk, a golden retriever decided to join me right around mile 2 and dive in and out of traffic and literally run circles around me. It only became somewhat concerning when it became apparent to me that her sight was lacking and she dodged out into traffic.  So basically, I spent the remainder of my run being herded like a lame sheep by a blind dog, which obviously makes me feel fantastic.
·         Knowing that we have unconditional support from all of the locals we run by, not limited to the 8 year old girl who was driving a riding lawn-mower unsupervised with her 6 year old husky brother riding on the front of it while cheering for us and waving.
·         Checking into our hotel and finding some hairs in the bathroom that clearly defied the laws of gravity to happen upon the sink.
Additionally, there was some spirited group discussion over queso that resulted in our need to say just one thing: SHOUT OUT TO MAD DOGG, WOOOOOOT WOOOOT!
A-Team, out – what what!

Team C - really?

Roll Tide? RTR, classy! Love it!

Team C - on the run...

Our team is still out on the open road. Stephanie is out now. Keeping
her groove going! (picture) can yall all do a rain dance for us? We
would like something to keep us cool. Drivers are doing well. Trucking
along.

Team C - round 3!

Hotel was awesome, some pretty good sleep for the whole team! About 4
hours, and we are back in action... Brandon and I have run our legs
and Christina is running now. Doing an awesome job! The rest of the
team is getting ready. It is overcast, and as enjoyable as a hot run
can be, just thankful for not too much sun on our backs. Check back in
a few hours!

Nicole

Sent from my iPhone.

Team B: Road Kill, State Troopers, and Hills Oh My!

Hello from Guest Blogger Jennifer. We are now on our 3rd leg of the trip. We are somewhere in Wilcox County between Selma and Thomasville. Last night's run through Clanton was quite eventful. We encountered dogs, road kill, police, etc., but the weather was great and we didn't have as many angry commuters as we did in Talladega. I would like to give a shout out to the Talladega police department for escorting us after our fourth or so road rage encounter.

We stayed in Childersburg at the Key West Inn. We sat down at the Pizza Hut for some much-awaited nourishment, when we had to get our pizzas to go because we got the phone call from team A that they would be at the check point 45 minutes early. Slow down, Hussein Bolt. Those folks are fast! We are not that fast, but I feel we make up for it with style. We got them back by filling empty pizza boxes with banana peels so that they would be tricked! Ha! Take that!


Anyways, right now we are in the rolling hills of mid Alabama. I am very imressed with Holley, Waymon, and Lee for killing those steep hills. There are going to be some sore bottoms tomorrow. I will be running anchor today and it looks really hot. I need to put some sunscreen on now. We'll holla atcha!

Update:
Okay, so leg 3 is over and I stand corrected - everyone in the group had massive hills, so I would like to give a shout out to Kathleen, Nicole, and Bryan in addition to those listed before. I, on the other hand, had it flat the whole way and the clouds came out, so sorry! Luck of the draw!

Yay for Rosa, one of our fearless drivers, who joined me for the final mile (as posted above).

well, we are off to Thomasville for some rest and food. It's five o'clock somewhere! See you in a few hours!

C team - Round 2 finish

The hand off to A Team was a success! (see picture) yes there is a
baton inside the road kill. Everyone ran very well this go around, it
was a nice change for the killer heat yesterday. Cool night air.
Starting to feel the lack of sleep, but everyone is taking it well.
Props to the drivers they are doing and awesome job. It really is the
hardest part of this run. So this one is for our amazing drivers:
Trei, Carey, David, and Delicao.

C Team - rest no. 1

Well some awesome run fuel (pizza hutt) and some soild sleep (average
2 hours). We are back in the RV ready for round two to start at 1:45
AM.. Meeting B team for the swap, our team will finish about hum 5:40
ish, awesome night running! And we are off...

Team B - Second Run

Team B is wrapping up our second run. We ran past the giant peach in Clanton. The drama has settled a little as we are running through the middle of the night. We did have an armadillo cross in between Jennifer and the RV. Other than that the visit from the Clanton police department that was the most of the drama.



Lee is running next, and I'm pulling anchor tonight. Need to start stretchig. We'll be done soon!

Bryan

Team B - What happens in Childersburg stays in the Burg...

