Thank you, Thank you, Thank you! Thank you to all the kids and parents who made the 2010 WELS Kids Marathon a huge success. We ended up with 397 kids completing their marathon and receiving their finisher’s medal. If you were not able to make it to the final event back on August 28th, you missed out on one really fun event. Music, Food, Fun, and Prizes, and don’t forget the antics of Bango! I did not hear of anyone not having fun.
I also want to thank all of our sponsors that made the 2010 WELS Kids Marathon possible. Please check the website for a list of all our sponsors but I would especially like to thank Thrivent Financial, Slingstone Products, Hydrite Chemical, Performance Running , Sitzberger Widmann, Spiegelberg Financial, Food Ingerdients, and Consumer Packaging Group.
What did you think of the event? Please email me your comments, both good and bad, so we can make the next WELS Kids Marathon even better.
Pictures
We have lots of pictures to share. 652 total from 2 different photographers. Please go to http://welskidsmarathon.shutterfly.com/ to see all the pictures. This password will only be given out via email and not posted on the website. Please email us at welskidsmarathon@yahoo.com to get the password. In order to make all the pictures fit on the site, I needed to reduce the size of the photos so on the website, they will look slightly grainy. The photos I have are very high quality and much larger in size. If you would like a copy of any of the photos, please email us at welskidsmarathon@yahoo.com and put picture request in the subject line. Please indicate the name of the photo in the body of the email. And then please give me some time in order to fulfill your request as I anticipate many.
I would like to thank Mike Scherf and Charlie Falkner for donating their time and talents by taking such wonderful pictures. Mike Scherf does do photography on the side including Senior Portraits, Child Portraits, and small groups. If you need some professional pictures taken, think of Mike Scherf and call him at either (H) (262) 968-4791 or (C) (262) 490-0630
If you have any pictures you would like to share or even some video, please send them to us. We would love to see what you have.
Wisconsin Lutheran College
A huge Thank you to Skip Noon and Steve Travis of Wisconsin Lutheran College for their support, help, and use of their facility for our final event. Without them, we would have no place to hold our final event.
Ashley Update
A quick update on one of the charitable contributions we chose and that all you kids gave to. MS Run The US. Ashley Kumlien has now completed her run across the entire United States from San Francisco all the way to New York. She arrived at City Hall in New York on Tuesday, September 25th. She has raised over $40,000 for research on finding a cure for MS. If you are interested in still donating, please see here website http://www.msruntheus.com/index.html
InStep Icebreaker Marathon, Half Marathon, Marathon Relay & 5K
I wanted to put this small promotion for the InStep Icebreaker Indoor Marathon, Half Marathon, Marathon Relay & 5K which I am on the organizational committee for. For all of you parents who need a purpose to keep running this winter, come run the Icebreaker that takes place at the Pettit National Ice Center in West Allis (State Fair Park) on the weekend of January 21-23. Check out their website for information http://www.indoormarathon.com/ I have run this marathon twice myself and if you think it is boring to run laps, I can assure you, it is just the opposite. This is my favorite marathon to date and I have now run 24 marathons. And if you can’t run a full marathon, there is always the half marathon, marathon relay, or even a 5K.
Finally, thank you again to all the volunteers and my WELS Kids Marathon committee for making this event possible. Look for the 3rd annual WELS Kids Marathon next spring. We anticipate that the good word will spread and we will have even more kids signing up. 2011 will be better than ever!
Thank you,
WELS Kids Marathon Organizing Committee
Bill Schneider – WELS Kids Marathon Director
WELS Kids Marathon Committee:
David Habben
Belinda Matter
Gwen Scherf
Sally Schneider
Greg Uehling
Monday, October 4, 2010
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
2010 WELS Kids Marathon Update #5
4 more days! Just 4 more days until the final mile of the 2010 WELS Kids Marathon. Most of you are done with your miles and your reading but I know some of you are not quite there. Don’t give up now, you can do it! Finishing a marathon is winning a marathon.
I did a little calculating and did you know that all 395 of you that are participating this year have run/walked at least a total of 10,349 miles. That is like running from San Francisco to New York and back, then just for fun, running back to New York. That is a long way.
The weather is looking outstanding for us on Saturday with lots of sun and little chance of rain. Please plan on arrive no later than 9:30 as there will be a line at packet pickup. We will have 3 lines so please look for the line assigned you’re your last name to make things go smoother.
