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The inspiration for the Houston Hot Undies Run came from a fellow CTF supporter named Chad Leathers. He helped organize Cupid’s Undie Run in DC back in February. When I saw Cupid’s Undie Run on the NF blog, I thought, “Wow! That looks wildly fun and a little bit crazy!”
How did our Hot Undies Run come to be in Houston, Texas? My daughter and I are an NFE “team”. Carissa is a 5th year graduate student in the MD/Ph.D program at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. In the fourth largest city in the country, we hoped there would be many people who would agree that an undie run sounded wildly fun and a little bit crazy. I called Carissa and she loved the idea.
Our next step was to find sponsors. Carissa and I are members of Brian O’Neill’s (BON) Running Club in Houston. BON Running Club’s president Dave Lee, and Brian O’Neill’s Irish Pub loved the undie run idea and enthusiastically agreed to host, sponsor, and help us organize the event. We were fortunate to be chosen as one of four charity events they organize each year.
The inaugural Hot Undies Run took place on August 21, 2010. The 2-mile, non-competitive course was run in a 110-degree heat index, but that didn’t stop 500+ participants from coming out to support the Children’s Tumor Foundation. The undies theme was embraced with a wide variety of undies and creative accessories. Many groups competed for a “Best Dressed Group” prize. Two other pubs along the route joined in on the fun with “hydration stations”. At one point, a fire department crew cruised by and noticed the run. They stopped, and all the firemen got out to cheer on our runners!
The runners really enjoyed a great after-party with music, food, drinks, and raffle prizes. One of the most touching moments was meeting two young ladies and one young man in their own NF jersey and CTF t-shirts who came out to walk the event with our runners. All three had an NF touch in their lives.
Creative costumes on the course
Carissa and I had never organized an event before, but we were able to raise over $9000 for the Children’s Tumor Foundation. We were so fortunate that many people jumped in to help us. (Especially Dave Lee, with his experience organizing races.) Organizing an event of any kind does take a lot of time and energy. The pre-event jitters can certainly compare to, or top, pre-race jitters! If you can, share your fundraising idea with someone who is experienced, can work with you, and help you learn. Carissa and I couldn’t have done this without the many people, sponsors, and volunteers who helped us.
We are grateful for all our NF Endurance team members who support and empower each other by sharing ideas and working together towards ending NF, rather than just living with NF. We are very glad that Chad Leathers and his friends shared their idea and truly appreciate the always supportive and fun staff at NF Endurance, who keeps us all running strong.
They say everything is bigger in Texas, and the hearts in Houston were especially big that day!
PICNIC
Join Steve and Judy Kendra and several NFE Staff Members for the annual NF Picnic on Sunday, July 11, 2010 in Sellersville, Pa., for an afternoon of swimming, delicious food and fun activities. For more information, and to RSVP, e-mail Trish ((Enable Javascript to see the email address)).
READ It’s worth the time to read Candice Patterson’s inspiring article, “Some Assembly Required,” on More.com. Candice wrote the article for More magazine’s One Amazing Thing contest. Candice heads up the Butterfly Challenge to support the Foundation, and she constantly looks for ways to use her life to help others. A heads up from Candice: some articles in her Butterfly Challenge Journals include adult language.
NFE XTREME
Check out photos from NFE XTREME at the Ironman France on June 26, 2010 in Nice.
Photos by Chad Leathers.
RUNCATION
Why not make your next marathon a destination to remember? Plan your next family vacation around one of these great race cities. To see more, click here.
SAN FRANCISCO – San Francisco Marathon • July 25, 2010 CHICAGO – Rock ‘n’ Roll 1/2 Marathon • Aug. 1, 2010
Bank of America Chicago Marathon • Oct. 10, 2010 VIRGINIA BEACH – Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon • Sept. 5, 2010 PHILADELPHIA • Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon • Sept. 19, 2010 TWIN CITIES – Twin Cities Marathon • Oct. 3, 2010 PORTLAND – Portland Marathon & Half Marathon • Oct. 10, 2010 DENVER – Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon and Half Marathon • Oct. 17, 2010 NEW YORK – ING New York Marathon • Nov. 7, 2010 SAN ANTONIO – Rock ‘n’ Roll San Antonio Marathon and 1/2 • Nov. 14, 2010 ORLANDO – Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend • January 2011
TAKE 5
Click here for five great reasons to invest in the Children’s Tumor Foundation. Try incorporating Dr. Kim Hunter-Schaedle’s reasons into your fundraising letters and show donors how their dollars can make a difference. Also, you can follow the Foundation blog regularly for many scientific insights on NF research advancements.
Active Page of the Week: It’s hard to keep up with Roxanne Thomas — she seems to always be training, running in an event, or planning an activity to help spread awareness about NF. However, Roxanne’s Active giving page brings all of her activities together in a fun, festive way. Roxanne has run several 5Ks this summer, and she has been busy planning a “Hot Undies Run” with her daughter Carissa on Aug. 21, 2010 in Houston, Texas.
ING Georgia Marathon Sunday, March 21, 2010 • Atlanta, Ga.
“How INCREDIBLE! What a weekend! I have been to many a marathon, but I can honestly say I have never seen that much NEON on a race course! Sadly, ol Drewf was not able to make it to the pasta dinner, but it was due to exhaustion from an AMAZING excursion with some great friends who came and picked him up for a day at the mall and a movie (something, selfishly I wouldn’t trade for the world). It was also the first time I’ve felt like I was getting my brother back.”
- Chad, Tumornators team
(Check out the video above for Drew’s thank you to all who came out to support NF Endurance in Atlanta). NYC Half Marathon Sunday, March 21, 2010 • New York, N.Y.
“The run was awesome!!! Thank you so much!!! It is a once in a lifetime opportunity!”
- Lori-Ann, Team Julia Ladybug
To check out more photos from the events this past weekend, please visit www.flickr.com/NFEndurance.
It’s hard to keep up with Roxanne Thomas — she seems to always be training, running in an event, or planning an activity to help spread awareness about NF. However, 
NYC Half Marathon