So we may not be able to run or blog as well as Team A, but we have better picures... take a look!

C Team - picture try again

For some reason it did not up load, try again:

A Team – Stateline at Sunrise

A Team – Stateline at Sunrise

9:40 a.m. and the A Team has just finished our first leg. Overall, I'd say the general sentiment is "Too Legit to Quit." I'm just going to go ahead and be honest here, this is a team of studs – myself excluded.  Here's how each person's leg of the relay went down:

Thomas – El Capitan started us off strong at 5:57am  in the chilly 57 degrees to pick up the 5-mile leg of our relay. He was able to fend off some acutely aggressive Chihuahuas while kicking it up hill and still maintaining a 8:20 pace. Obviously, this was a pretty tremendous start to our day.

Jared – Luckily for him the chilly weather mitigated the alluring scents of roadkill shortly after the pass off from Thomas. Relatively consistent with our Captain he maintained a 8:37-mile pace: however, he had the unfortunate luck of his teammates having not quite mastered the RV door and was forced to run about an extra quarter of a mile while we tried to figure out how to release Christine from RV captivity.

Christine – Seriously, this girl fought some hills. Her four-mile-stint was filled with long, steep hills and she still managed bust out an 8:50-mile pace. On a personal note, as someone who runs relatively frequently with Christine through our neighborhood, I was more than impressed (read: intimidated and jealous) with what she busted out.

Brooke – I *should* completely gloss over my 10-minute mile pace performance, seeing as it was by far the most lackluster performance of the crew. My biggest challenge was not knowing how hard to take hills, for fear of how my body will hold-up and how long I had left. Luckily Trey came to my rescue as I was on a nice long somewhat downhill through downtown Heflin.

Trey – Where do we even begin with Trey, or as we are affectionately calling him Two-Cubed? Our relationship with Trey began with him regaling the tale of his attempt at his first marathon last weekend, which was re-routed and he subsequently only got to finish 22.2 miles. He feels owed that extra four-miles and we may feel obliged to give him four extra miles during this little excursion. Again, I digress. Trey got into his run striding out in about a 7:30-mile pace and unfortunately for him we stumbled into some construction. No joke, we had to stop, as did he. The sweet sweet irony came when we looked at the odometer and noticed to our amusement, sweet Trey had completed (wait for it………) 2.2 miles. Once we got moving again he was able to pull-out an 8:45-mile pace INCLUDING THE CONSTRUCTION STOP. (Yes, feel free to point out his stop-and-go pace, was quicker than my consistent slog).

Chesley – I'm trying to resist thinking that Chesley purposely nominated himself as the anchor of the relay (you know, to make up time for some of our slower runners). He got the smooth-sailing-down-hill paltry 3.4 mile leg of the race. We were already making pretty decent time, but for what I assume was an attempt to make up for his shorter-than-average leg of the relay, Chesley pulled out all the stops and wowed us with a tasty little 7:35-mile pace.

After the A-Team finished our entire first leg of the relay, were treated with much enthusiasm to yummy breakfast complete with some electrolyte-replenishing Gatorade. Now, its off to rest, relax, and come up with some more RTFR shenanigans. HOLLA ATCHA FROM THE A-TEAM!

Team B - Transition

Thank you Southwire for a great breakfast. Team B had a successful
first run. Everyone is in high spirits (especially after getting some
lunch). We are headed for an Alabama PowerNap (hahahaha) before we run
again tonight.

We did have some drama already. Lee and Holley both has some crazy
drivers about run the off the road. Nicole had an elderly lady give
her an inappropriate gesture.

However, despite these minor things we are having a great time doing
this event for a great cause. A big thanks goes out from Team B to
the American Cancer Society for giving us the opportunity to champion
such a great cause.

Bryan

Team C - Thursday - 2:45

And we are off! Stephanie and Brandon have ran thier legs with a very respectable pace,  Tabatha (below) is running now, the rest of us are waiting our turn. Just left the police escort and we are on our own! Thanks to the B team for the greasy hand off. 

Nicole

Team C - Thursday - 1:10

The runners! Still waiting for the first pass.

