Hear ye, Hear ye!

Due to MY own laziness/business/incompetence/you pick, the November 1 target for starting up the Challenge this year passed without me doing much of anything about it. By consensus of the two people who tried to enter anyhow, we are moving the start to January 1st and I will be making much more of a hoopla about it leading up to that date so hopefully we get a fuller field than even last year, numbers wise.

Please tell your friends and cajole them into joining us!

It will be kind of neat starting it on January 1st anyhow to symbolize a new year each time! I like it. I have been thinking about designing a logo for the race with a stylized depiction of a "+1" to symbolize our goal each day. If we can get some shirts printed at a decent price maybe we can raise a few more dollars for charity this way as well.

Entry form...

I will post the entry form updated for 2009 within the week...anyone who is antsy and wants to get entered in the One.....More.....Mile! Challenge for 2009 can still submit the 2008 entry form...it is right here:

Entry form 2008 still usable

The entry fee will stay the same

2009 edition getting primed up...

I will put up the registration post for the One.....More.....Mile! Challenge soon...same rules as last year...same everything! Just wanted everyone to know that it is still coming...start talking your friends into joining this one with you and create mini-challenges between yourselves to see who can stay in the game the longest! I will definitely go farther this year myself!

Ten.....More.....Miles! say WHAT?

I put up the website for the Ten.....More.....Miles! Challenge today...nothing extraordinary yet, but the premise and framework is there, and I will put up an entry form in the next week or so. Please comment if you have something valuable to say, either there or here.

It is at: http://10milechallenge.blogspot.com/

The Check is in the mail!

I put both donations ($200 to each charity) in the mail this morning, one to Mercy Ministries in Fenton, MO on behalf of Erik and one to NAMI Hawaii, my choice to help those with mental illness and sent to Hawaii to honor Devon. He busted his ass on this challenge and now is going to have surgery on his knee which takes him out of running the HURT 100. When I receive receipts I will post them on here as well.

On another bit of news, really, Ted and I were interviewed last week and on Friday evening the local NBC affiliate channel 4 in Columbus had a news piece on about the challenge and Ted. I am trying to find a way to get and post the video on here, but right now the only source I have is Ted's DVR and I don't know how or have the equipment to convert that yet.

OUR WINNER!

If you click on it, you can see why I call him HANDLEbarr Erik Barr
I don't think he wears the mustache anymore.

Erik Barr, a former co worker of mine and a resident of El Paso, TX is our winner. He ran for 31 days straight adding one more mile each day. He actually had this won yesterday at 30, but we pushed him to go One.....More.....Mile! to get to 31 and earn the doubling of the charity pot that Josh and I had pledged weeks ago. Having never even run an ultra before Erik pushed his body beyond previous limits and I would like to hear back from him one more time about how well he held up.

The result of all this running is now that 400 dollars will be going to two charities. 180 from entry fees for 9 runners. 20 dollars from Don Baun and 200 dollars from Josh and I due to making it to mile 31. 200 dollars will be sent to NAMI of Hawaii, a charity that directly helps people suffering with mental illnesses. 200 dollars will be sent to Mercy Ministries, Eric's charity of choice which helps women in desparate need in his area. I will report on the blog once the checks are sent (waiting on Josh's input) and then once receipts are received.

As per the feedback from people and via the polls on the sidebar, I will run this deal again next year, same time, same place (wherever you are!) I will also put up the "Ten.....More.....Miles! Challenge" in the next few days and post about it with a link. This will be a yearlong challenge through 2009 to increase your long run 10 miles each month, starting with 10 miles in January. This should be right up any ultra runners alley, and with the flexibility to run it ANY time in the month, should be very doable for some to stay in quite awhile....but it will have to be one long run....not a combo of different days. People will be able to walk, just like an ultra, and stop for food, bathroom, even naps if you are running, as long as you go right back to running after the nap. That kind of deal.

DAY 31 (496 miles run???)

Ted has tapped out and I am putting this post up now, hoping that Erik has the juice to go two more days! We are all watching closely now Erik.....