Time Line
I did a little calculating and did you know that all 395 of you that are participating this year have run/walked at least a total of 10,349 miles. That is like running from San Francisco to New York and back, then just for fun, running back to New York. That is a long way.
The weather is looking outstanding for us on Saturday with lots of sun and little chance of rain. Please plan on arrive no later than 9:30 as there will be a line at packet pickup. We will have 3 lines so please look for the line assigned you’re your last name to make things go smoother.
Time Line
Here is a quick time line of the events planned for Saturday:
9:00 Packet Pickup opens
9:40 Group Warm Up
9:55 National Anthem
10:00 First Race for Kids Currently in 4th Grade or Younger
10:20 (Approx) Second Race for Kids 5th Grade and Older
10:45 (Approx) Raffle Prize Giveaways
Directions
A quick reminder that if you need directions to Wisconsin Lutheran College’s Raabe Stadium can be found at the WELS Kids Marathon website. Please see this link for directions.
Pictures
I know a lot of parents will be taking pictures and video of the final event and of your kids. If you would like to share them with us, please send them to welskidsmarathon@yahoo.com. I would love to see your pictures and video if you have some.
Media
I have tried to contact some of the local TV stations to cover the final event but I haven’t had any luck so far. If anyone has a good contact person I could inform of our event, please let me know so we can try to get some good coverage.
Thank a Yellow Shirt
Be sure to thank someone in a yellow shirt of Saturday. These yellow shirt people are the great volunteers helping you all keep safe and enjoy the final mile of the WELS Kids Marathon. They are giving up their own time to help. I appreciate all their help and I hope you do too.
Sponsors
We have been blessed with some late donations of food and water for you to enjoy after you have completed your final mile. Kwik Trip stores in Oconomowoc, Wales, and Muskego as well as Potter’s Piggly Wiggly in Oak Creek have graciously donated Bananas and apples and Century Springs in Mukwonago has once again donated fresh spring water for you to rehydrate yourself after the run.
Again I would like to highlight our 2 main sponsors this year:
Thrivent Financial for Lutherans has helped us our tremendously. “Nearly 3 million members turn to Thrivent Financial for Lutherans to help meet their financial needs. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans offers a wide range of competitive products and personal service. We are committed to serving Lutheran families, communities and congregations. Proud sponsor of the WELS Kids Marathon.”
Southeast Wisconsin Region
20800 Swenson Dr. Ste 175
Waukesha, WI 53186
262-432-6280
Slingstone Products LLC is the Wisconsin distributor for Nicoat UV and water base coatings, as well as the complete line of printing blankets, parts and supplies from Rosmini Graphics. Based in Muskego, Slingstone provides sales and technical support to offset, flexo, and screen printers. The company name reflects the faith in God that owners Mark and Lori Schommer have used as a daily source of inspiration. The bible refers to the smooth stone that David used to slay Goliath as a "slingstone". David knew that God was with him as he fought Goliath just as the owners of Slingstone Products know that Gods presence is an important part of their success in business today. Congratulations to all runners and readers….. see you at the finish line! http://www.slingstoneproducts.com/
Website
There is a website (http://kidsmarathon.blogspot.com/) with all the information you may need concerning the 2010 WELS Kids Marathon. Some sections you will find on the website include: Frequently asked questions, directions to the Final Event, course map, sponsor links, updates, etc. Please feel free to leave us a comment on the site as well.
Thank you,
WELS Kids Marathon Organizing Committee
Bill Schneider – WELS Kids Marathon Director
WELS Kids Marathon Committee:
David Habben
Belinda Matter
Gwen Scherf
Sally Schneider
Greg Uehling
Sunday, August 15, 2010
2010 WELS Kids Marathon Update #4
We are now less than 2 weeks until the final mile. The committee is working feverishly to get all the final details under control. And all of you are finishing your last few miles and books if you haven’t already done so. As a marathoner myself, I am so proud of all of you and all the work you have done to finish this marathon.
We are close enough to start praying for good weather. Be assured though, even if it is raining, we are still going to run. We are hoping, though, for a nice sunny day that is not too warm. Pictures always look better on a sunny day. And speaking of pictures, we are blessed once again to have Mike Scherf attending to take pictures for us that will be posted on our shutterfly website (password protected) for everyone to enjoy. If you plan on taking pictures yourself, please share with us as we love to see all aspects of the day!
