Live Uncommon - Never Giving Up, Always Giving Back.

Why the Live Uncommon Race Team?

Why do I run? A good friend inspired me to start running more, lots more. I started off 2013 with a New Year’s resolution to run 5 5Ks by the end of the year. To show how much of a runner I really was, my ultimate goal for the year was to run an entire 5K. I ended 2013 with 12 races under my belt. I may not have been the first across the finish line, but I finished every race and improved as I went. After flying past my goal, I started looking for more. That’s when I remembered the Live Uncommon shirts all around me during those 12 races. It didn’t take long to figure out Live Uncommon was all for the greater good. But should I join?

That leads to who am I? I am a wife, mom, daughter, sister, aunt and friend. I work a full-time job and volunteer when I can, but my family is my everything. I love watching my kids at their basketball, baseball, softball and soccer games and horse shows. I am the co-leader of my daughter’s 4H club and am I the leader of the Healthworks Team where I work. We spend most of the summer boating and I squeeze in races whenever I can.

What cause would I run to support? Cancer. Just hearing the word makes our family stop in our tracks. The pain started with the loss of my Granny to lymphoma. My father-in-law was next. He lost his battle with esophageal cancer 3 weeks after my daughter was born. I have lost an uncle to sarcoma and my brother-in-law’s mom to brain cancer. At 34 years old, my sister was diagnosed with breast cancer. She is a survivor today. The list goes on and on for friends that have been affected. There is nothing I want more than to help stop this horrible disease. Our family and friends have been hurt over and over. It needs to stop! My cause is UnityPoint Health -Trinity Cancer Center for cancer research. One more clinical trial or one more experimental treatment gets us that much closer.

So what made me decide to join? First, it was my surviving sister’s response, “Do it… if you can’t find a cure, it will never end! Do it!” As if this wasn’t enough, I received the following note “I am so proud of everything you have accomplished this year. You have inspired me to be a better person. Now you want to help others with your running. This is a selfless act for a great cause, especially a cause that has affected both our lives so dramatically. I am honored to be the first one to help you on your journey. If it ever gets to be too much, just remember who you honor with every step.”

Join the fight today by donating, volunteering or running/walking beside me.

Every dollar, effort, step helps. If you choose to donate, thank YOU!