Team C - Thursday - 12:40

Team C - Thursday- 11:00 AM

Rv is ready to go, we are ready to go, A team has handed off to B team
and they are in action! We are waiting on one team member (no names
need...) but very excited! Currently telling war stories about past
years! Can't wait for our stories this year. Our RV dominates
compaired to last year... Very excited about that! Check back when we
hit the road...

Nicole

Team B - Leg One

Hey everyone! So the fun has begun for Team B. Our team is the coolest team in the relay. Team B consists of Nicole, Jennifer, Kathleen, Holley, Bryan, Waymon, and Lee. Our drivers are Denise, Rosa, Cherie, and Ben. We are all super pumped, and can't wait to begin our run! We are wonderful Anniston traffic right now, and Bryan is doing a lot of running in place. Check back later for more exciting stuff!!!

Team A-Day 1

Greetings from Team A--aka The A Team!

And, they're off! It is currently 5am, and we just boarded our sweet RV. Next stop: the Alabama-Georgia line for the first leg of the Run for the Reason. Leonard got us to our hotel around 11pm last night, and we were able to squeeze in a few good hours of sleep.

The lineup for this morning starts with Thomas-our fearless leader-followed by Brooke, Jared, Trey, and Christine, and Chesley. We start at the state line on Hwy 78 and end just before Hwy 78 meets Hwy 431 between Anniston and Heflin.

We'll check in with you guys along the way. LET'S GO!!!
----------------------------------------------------------------
Take care,

Trey Hayes

*This message was composed on my wireless device; please excuse any typos or brevity.

Team A- Day 1-minus: And We're Off...

Brooke here. So, here we are at Inverness. All introductions have been made (Brooke, Christine Trey, Leonard, Jared, Thomas, Chesley, and Obi Wan) and its quite clear that the A-Team is a group of strapping young gentlemen, who are all quite experienced RTFR'ers and all apparently avid runners. Christine and I are ecstatic to be the team anchors...not so much "anchor" in the typical sense of a relay team where you assume the clutch position, but rather "anchor" as in what drags a boat down. I digress. Time out - must pause in blogging to better acquaint ourselves.

Time in - Ok, its now 3 hours later, and we have thus far experienced the following delights:

1. A man asking us for gas money who will in return bring us a cooler of nondescript fish and reimburse us plus (get this) $5 in interest.

2. Watching the men of the A-Team for an hour try to rig the TV in the RV to play an iPod. Thank goodness for Jared figuring out that if we put the Slow Jamz CD in the dvd player on mute we could simultaneously listen Chesley's finest hip-hop mix.

3. Calling Kevin M ad nauseum to ask questions about everything under the sun, including but not limited to finding the RV keys and our hotel keys.

As a point of clarification, big ups to Kevin for setting up the A-Team. I think this is going to be a beautiful thing. More later.
**Sent from my BlackBerry**

Team C

And we are back in action…

The C team is preparing, this week, for our journey across Alabama. We are the last team out of the shot-gun, and we are excited for the adventures that are ahead of us. We have a wide background of runners, but we are all anxious. There has been a ton of training involved and we are counting down the hours now. Many of us are returning from the years before and excited for our new teammates to join the coolest group… or at least we think so.

Shout outs:

-Kevin – Doing and awesome job of getting us “Team” ready… Get ready “A” and “B” team… C team is going to be ready to RUN! Thanks to Kevin.

- Jeff – Seen him at plenty of races this year… I know he is faster than last year. Flashback to Mercedes: Jeff FLYING by me! Excited to see your progress. He is Quite the runner!

- Brandon – You ready… Skirt and all… we are going to top it in 2010, making magazines and everything. This year… TV!

- Christina – Girl… most impressed by you. I can’t wait to run with you. This year has been huge for you running-wise, and I can’t wait to see you in action!

-Tabatha - Girl it has been too long… Can’t wait to catch up with you! GET READY!

-Stephanie – So I have to admit, I stocked you on facebook! CUTE son. I can’t wait to get to know you. You are in for a weekend, with our group but we are excited you are on board!

-Carey – Hey even though we did not get the chance to GPS out the course I am excited to spend a weekend with ya! AHH! The memories of getting lost and driving the RV! Can’t wait for the DRAMA! So excited to see you.