Charity #2
Prizes:
We have lots of prizes that have been donated for us to give away at the final mile. You must be present to win a prize and we have lots of prizes to give away. Here is a brief list of most of the prizes (we still have more coming):
6 Nike $25 Gift Card
Bernie the Brewer Bobblehead Doll
Milwaukee Brewers Cinch Pack with Brewers Water Bottle and Brewers T-shirt
2 Ticket Vouchers for a Milwaukee Bucks game in the upcoming season
4 Ticket Vouchers for a Milwaukee Admirals Game (Stern and Bow pack)
2 Complimentary Race entries from Midwest Sports Events for the 2011 Pewaukee Kids Triathlon
Midwest Sports Events Kids Backpacks
2 Performance Running $50 Gift Certificates
2 InStep Running & Walking Centers $50 Gift Certificates
2 Bicycle Doctors $50 Gift Certificates
2 Athlete’s Foot in New Berlin $50 Gift Certificates
Multiple Gift Certificates Barnes & Noble
3 Lasertag Adventure Memberships
Multiple Wisconsin Lutheran High School Shirts
Multiple Wisconsin Lutheran College Shirts
3 Posters donated by Wisconsin Lutheran High School
Race shirts from different marathon around Wisconsin including the Icebreaker Indoor Marathon, Fox Cities Marathon, Paavo Nurmi Marathon, WhistleStop Marathon, The Wisconsin Marathon, and others.
Course Marshall's to keep the kids safe
Final Event
A friendly reminder that the final event begins at 9:00AM and we ask that all participants arrive no later than 9:30 as we anticipate large lines to get through the packet pick up tables. We are planning a system to make this process smooth but we also have almost 400 participants that need to get there goodie bags.
Thank you,
We are close enough to start praying for good weather. Be assured though, even if it is raining, we are still going to run. We are hoping, though, for a nice sunny day that is not too warm. Pictures always look better on a sunny day. And speaking of pictures, we are blessed once again to have Mike Scherf attending to take pictures for us that will be posted on our shutterfly website (password protected) for everyone to enjoy. If you plan on taking pictures yourself, please share with us as we love to see all aspects of the day!
Charity #2
We are pleased to have chosen as a second charity “MS Run The US”. Ashley Kumlien is a 25 year old woman from Brookfield who is running across the entire United States (San Francisco to New York) to raise awareness and funds to find a cure for the disease Multiple Sclerosis (MS). 27 years ago, Ashley’s mother was diagnosed with MS. Why is she doing this? From her website in her own words: “I chose to raise awareness for Multiple Sclerosis because my mother, Jill Kumlien, has been battling MS for over 27 years. This disease has robbed my mother of the abilities you and I take for granted every day. This run is a tribute to her daily triumph over disabilities associated with having MS, and to all others just like her living with the disabling affects of MS. All donated funds raised by MS Run the US will contribute to The Montel Williams MS Foundation and The National MS Society.”
If you or any parents wants more information about Ashley or MS Run The US or would like to donate to her cause, please visit her website at
Prizes:
We have lots of prizes that have been donated for us to give away at the final mile. You must be present to win a prize and we have lots of prizes to give away. Here is a brief list of most of the prizes (we still have more coming):
6 Nike $25 Gift Card
Bernie the Brewer Bobblehead Doll
Milwaukee Brewers Cinch Pack with Brewers Water Bottle and Brewers T-shirt
2 Ticket Vouchers for a Milwaukee Bucks game in the upcoming season
4 Ticket Vouchers for a Milwaukee Admirals Game (Stern and Bow pack)
2 Complimentary Race entries from Midwest Sports Events for the 2011 Pewaukee Kids Triathlon
Midwest Sports Events Kids Backpacks
2 Performance Running $50 Gift Certificates
2 InStep Running & Walking Centers $50 Gift Certificates
2 Bicycle Doctors $50 Gift Certificates
2 Athlete’s Foot in New Berlin $50 Gift Certificates
Multiple Gift Certificates Barnes & Noble
3 Lasertag Adventure Memberships
Multiple Wisconsin Lutheran High School Shirts
Multiple Wisconsin Lutheran College Shirts
3 Posters donated by Wisconsin Lutheran High School
Race shirts from different marathon around Wisconsin including the Icebreaker Indoor Marathon, Fox Cities Marathon, Paavo Nurmi Marathon, WhistleStop Marathon, The Wisconsin Marathon, and others.
