Barefoot Rick's Trolley Run 4 Miler Report - April 27, 2008
The Trolley Run is a fun, well-attended event celebrating its 20th anniversary. This year, there were well over 10,000 runners and walkers. It is touted as the nation's largest and fastest 4 mile run. I knew there would be lots of folks both running and spectating, so I asked the Free Wheelchair Mission (FWCM) office to send me a few hundred brochures. On about 100 brochures, I stapled a business card with the following:
So, with brochures and FWCM literature in hand, we waited for the start of the 20th annual Trolley Run. I was actually qualified for a front line start (they gave me bib #20) but I decided to start with the next wave since I knew that I was going to be busy handing out literature on the way. We were off at our appointed time, and I started handing out brochures, telling folks, "Hey, I'm running barefoot for cripples in third world countries". I think my recipients were so taken aback that someone running barefoot was handing them a piece of literature that no one turned it down but everyone said "thank you". I probably handed out around 70 brochures in 4 miles and then the remaining 30 or so at the finish line when runners were coming through the chutes. I kept telling folks along the way and at the finish, "For $48.35 you can change someone's life!" I just hope and pray that the little bit of work I did will produce a harvest of benefit for the lame and crippled.
Oh yeah, and I finished with a 34:56 (an 8:44 pace)! My slowest Trolley Run by far but my most rewarding and pleasing.
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