Restless in Rhode Island

Excitement!  Suspense!  The thrill of...waiting!  Over here at the Runs for Relief office (located at a mystery, hidden location somewhere between western North Carolina and the cold reaches of northern New Hampshire) we are making final preparations and generally bouncing around in excitement for our inaugural effort, three days from now!  Early on Monday morning, Jon and myself will begin running from the Mass/Rhode Island border, following the North South trail for ~78 miles to the coast, weaving along the western edge of Rhode Island.  We are not entirely sure what to expect, but we do know that we will have trail surfaces ranging from rocky singletrack to stretches of flat road running.  Throughout the day on Monday, our extremely gracious (read: dedicated and crazy) crew will be posting updates to our brand new Twitter account, so feel free to drop in and see how we're doing!  It promises to be a wild day for us, and a potentially entertaining day for you!

If you have not yet made a donation to the National Psoriasis Association in support of our efforts and wish to do so, you can visit our donation site here.  Combining online donations with physical ones, we have raised over $300 so far!  To all of you who have supported us thus far, in all ways, we thank you so much, and your support will be a large part of our mental fuel on Monday.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!  We'll see you on the other side, ready to roll.

-- Robert Rives, 2/24/212

Upping the Ante: A Rhode Island Reroute

    You know that feeling when you are excited about something, and then that something changes a bit and gets way more exciting?  
     Well... That just happened.


    It came to our attention that there is a trail, the North-South Trail, that spans the length of Rhode Island, extending from the North to South (I think thats where they came up with the name).  After having our attention seized by this tidbit, we had a conversation that went something like this:


Runner 1: I like to run on trails.
Runner 2: I don't like to have traffic and Mack Trucks whizzing by me for ten consecutive hours.
Runner 1: Yeah,  it is 77 miles as opposed to 52, though...
Runner 2:  I like to run on trails.


     And the deed was done.  


      February 27th, we will take off from the Massachusetts border to run the 77 mile trail (~13 hours?) across Rhode Island, ending with a Polar Plunge into the Atlantic!


     Wow.  This is going to be an incredible experience!  We appreciate all of the love and support we've received from the National Psoriasis Foundation and all of you   guys!  Can't thank you enough!  Once we iron out the logistics, you will be the first to know!

    19 more days!!

The Countdown Begins And A Website!

     Ladies and gents, we are now less than a month away from Runs For Relief: Rhode Island.  Now, some of you may be thinking that Rhode Island is a small and seemingly insignificant state, but let me take this space to fill you in on 5 cool facts about Rhode Island:


1.  The Flying Horse Carousel, the nation's oldest carousel, is located in Rhode Island.
2.  In 1774 Rhode Island was host to the nation's first circus.
3.  Providence was home to George M. Cohan- the writer of "Yankee Doodle Dandy" and "You're A Grand Old Flag"!
4.  The world's largest bug is located on the roof of New England Pest Control in Providence.  It is a big blue termite, 58 feet long.
5.  The highest point in the state is a whopping 812 feet above sea level.


    Wow, just typing that stuff gets me all riled up!  


     Only 26 days to go!


     Now, without further ado...  our website!

The folks at the National Psoriasis Foundation did a great job of helping us set this up, we can't thank them enough for their support, but we will try!  Some very helpful ways that you can support the project are "liking" us on facebook, following our blog, making a donation, or just telling us what you think of the project, if you please, and if you don't please, your moral support  and kind words are always welcomed!
   Here is a link to the website:  http://walk.psoriasis.org/goto/runsforrelief

Rhode Island - Proposed Route

Alright friends, here is an overall view of our proposed route for the February 27th Run for Relief across Rhode Island.  Being such a small state, we wanted to choose a path that was both long enough to keep us out for a day and also to include as much of the state's variety as possible.  The result?  Lighthouses, ocean-side running, and a direct line through Providence.  Should be a good day on the road!

This route clocks in at almost exactly 52 miles, but might be lengthened upon closer examination of our path through the Providence area.  We are extremely excited about this run and many more to come.  Stay tuned for more as we get our act together and prepare for this initial adventure.  Thanks for looking!

-- Robert Rives, January 13th 2012

Welcome!

Hello all!  Welcome to Runs for Relief, a brand-new project that aims to do the following:

• Raise awareness of Psoriasis, a chronic skin and arthritic condition that affects nearly 3% of the entire population of our planet.
• Raise funds for foundations that support psoriasis-related research, such as the International Federation of Psoriasis Associations (IPFA) and the National Psoriasis Foundation here in the U.S.A.
• Accomplish these goals while tackling all-day adventure runs across various U.S. states!

Starting small, the first of these runs will take place in Rhode Island on February 27th.  With the support of the National Psoriasis Foundation, we hope to wear their logo and serve as ambassadors on behalf of the organization as we complete this 50-60 mile run in one day.

This project is currently being spearheaded by two alumni of UNC-Asheville, Jon Harrison and Rob Rives.  We are two of the nearly 7.5 million Americans who suffer from various types of psoriasis.  It is our aim to inspire, both those afflicted and un-afflicted by psoriasis, and show that much can be accomplished despite the effects of this disease.  Support for this project in any way is greatly appreciated, and we would love for you to join us on our runs!  More information to come soon.  In the meantime, here are some links to websites dedicated to psoriasis research:

http://www.psoriasis.org/
http://www.ifpa-pso.org/
http://www.everydayhealth.com/blog/itch-to-beat-psoriasis/category/psoriasis-research/

And, you can contact us at runsforrelief@gmail.com

-- Robert Rives, January 11th, 2012