We also have 2 Complimentary Race entries from Midwest Sports Events for the 2011 Pewaukee Adult Triathlon to be given as prizes to some lucky volunteers.
Volunteers
I want to thank all of you who have already volunteered to help us out on August 28th, and some of you helping out even earlier stuffing goodie bags. We could still use a few more to make sure we run a smooth and safe event on the 28th. Please email us at
welskidsmarathon@yahoo.com if you are interested in helping. We have about 40 shirts to give out to our volunteers. We are in need of the following:Course Marshall's to keep the kids safe
Food Prep Set Up
Registration/Packet Pickup Table
Clean Up Committee
Medal Hand Out
Sponsors
Thrivent Financial for Lutherans has helped us our tremendously. “Nearly 3 million members turn to Thrivent Financial for Lutherans to help meet their financial needs. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans offers a wide range of competitive products and personal service. We are committed to serving Lutheran families, communities and congregations. Proud sponsor of the WELS Kids Marathon.”
Southeast Wisconsin Region
20800 Swenson Dr. Ste 175
Waukesha, WI 53186
262-432-6280
We are also happy to announce that La Campagne Bakery of Mequon is donating cookies again this year.
Website
There is a website (
Final Event
A friendly reminder that the final event begins at 9:00AM and we ask that all participants arrive no later than 9:30 as we anticipate large lines to get through the packet pick up tables. We are planning a system to make this process smooth but we also have almost 400 participants that need to get there goodie bags.
Thank you,
WELS Kids Marathon Organizing Committee
Bill Schneider – WELS Kids Marathon Director
WELS Kids Marathon Committee:
David Habben
Belinda Matter
Gwen Scherf
Sally Schneider
Greg Uehling
Monday, August 2, 2010
2010 WELS Kids Marathon Update #3
Hi Kids and Parents! How is your summer going? It has been quite hot this summer, hasn’t it? Make sure you are drinking plenty of water when you are our exercising and running. And a nice cool glass of ice water goes great with a good book!
Running has become very popular again in the USA. Each of the past years, there are more and more marathon finishers from the US. I was signing up for a marathon taking place this fall on Sunday morning and the race filled to capacity in ONLY 32 minutes. Sounds like a concert, not a marathon. Marathoning is a popular sport now and you are all apart of it. I can’t wait to see all of you cross the finish line on August 28th and get that coveted finishers medal around your neck.
Here are a few statistics about who is in this years WELS Kids Marathon. We have 395 participants, just over double what we had last year. Here is the grade breakdown with the grade you all are going into:
K – 15
1st – 25
2nd – 51
3rd – 57
4th – 71
5th – 55
6th – 52
7th – 41
8th – 25
Other – 3
Looks like the 4th graders are going to be everywhere.
There are also kids from 33 different school!
Ultimate Challenge
Are you trying to become an Ultimate Challenge Marathoner? These are the kids who are running 52 miles and reading 52 books or 52 hours. Please email us at welskidsmarathon@yahoo.com if you are trying to get the Ultimate Challenge done. We have a little something for you but we need to know how many of you are doing it.
TV Report
I heard from someone that the WELS Kids Marathon was mentioned on TV recently. Have any of you heard this? If so, please let me know about it. I would love to hear all about it.
Can’t make the Final Event
We know that some of you can’t make the final event on August 28th. This does not mean you can’t still finish the WELS Kids Marathon. Please complete all your miles and reading and you will still be a WELS Kids Marathon Finisher. In an effort to save on postage, please email us so we can send your goodie bag with shirt and finishers medal with your school’s representative. They can take it to your school for you to get once school begins. We appreciate your cooperation with this.
Sponsors
We could not do this marathon without the support of all our great sponsors including our latest sponsor Dupont Cheese – Marion. One of the original sponsors and great supporter of the WELS Kids Marathon in Slingstone Products:
Running has become very popular again in the USA. Each of the past years, there are more and more marathon finishers from the US. I was signing up for a marathon taking place this fall on Sunday morning and the race filled to capacity in ONLY 32 minutes. Sounds like a concert, not a marathon. Marathoning is a popular sport now and you are all apart of it. I can’t wait to see all of you cross the finish line on August 28th and get that coveted finishers medal around your neck.
