Ok, so lets get this going. I first have to tell you that I believe in the power of prayer. I believe we can get answers to our prayers. I have had many instances that I could site about this but today I want to tell you that I found this man because of prayer. I have never personally met this man or his sister that I have been corresponding with. I have just been praying for help with this spotlight and wondering where I should go to find these people. A thought was given to me to go to facebook and look at one of my friends "likes" page. She honestly had hundreds of "likes" but this mans page stood out to me among the others. This man is doing something big! Something for his mother and for his family and for children that have cancer and their families. I would like to introduce you to Mike.
1.Who is Mike?
Mike is an ultrarunner and an amazing guy. He used to not always run, but really kicked it into gear after he had cancer. He has competed in and done very well in several 50 and 100 mile races (I'd have to get a list from him because I lost track). He lives in Idaho and works as an apprentice electrician.
2. What is it that he is doing?
Mike is running across the state of Idaho. He will start in Fruitland at the Idaho/Oregon border and will run 50 miles per day until he reaches the Idaho/Wyoming border - for a total of between 400-450 miles. Our dad will follow him (or go ahead) with his truck and camp trailer hooked to the back. Might sound kinda hokey, but what else does a person do? Our dad will be his main crew, first aid person, etc. He will most likely start about 6 or 7 every morning and finish around dinner time and will alternate between running and walking. There will be a mixture between uphills and downhills.
We are trying to figure out a way to make it so his progress can be tracked on the blog after he gets going. We haven't quite figured that out yet. So,, keep looking.
3. Why is Mike doing this?
He is doing this for a variety of reasons - not all of which we have talked about on the blog/facebook page. One of which is that this year would have been our parent's 50th anniversary, but our mom passed away almost 2 years ago. Their anniversary is June 8th (the day Mike is starting the run). He thought this would be a great tribute to her.
Another reason is that he is a crazy ultrarunner and wanted to see what he could do physically.
Most importantly, he wanted to see what he could do to help someone else out. I learned about The Tenley Foundation from my friend, who is the founder, and told Mike about it. We thought it would be a great cause to help out (and we thought our Mom would approve). You can find more information about them from our blog www.mikesextramile.blogspot.com or www.idahofighters.blogspot.com.
Or "like" Mike on facebook here
4. How can people help you and this foundation?
People can help the foundation by clicking the "donate" link on our blog.
People can help Mike out by following him on the facebook page and by sharing it with their friends. The more people we get the word out to, the better.
I love what Mike is doing. I think that this is great opportunity for all of us to shift to a higher gear and support Mike out as well as these kids and their families. There is that old saying that many hands make light work. So it is here. If we all just did a small bit here a lot could happen and a lot of good could come out of small acts. Imagine if we all shared this story how many people would it reach? Now, imagine if all those people could donate just one dollar to this foundation? So, I am asking you to share this blog post on your facebook wall (the share button is at the top left of this page). I want you to "like" Mike on his facebook page. I would also like you to check out the two blogs listed up above and give Mike some encouragement. If you can please consider donating to this great cause. If you check out the idaho fighters blog you can see some of the kids and read their stories and see who Mike and you and I can help. Just like Mike's sister said the more the word can be spread the better. It is our turn to shift to a higher gear and spread the word.
Thank you Mike for allowing me to spotlight you on my blog today. I love what you are doing and hope we all can shift into a higher gear and help in some way.
Today is the day to shift up.
Sincerely ,
Corrine
P.S. if you would like to nominate someone for this spotlight please email me at shifttoahighergear@gmail.com The acts of love can be big or small I want to hear them all.
That's amazing! Go Mike!
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