Pax not listed above include Stink-eye, Watson, Heely, Mayflower, & Exit 54 (Please comment if I missed any pax or 2.0s and we will get them added)
The Amazing Grace Race 5K this past weekend nothing short of its name… AMAZING. And SPEED FOR NEED was honored to help Track Commander (TC) Michael cross the finish line, as well as celebrate Grace, the little girl who lost her battle with Osteosarcoma (bone cancer) 22 months ago, for whom this race is in memory of. More than 20 F3 Nation High Impact Men, M’s and 2.0s registered to run, and several more showed up to support our TC’s, the runners, and the Amazing Grace Foundation. It was a perfect morning of Fitness, Fellowship, and Faith… and for SPEED FOR NEED, it was an event that almost didn’t happen…
Several weeks ago, I randomly reached out to the Amazing Grace Foundation Director Yvonne (Grace’s mom) about providing Track Commanders to ride in the Charlotte Marathon. I mentioned SPEED FOR NEED had gotten a ton of attention the past few weeks, from a news segment on WBTV News, to a viral Facebook post by Molly Grantham about SFN at the Komen Race for the Cure which has 18,000+ views, to several companies offering to sponsor additional racing chairs for our fleet of chariots. During our conversation she mentioned the upcoming Amazing Grace 5K Race, and desperately needed to find a way to get a 16yr old girl Katlyn, diagnosed with Osteosarcoma to the finish line. Katlyn was undergoing chemotherapy, and had just undergone 8hr leg salvage surgery a few weeks ago. She asked if SPEED FOR NEED could help… and I’ll admit, the first thought that crossed my mind was…. "uh oh, another race”. This weekend was originally supposed to be a much needed rest week for myself and the SFN fleet. We had just participated in FIVE high-profile races the past THREE weekends, including TWO in the Lake Norman Region. The next few weeks involve taking the SFN fleet to Columbia SC, a couple of F3 Lake Norman crazies pushing each other in the chairs 70 miles around Lake Norman, and 20 Drivers pushing 20 TC’s… TWENTY! (Kids and WW2 Veterans) the entire 26.2miles of the Charlotte Marathon Relay. We had plenty of good reasons to pass being at this smaller race… but something told me we needed to be there, and I responded “YES, we’ll be there!” to Yvonne.
When I think about it, our being at the Amazing Grace Race was no accident. It was God giving us a gentle reminder, in the midst of so much short term success and exuberance, of why SPEED FOR NEED exists. It was about Him refocusing us on what SPEED FOR NEED is really about: to be there and help the community, with the gifts He has given us… our time, our money, our fitness, our kindness, and for SPEED FOR NEED, our racing chariots. A reminder that each of us can make a small difference wherever we are at, whether it’s a 15,000 person race or just a few hundred. A reminder that when we feel burdened by soccer games taking up every Saturday, that there is a mother and father out there that will never see their child kick a ball, since they’re immobilized in a wheelchair. SPEED FOR NEED isn’t about having 50+ F3 Nation runners signed up to get the largest team award. It’s not about how fast we can push our Track Commanders to the finish line. And it’s not about how many people watch our Youtube videos or like our Facebook page. It’s about continuing to help the community one person at a time.
Thank you Yvonne, Grace, Katlyn and Michael for being the heroes you are in your fight to end pediatric cancer. For demonstrating to us the importance of life and living with purpose. And for motivating SPEED FOR NEED to continue helping get the community to the finish line with success.
JRR Tolkien
About the Amazing Grace Foundation ( https://www.
The Amazing Grace Foundation is a non-profit 501(c)(3) formed in honor of Grace Endris Haynes, an inspiring young woman who fought Osteosarcoma (a rare pediatric bone cancer) for 22 months. It was formed in accordance with Grace’s desire to provide financial support for clinical trials that focus on treating Osteosarcoma, give financial assistance to families fighting pediatric cancer, and help fund Make-A-Wish efforts in Central and Western North Carolina.
NMS:
- Thanks to the pax for joining and making this an unforgettable experience for Michael and his family.
- Lots of pax joining SFN for the 2nd time in a month…strong work gents
- Honeybee, Heely, and Bam Bam M all placing in the overall for the race
- Watson (Bam Bam 2.0) should have placed…finished up right alongside Michael…really strong run
- Ultraman consistently leading the way for SFN with the flag
- Loved seeing all the 2.0s out and crushing the race this morning…Bam Bam, Jolly Roger, BEP, and others brought the fam out for an awesome morning
- Strutter and Cheif took stock of what all is involved in Qing a SFN race…watch for their PB to the Pay it Forward 5K on November 18th as SFN heads to Race City!
- So thankful for JRR Tolkien's leadership. Yvonne (race director) was so appreciative of F3 LKN pulling together to make this morning truly an AMAZING experience.
- Here is your official race video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DV-f3dpdBWI
Don Ho