Here are a few statistics about who is in this years WELS Kids Marathon. We have 395 participants, just over double what we had last year. Here is the grade breakdown with the grade you all are going into:
K – 15
1st – 25
2nd – 51
3rd – 57
4th – 71
5th – 55
6th – 52
7th – 41
8th – 25
Other – 3
Looks like the 4th graders are going to be everywhere.
There are also kids from 33 different school!
Ultimate Challenge
Are you trying to become an Ultimate Challenge Marathoner? These are the kids who are running 52 miles and reading 52 books or 52 hours. Please email us at welskidsmarathon@yahoo.com if you are trying to get the Ultimate Challenge done. We have a little something for you but we need to know how many of you are doing it.
TV Report
I heard from someone that the WELS Kids Marathon was mentioned on TV recently. Have any of you heard this? If so, please let me know about it. I would love to hear all about it.
Can’t make the Final Event
We know that some of you can’t make the final event on August 28th. This does not mean you can’t still finish the WELS Kids Marathon. Please complete all your miles and reading and you will still be a WELS Kids Marathon Finisher. In an effort to save on postage, please email us so we can send your goodie bag with shirt and finishers medal with your school’s representative. They can take it to your school for you to get once school begins. We appreciate your cooperation with this.
Sponsors
We could not do this marathon without the support of all our great sponsors including our latest sponsor Dupont Cheese – Marion. One of the original sponsors and great supporter of the WELS Kids Marathon in Slingstone Products:
Slingstone Products LLC is the Wisconsin distributor for Nicoat UV and water base coatings, as well as the complete line of printing blankets, parts and supplies from Rosmini Graphics. Based in Muskego, Slingstone provides sales and technical support to offset, flexo, and screen printers. The company name reflects the faith in God that owners Mark and Lori Schommer have used as a daily source of inspiration. The bible refers to the smooth stone that David used to slay Goliath as a "slingstone". David knew that God was with him as he fought Goliath just as the owners of Slingstone Products know that Gods presence is an important part of their success in business today. Congratulations to all runners and readers….. see you at the finish line! http://www.slingstoneproducts.com/
Also, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans has helped us our tremendously. “Nearly 3 million members turn to Thrivent Financial for Lutherans to help meet their financial needs. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans offers a wide range of competitive products and personal service. We are committed to serving Lutheran families, communities and congregations. Proud sponsor of the WELS Kids Marathon.”
Southeast Wisconsin Region
20800 Swenson Dr. Ste 175
Waukesha, WI 53186
262-432-6280
Volunteers
We are still looking for a lot of volunteers for the final event on August 28th. If you are available to help out, please mail us at welskidsmarathon@yahoo.com. All the work is very easy and most allow you to be able to be there when your child is running the final mile. We are in need of the following:
Course Marshall's to keep the kids safe
Food Prep Set Up
Registration/Packet Pickup Table
Clean Up Committee
Medal Hand Out
Website
There is a website (http://kidsmarathon.blogspot.com/) with all the information you may need concerning the 2010 WELS Kids Marathon. Some sections you will find on the website include: Frequently asked questions, directions to the Final Event, course map, sponsor links, updates, etc. Please feel free to leave us a comment on the site as well.
Final Event
A friendly reminder that the final event begins at 9:00AM and we ask that all participants arrive no later than 9:30 as we anticipate large lines to get through the packet pick up tables. We are planning a system to make this process smooth but we also have almost 400 participants that need to get there goodie bags.
Thank you,
WELS Kids Marathon Organizing Committee
Bill Schneider – WELS Kids Marathon Director
WELS Kids Marathon Committee:
David Habben
Belinda Matter
Gwen Scherf
Sally Schneider
Greg Uehling
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
2010 WELS Kids Marathon Update #2
It is now 1 month until the final mile event at Wisconsin Lutheran College’s Raabe Stadium. I hope your running is coming along as well as your reading. If you are new to running, it should be getting easier the more you do.