- David – So for those of you on our team that don’t know him… he’s a good addition. I have MBA class with him, had EIT class with him, we have seen each other every day for the past 3 years, pretty much. I am excited about him jumping on… he is going to fit right in! (and I will get him to run next year!)

- Trei – Well glad to hear you are with us… Get ready for some good songs and dancing on the back of the TRUCK! And we are going to con you into running some legs with us!

- Delacio – Stocked you on facebook too! Don’t be scared. It’s a BLAST… You are in for a weekend! Can’t wait to meet you!

Driver and Runners… we are ALL ready for the start line. See ya in a week!

Nicole

Why Participate in Run for the Reason? - Thomas

I am participating in the Run for the Reason to honor my grandparents, three of them lost battles with cancer, and my remaining grandmother is currently battling breast cancer. This will be my 6th year participating in the event, and it has been a meaningful part of my life every year that I have ran. The folks that I have met and shared an RV with over the years have been more than just fellow runners, they have become great friends.

Thomas

Support the American Cancer Society in Your Community

We help cancer patients get well and stay well in Alabama.
Through our various support groups and programs, we reach dozens of families in your community. More than 1280 patients received help getting to their treatments.

1219 patients received free wigs, prostheses or other gift items this year.

922 women took part in the Reach to Recovery program, which matches newly diagnosed breast cancer patients with survivors.

857 women went through Look Good...Feel Better, a makeover session for female cancer patients to teach them how to deal with skin and hair changes.

327 men attended Man To Man meetings, a support group for prostate cancer survivors.

447 families from across Alabama stayed for free at the American Cancer Society’s Hope Lodge in Birmingham while seeking treatment at facilities there, for 9710 nights total. That service saved these families an estimated total of $1,165,200!

We help find cures right here in Alabama.
The American Cancer Society funds 8 researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, for a total of more than 4 million dollars in research grants. The American Cancer Society has funded three billion dollars in research since 1946, helping fund such cancer discoveries as the breast cancer drug tamoxifen, surgeries like the bone marrow transplant, and cancer screenings like the PSA test.

We help cancer patients fight back.
Volunteers from across Alabama rallied with the American Cancer Society to support a comprehensive statewide smoke-free law. Volunteers from the American Cancer Society attended a Breast Cancer Lobby Day, which helped bring attention to a funding crisis for the Alabama Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program. That program gives free mammograms to women who can’t afford them. Eventually $400,000 was restored to the budget for these services.

A new law extending the ABCCEDP was passed, thanks to the support of the American Cancer Society.

For cancer information 24 hours a day, call 1-800-227-2345 or visit cancer.org.

Why participate in Run for the Reason? - Kevin

This is my second year running for the reason. My desire to participate in this event started out simply as a challenge to myself. A goal to train and finish this relay. Due to injury I wasn't able to train like I wanted to last year, but I raised my money and I was going to participate whether I was 100% or not. So I ran and I finished with the help and support of my team, Team B (The Best Team). After spending close to 3 days with my team, it became clear to me that this run was more than just a running challenge or goal to me. It was a way that I could truly show my support for such a great organization as The American Cancer Society.

My grandmother Pauline Dooley has battled with and defeated cancer. Although she lives in Canada, the Run for the Reason will allow me to help raise money for cancer research in general and hopefully one day find a cure for this horrible disease. A good friend and even better human being, Mr. Franklin Carroll of Ozark, AL was recently diagnosed with cancer. He has been in Birmingham for treatment for several months now and his parents travel back and forth from Ozark to spend time with him so that he is never alone. His spirit and positive attitude during this trying time is definitely a driving force that will assist me during my run. I will be running in honor of both my grandmother and Franklin this year.

The Run for the Reason is obviously a great cause. But the biggest thing I enjoy about it, is that it brings together so many people with a common interest (running) and also the desire to help fight cancer. My team my first year was such a joy to run with and I am looking forward to running with them again this year. Everyone that participates in this run, whether it be as a runner, driver or any other form of volunteering shares the same passion (wanting to help fight cancer) and that passion goes a long way when one is striving to raise funds. It helps keep them focused on what they are working for and towards. There's no better reason to run than to Run for the Reason.

