Man, it seems like there is so much going on this year with me and the foundation versus this time last year, which is a great thing!
Last year at this time I had just attempted my #stageivto140point6 at the Ironman Coeur d’Alene. I put in the training and I traveled up to Idaho with an entourage in tow to cheer me on. I felt like I was as ready as I could be but looking back I wasn’t and when you fail to prepare you prepare to fail…which I did, missing a bike cutoff and having to rack my bike 56 miles in. DNF!
In true form later that night Christina told me to keep training and she would pick the next course. Chattanooga 2025 we go from Stage IV to 140.6 Baby!
Then, later that year we were able to send Nathan Hamrick and his grandmother on a trip to her hometown in New York at Christmas. Nathan lost both his mom (lung cancer) and his dad (heart attack) in a span of 90 days. That trip was something his dad had promised before he passed, and Nathan wanted to honor that promise. To me, that’s exactly why we started Running for Dreams, to honor those promises.
Then another successful #PhilPhest and I felt a new energy within our little start up. At Phil Phest someone says, “You know what you need to do next? You need to bring back Burgerpalooza.” Burgerpalooza started in 2008, just over a year after starting Phil’s Grill I saw on a calendar that May is National Burger Month. I knew I had to do something for that and so I thought of multiple burgers of the month, tied in a charity and what could I call it? I was googling creative definitions I guess and the definition of lollapalooza (extraordinary or unusual thing) struck me. So #Burgerpalooza was born! I teamed up with some local celebrities through the years, like Kat from 95.7, Deuce McCallister and Pierre Thomas from the #NFLSaints, the 610 Stompers and MORE to create unique burgers that people would enjoy (and hopefully get a kick out of the names). We even had a Burgerpalooza Bash with my boys Refried Confusion providing the entertainment! Every year I donated the proceeds to The Miracle League of Greater New Orleans.
So, we just announced (in case you missed it) that on Thursday, September 26, from 6-9pm at NOLA Brewery we will host ANOTHER Burgerpalooza, benefitting Running for Dreams. I’m back, Baby! For one night only though….as Christina says, “sorry, not sorry.”
We also just set up a special day for a family who just lost dad (and husband) to cancer at the New Orleans Saints Training Facility during their OTAs. I met Heather running the Louisiana Marathon in January of 2019, it was the first marathon for both of us and we suffered together for about 12 miles or so. I’ve done a few ultras, and that Ironman, but Heather has gone nuts completing an Ironman and then several ultras, including doing a 500k run across Tennessee. A true bad ass! Her husband, Geoffrey, was diagnosed with cancer and it was a very fast and furious battle for the entire family. When Heather told me how much they love the Saints, we went into action and were able to set them up with a behind the scenes tour and some VIP treatment.
So a lot going on this Summer and it’s only the beginning of July! Stay tuned for more news on Burgerpalooza and what’s next with Running for Dreams.
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