8/1 status update - 270 runners started the race, 143 finished, I finished in 82nd place in 27 hours and 14 minutes (beating my 2008 time by 20 minutes on a hotter day). Here is the link to the results page. Thank you for your support!!
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5/25 status update: $ 3,165 donated equates to $52,000 retail value of food !
3/23 status update: $1,858 donated equates to nearly $31,000 retail value of food ! We are off to a great start - thank you !
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I am attempting my fourth 100+ mile trail race (called a trail ultra-marathon) on July 30th - 31st in Cleveland as a fundraiser for Second Harvest Food Bank of NW PA. The race I am participating in this year is called the Burning River 100 and it is a 101 mile point-to-point trail race from Cleveland to Akron through the Cuyahoga Valley National Park and other Cleveland Metroparks.
DONATE NOW BEFORE THE RACE and help drive my training like you did for my last 100 miler in 2008. I printed and laminated your names for the race in 2008 and brought it with me on the course - it kept me going when I didn't think I could take another step. I plan on doing the same again this year.
So I'm hoping you will support me by contributing towards my fundraising efforts for Erie / northwest Pennsylvania's food bank:
Second Harvest is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit public organization, so your donations are eligible for a tax deduction. The Second Harvest Food Bank of NW PA is the largest nonprofit food distribution organization in northwest Pennsylvania. They solicit and distribute food to 403 member agencies, which serve 72,600 individuals in 11 counties.
What's really important to know is that each
$ 1 donated = $ 17 (retail value) of food the Food Bank can acquire & distribute for the needy !
So if you donated $25 you would enable the Food Bank to distribute $ 425 of food! But please feel free to donate whatever amount you like - every little bit helps a hungry family.
Note: FirstGiving charges a 7.5% transaction fee so if you donate $25, $1.88 will go to FirstGiving to cover website hosting etc and $23.12 will go to Second Harvest. You will have the option during the payment process to cover the transaction fee so Second Harvest will receive the full $25 so your total donation will be $26.92.
GE employees / retirees - DOUBLE your $25 (or more) donation! Click on the "this gift will be matched" checkbox and enter GE in the company name if you are donating at least $25. Then click here and submit your donation to GE Foundation's Matching Gifts program! Enter Second Harvest in the keyword search field and PA in the state field - two results are displayed - click the SELECT link for the top one. Then let me know you did the gift matching, I'll update the 'offline' total below and pass the amount along to Second Harvest so they know to expect it from GE Foundation due to my fundraiser.
Donating through this site is simple, fast and totally secure. It is also the most efficient way to donate - by DEBIT CARD or CREDIT CARD - very convenient! But for those of you who aren't comfortable donating online, please make your check payable to Second Harvest Food Bank of NW PA and mail it to the following address (please include your email address if you would like to receive a post-race report):
Tom Jennings
5524 W 52nd St
Fairview, PA 16415
I will give the checks to the food bank and update the offline amount below so you can see your check contributions grow along with the online donations.
THANK YOU for your support and for helping me "go long" for hunger in NW PA!
-- Tom --