Kevin

Promising Research

American Cancer Society researchers are making tomorrow’s breakthroughs in the fight against cancer. Dr. Warner Huh, gynecologic cancer surgeon at UAB and one of seven researchers funded by the American Cancer Society in Alabama, is working on a new Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccine. HPV, a very common virus, is the leading cause of almost all cervical cancer cases. In the United States, over 6 million people get an HPV infection every year. Currently, two vaccines available to the public, Gardasil and Cervarix, protect against four types of HPV (6, 11, 16 & 18), Huh’s vaccine would cover all forms.
“This vaccine has the potential to protect against ALL HPV types that cause cervical cancer. The implications are considerable,” said Huh. “If the vaccine does demonstrate this level of efficacy over an extended period of time, one could argue that Pap screening is no longer necessary.”

Last year, 4,070 deaths occurred due to cervical cancer. However, mortality rates have declined steadily over the past several decades due to prevention and early detection as a result of screening. Huh says this disease is the one cancer in women that can be dramatically impacted by the HPV vaccine and consistent screening. In countries where women cannot get routine Pat tests, death from cervical cancer is much more common. In fact, cervical cancer is the major cause of cancer deaths in women in many developing countries. This is where Huh says the vaccine will have the greatest impact…in developing nations.

In Alabama, the American Cancer Society is funding more than $4 million dollars in grants to researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Huh, who says he’s always had an interest in prevention strategies, thanks the organization for helping him complete the work on his vaccine. “The grant allows me to clinically test our vaccine product and hopefully bring it to the public in an expeditious manner,” said Huh. “We plan on initiating a Phase I trial at UAB this year.”

“Without these funds (American Cancer Society), it is nearly impossible for many researchers to further advance their discoveries and in the end, positively impact and improve the lives of cancer patients,” said Huh.
Huh’s amazing research won him the American Cancer Society’s Life Inspiration Award in 2009. He credits the organization’s dedication to cutting edge research, education, and awareness to making a real difference in the fight against cancer. “No other group has such a palpable impact in this fight.”

For more information on the American Cancer Society’s research program, call 1.800.227.2345 or visit cancer.org.

Why participate in Run for the Reason? - Kevin

Why am I involved in the Run for the Reason? Cancer took my best friend's mom when I was in grade school. Next, it took my grandmother when I was in college. Most recently, cancer took a coworker at Alabama Power. Other family members and friends have battled through cancer and come out on top after difficult struggles. Witness just one of these struggles and all of a sudden raising a few dollars and running a few miles seems incredibly easy.

Helping to organize the Run for the Reason is a tangible way for me to impact cancer. The money raised through our event not only helps to find the scientific end cancer but it also provides comfort to the people fighting right now. The American Cancer Society's work touches all cancer patients. They support research to end cancer and research to make cancer less painful. They provide support groups for cancer survivors, temporary lodging during treatment, and much more. I'm proud to help the ACS.

Cancer certainly isn't going to be defeated by one person. I'm happy to be a part of the very large team working toward a common goal.

Kevin

From driver to runner!! Yea baby!!!!

So, I am running the relay this year. That's right....I AM RUNNING!!!!!! The past two years I have been a driver and support person for the event. I've always wanted to run it, but never had the commitment for the training. Well, this year I'm gonna do it!!!! I'm blogging all about my training so be sure and check back here to see my updates. I'm running the SEEDS 5k event this weekend in Daphne and will post my time (unless it's really embarrasing) sometime.......

Christina

Why participate in Run for the Reason? - Greg

Why do I do this? It's a two part answer.

The first being my mother-in-law found out about 3 years ago she had colon cancer. At first, she had been diagnosed with Crohn's Disease and was being treated for it. Over time, her symptoms would get better and then worsen. Several months later it had gotten to the point that it was just so unbearable, something else had to be done for her. My wife and sister-in-law insisted she seek another opinion. So they made her an appointment to see an oncologist. After running some tests, he gave us the news, she had colon cancer.

He recommended surgery to remove the mass he found. After the surgery was over, he came to see the family and informed us that he unfortunately had to remove 2 to 3 feet of her colon. That was the good news. The bad news was that he also found 2 spots of cancer on her liver. He asked her to see if she was candidate for a new type surgery called "cyber knife surgery", but she was not. She has been on medication for 2 years since which has helped to get rid of the smaller cancer spot. The larger spot seems to be somewhat tougher. It has grown to about the size of a dime. She is a very sweet person and a devout Christian. Most of the time, She is very cheerful and there is no doubt she is well liked by all who meet her. "Gran" as she is called by all the grandkids and great grandkids, is truly a blessing to us all. As she will tell you, it’s by the Grace of God and by His Hand she is still here today.

