Team Herren Project represented hope, recovery and the power of community across Pittsburgh and Cape Cod the first half of May, Mental Health Awareness Month.
Pittsburgh Marathon and Half
First up was our second showing at the annual Pittsburgh, PA Marathon and Half, May 4 & 5, where 10 teammates, along with friends and family, gathered in the Steel City to connect with each other and run their own remarkable races…all while helping others.
Teammates Catherine Greene, Sara McGee, Michel Green, Lindsay Frikker, Allison Terlacher, Rob Hollway and Adam VanDerStuyf raised more than $6,800 to support the work of Herren Project, and each conquering their own goals along the way!
The team and guests gathered in downtown Pittsburgh for a time of food, sharing and lots of laughter the night before the race.
Teammate and Herren Project Ambassador Sean MacMillen shared, “We had an awesome get together for Herren Project in Pittsburgh! Good things grow! Laughing. Connecting. Sharing stories. We are all very different yet very similar. These get-togethers are better than the running. Very grateful to be part of something special…definitely humbling!”
Cape Cod Ragnar
The next adventure was Team Herren Project’s 2nd annual Cape Cod Ragnar, May 10 & 11. In the weewee hours of Friday morning, May 10, teammate Richie Bilonick, (from the Ultra team) set out to begin the 200-mile trek from Hull to Smuggler’s Beach, with other teammates to follow, covering their own ‘legs’ of various miles, over the next 33+ hours!
Thanks to our team captains, Mary Caswell and Desiree Tedford, we had one full 12-person team (split between 2 vans of 6) and one Ultra team, (one van of 6), all covering the distance in true team fashion! The sport of running beautifully mirrors this work we support…and these Ragnar events take it to another level. We DID, without a doubt, Support, Inspire, and Empower each other one step at a time.
These teams, including Tim Wackenreuter, Desiree Tedford, Pete Navatto, Stefan Barner, Alan Scherer, Paula Hamann, Mary Caswell, Pam Rickard, Heidi Huerta, Richie Bilonick, Kevin O’Toole, Nathan Rubright, FJ Perfas, Lyndsay Close, Andy Stout, Emily Lysaght, and Amanda Johnson raised more than $6,400 and represented Herren Project with love, laughter and respect. And none of it could have been done without our magnificent crew, drivers and navigators Meg Navatto (AKA Goose) and Jeff Tedford!
Teammate Stefan Barner shared, “This past weekend a team of twelve runners set out to conquer a 200mile relay race. The truth is, we were already victorious when we arrived. Each of us had spent months raising awareness and funds to give help and hope to individuals and families struggling with addiction. We logged the miles in preparation proving to ourselves the strength there is recovery. We spent the weekend sharing stories and building community. This weekend was exactly what it should have been: a 200 mile victory lap!”
That says it all!
