Team Wounded Warrior Project makes a surprise showing at the National and Armed Forces Cross Country Championships in Derwood, MD on 7 February 2009!
22 February 2009, 6:37am.
Good morning everybody--thank you so much for checking out what Team WWP is up to. Trust me, it's been a lot. We're very excited at what we have planned.
I'll start by explaining the pictures. I was selected to represent the Army as a part of the All Army XC Team at the National/Armed Forces Championships. I was picked as an alternate, 6th guy of 6 on the Men's Team, so I found out about a week and a half in advance. And, no joke, it was my first XC race ever (in my life). But it was a great experience. I was the first Army guy to cross the line, and overall I finished in the middle of the pack (the winner was Meb Keflezighi, the Olympic Silver Medalist at the Athens games--so this was a tough pack). Of the Armed Forces runners, I ran well enough to be a very likely choice for the International Military XC Championships in December in the Ivory Coast.
As a side note, the local paper did a nice story on Team WWP and our recent events...link below:
CLICK ON THIS LINK TO READ THE SIERRA VISTA HERALD'S STORY ON TEAM WWP.
Now I should get to what we've been working on collectively...
Tom Cocchiarella & the University of St. Thomas Military Law Society (headed by John Sandy and Simeon Morbey) are hosting two events in the Twin Cities, the weekend of March 20, 2009.
Friday March 20, 2009
“The Local” (Irish Pub)
Nicollet Mall, Minneapolis
3:00 pm to 7:00 pm
Saturday March 21, 2009
Prestwick Golf Club (Ballroom)
Woodbury, MN
6:00 pm to 11:00 pm
Minimum Suggested Donation: $10
We expect to have some local celebrities at each event, we will offer Team WWP T-Shirts for sale, expect to have a silent &/or live auction for some unique “items” (Vulcan Krewe Fire Truck, Golf Clubs, etc.) and we will have Veteran’s groups and ROTC Honor Guards present. Cash bar and Appetizers will also be available.
Additionally, we've received some amazing support from a couple of groups - to include the Vulcans of Saint Paul Winter Carnival fame. We're hoping to formalize these partnerships and work towards this common goal: supporting our nation's severely wounded veterans...Please consider talking to your employer about us (direct contribution or maybe a matching contribution). We're getting great support through just this sort of query. Even if you think it won't work, it never hurts to ask, right?
Last thought. I'm going on the longest run of my life this morning, 30+ miles. My previous high was on my birthday this past July (29 miles). This will likely be my last, long training run before the Old Pueblo 50 Miler in two weeks. Honestly, this is new territory for me...I'm not worried, but definitely apprehensive. Wish me luck - I think I'll need it.
Keep Moving Forward,
Matt