As for the other reason, my brother's wife who just a little over a year ago turned 36, she on a routine checkup found out she had breast cancer. They have six kids, ranging from 3 to 23. Their oldest is in graduate school with my youngest son at Troy University. The diagnosis was a very devastating for all of us, because the 5 other children are so young.

She went through the whole gamut of chemo and radiation, and subsequently, she was a very sick young lady for several months. She had to have surgery and reconstructive surgery, and if it wasn't for being in such a loving church, I really don't know how we all would have made it through this. The whole church really went above and beyond what they need to do. Kim has now recovered very well and is doing great.

You never know when or who cancer will attack next. I was very young and have little memory of my grandfather Deavers, but my Dad told me he died from lung cancer. It seems that every time we are at church someone else has gotten this awful disease. We really need to find a cure, and that's why I do all I can to help. It's well worth the effort.

Greg

Why participate in Run for the Reason? - Lee

A few years ago I was approached to see if I would be willing to run with the Alabama Power Run for the Reason team. APC was recruiting “runners’, and I guess I fit the bill in that I have run some marathons and half-marathon (although don’t ask me for my times J). I had run a few of those for the Multiple Sclerosis society in honor of my mother-in-law so running for a cause always makes it better.

Even though I work in Atlanta, I was born and raised in LA (that’s lower Alabama for you non-natives); so I had a connection with my Alabama co-workers. Ironically after agreeing in December of 2007 to run, my mother was diagnosed with cancer in February of 2008. So that year’s run became even more important as cancer had hit very close to home. I truly had a “reason”; to run now.

This will be my third RFTR and I am even more excited. Each year brings many fun and challenging stories. The first year’s Waffle King experience in Selma Alabama has to still top the story list for me. I think you had to be there at 4:00 am. on a Sunday morning to appreciate it J.

The experience is always worth it and so worth the effort to raise money to help win the fight against cancer. Since joining the RFTR I have investigated more into the American Cancer Society and the work they perform and have been more and more impressed with the organization and what they do. They are truly helping to save lives.

That’s it for now. Back onto some training. I need to get ready for tomorrow morning’s long run…

Lee

Training Again!

This running thing is intermittent for me.  Sometimes I run four miles a day every day, but then sometimes I don't do anything for a few months.  However, Run for The Reason gives me the drive to be consistent.  It's tough starting from scratch, but I know it's for a good cause.  Last year the entire team raised >$30,000 for ACS.  I hope we can do better than that this year.  Please, keep me in your thoughts and prayers as I continue my training.  This isn't easy, but I'm going to do it.

You can follow my progress at the following locations:

• Run for the Reason Blog
• My Personal Blog
• Twitter
• Facebook
• Google

Wish Me Luck!

BC

Run for the Reason 2010 Kickoff

The Alabama Power Run for the Reason is a 2 ½ day continuous run through the state of Alabama to raise funds and awareness for the American Cancer Society. Three teams of seven runners each take turns running through the state in leapfrog style. Each runner covers about 20 miles over the weekend. Each team (and therefore each runner) will run twice in a 24 hour period. When not running, participants ride in RVs and sleep in hotels.

The Run for the Reason (RFTR) participants are employees of Alabama Power and raise funds to support the American Cancer Society (ACS).

What: A two and a half day continuous run covering 350 miles

Why: To raise funds and awareness for the American Cancer Society

How: Teams of runner take turns running through the state in leapfrog style, running approximately 20 miles throughout the event. Runners cover 3 to 4 miles increments every 12 hours. Four drivers per team pilot the runners' RVs and lead vehicles that accompany the runners throughout the state.

Where: The run begins at the Alabama/Georgia state line and ends at Alabama's coast, on Dauphin Island.

When: Thursday, April 29 - Saturday, May 1, 2010

Who: Drivers and runners are Alabama Power or Southern Company employees working in the state of Alabama.