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It's been non stop action this past month for Team Reeve with an event every weekend in October 2009, finishing off with the ING New York City Marathon on Sunday, November 1, 2009.
(Watch the slide show)
ING New York City Marathon
We had 69 runners, our biggest Team ever, who raised over a quarter of a million dollars (and counting). The day began at 5:15 a.m. with the Team riding our charter bus to the Charity Village for the start on the Verrazano Bridge. The extra time together on the bus and at our team tent gave us an additional opportunity to bond and get to know each other, not to mention share advice and garbage bags to keep off the mud.
Among the Team was Matthew Reeve, the eldest son of the late Christopher Reeve, who ran his first marathon ever and finished alongside fellow board member, John McConnell, with a very respectable 4:23:36.
Marine Corps Marathon
We're very proud to report Team Reeve veterans Dawn (Hering) Manzo and Mike Murphy captured PRs (personal records) this year. Mike, who competed on a hand cycle, shaved nearly 22 minutes off his 2008 Marine Corps time! Dawn is a NYC veteran with Team Reeve. In 2009, she and her new husband, Luis, decided to represent us at "The People's Marathon." And speaking of marriage, one of our runner's, Brian, got engaged over that weekend. Patric took advantage of our Team coach and ran his very first marathon in 4:25:56. Vicky also ran her first full marathon to honor her father who was killed in Vietnam when she was just 8 years old.
Denver Marathon
On Sunday, October 18th, Team Reeve made its first appearance at the Denver Marathon. An enthusiastic relay team composed of Leasa McIntosh, Lincoln Jackson, Amy Stifel Quinn and her husband Jay completed the race is just over 4 hours. In addition to the relay team, Charles Moore ran the half marathon in 2:03:09. Collectively, Team Reeve Denver raised over $4,000 dollars for the Reeve Foundation's Colorado Chapter programs.
Bank of America Chicago Marathon
This is the second year we had a Team in the Windy City. Our Team members ran for their father, their nephew, their boyfriend, their husband. One of our runners, Myles, sent us this sentiment after finishing, "I wanted to do it for my dad and all those who are affected by spinal cord injury. I was really happy with everything leading up to race day and the actual race itself. I've never had a feeling like the one that I had as I crossed the finish line wearing my Team Reeve shirt." The Team raised nearly $14,000.
Team Reeve Conquer the Canyon
After months of preparation, our Conquer the Canyon Team took off to Arizona to spend 4 days/3 nights exploring one of the most spectacular natural wonders of the world, the Grand Canyon. The Team, including three chaired participants and one "walking quad," broke off into smaller teams to utilize various trails into and around the canyon. The trip ended with a post-hike mission celebration dinner for the participants, guides and their guests. The Team shared a once in a lifetime experience and made new friendships along the way.
Join Team Reeve!
Allow us to share with you a quote from Matthew Reeve just after finishing the ING NYC Marathon: "Mile 24 to 26 were certainly tough physically, but the mental aspect really came into play here. The furthest I'd ever run during training was 20 miles, so every inch after that was new territory. But I kept thinking of the money I'd raised and how I owed it to all the people who have been kind and generous enough to sponsor me, and of course, I kept thinking of all the people living with a spinal cord injury, and the fact that there are 1.275 million of them, and pretty quickly, those thoughts of quitting evaporate, and you just focus on putting one foot in front of the other, and the next thing you know, the finish line is in sight, the crowd is roaring, you see your family members watching, and you run those last two hundred yards as if they were the first."
Take a look at a slide show, watch the video, and fill out our athlete application. Join us in 2010!
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