Charity
I wanted to share with you one of the people you all are donating funds to as a part of the charitable contribution portion on the WELS Kids Marathon. Luke Currier is participating in this years WELS Kids Marathon. Here is the story as written by his parents:
Our story began back in 1996. Luke was born with a rare disease called Klippel-Feil Syndrome. It affects several areas of the body. In Luke's case, his spine, kidneys, and heart were affected. When Luke was 2 years old he had open heart surgery to repair an ASD in his heart. At 3 years old, Luke again had surgery to stabilize his spine. The neurosurgeon and orthopedic surgeons fused c-1 and c-2 together. We have been going for follow up visits for the past 11 years. We have always been given a clean bill of health and I actually let my guard down and let him 'be a boy'. I of course think every boy should be wrapped in bubble wrap, but that is another story...This past month (April) at our annual checkup we were informed that Luke is in danger of a 'significant spinal event' that is Dr. speak, for really bad. He is at risk for either a life ending injury or if he survived he would be a quadriplegic. This is because the spinal cord in the area of c/3 and c/4 is not protected by his spine. The only things protecting his spinal cord are his neck muscles. Obviously our choice was made for us. Luke is scheduled for a c-3/c-4 spinal fusion on May 5, 2010. He will be operated on at 1pm at Lutheran General Hospital. It is located in Park Ridge, IL. We are having the same surgeons, Dr. John Ruge (neurosurgeon) and Dr. Steven Marjetko (orthopedic surgeon) who preformed his spinal fusion in 1999. The road to recovery is going to be a long one. – Kris Currier, Luke’s mother
Luke had his surgery May 5th and was able to return home on May 8th. His surgery lasted just over 4-1/2 hours and his recovery time will be a minimum of 8 months (from time of surgery). He was notified by his doctors that he will no longer be able to play baseball or basketball, two sports every young boy loves to play. But Luke assures us he will be the best golfer ever…J Other than a slip on the bleachers while watching his friends little league game and 16 stitches later, I am happy to inform you that Luke is doing well.
Luke and his younger brother Noah along with their mother have been walking and just have been thankful for the bonding time they get. It has truly become a highlight of their taking while on their mile walk together!!!
For more information and Luke incredible journey, please visit the website below.
http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/lukecurrier
Volunteers
We are still looking for a lot of volunteers for the final event on August 28th. If you are available to help out, please mail us at welskidsmarathon@yahoo.com. All the work is very easy and most allow you to be able to be there when your child is running the final mile. We are in need of the following:
Course Marshall's to keep the kids safe
Food Prep Set Up
Registration/Packet Pickup Table
Clean Up Committee
Medal Hand Out
Sponsors
We like to highlight our sponsors here. Without them, we would not be able to put on this event the way we feel it should be put on. Sky High Marketing has been out tshirt supplier for 2 years now and they give us a major discount and are a very professional company to work with:
Sky High Marketing specializes in apparel, promotional products, and design services. The company has a great showroom filled with client projects and product examples. Learn more about Sky High Marketing online at http://www.skyhighmarketing.com/ or contact them at 262-542-8286.
Also, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans has helped us our tremendously. “Nearly 3 million members turn to Thrivent Financial for Lutherans to help meet their financial needs. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans offers a wide range of competitive products and personal service. We are committed to serving Lutheran families, communities and congregations. Proud sponsor of the WELS Kids Marathon.”
Southeast Wisconsin Region
20800 Swenson Dr. Ste 175
Waukesha, WI 53186
262-432-6280
We also have some new sponsors which include Midwest Sports Events and Dupont Cheese – Marion. Thank you very much for helping our program.
Bango Is Back!
We have recently been informed that Bango from the Milwaukee Bucks will be back again this year at the final event of the WELS Kids Marathon. There are no basketball hoops at the track so we won’t be able to see Bango do his YouTube famous dunk off a 16 foot ladder during this years NBA playoffs, but he will the there for pictures, high fives, and maybe some running as well. This is one time you do not need to Fear the Deer.
Website
There is a website (http://kidsmarathon.blogspot.com/) with all the information you may need concerning the 2010 WELS Kids Marathon. Some sections you will find on the website include: Frequently asked questions, directions to the Final Event, course map, sponsor links, updates, etc. Please feel free to leave us a comment on the site as well.
Future Updates
In the next few updates, we will share with you a list of all the door prizes we have to give away at the final event. You must be present at the final event to be eligible to receive a door prize.
Final Event
A friendly reminder that the final event begins at 9:00AM and we ask that all participants arrive no later than 9:30 as we anticipate large lines to get through the packet pick up tables. We are planning a system to make this process smooth but we also have almost 400 participants that need to get there goodie bags.
Thank you,
WELS Kids Marathon Organizing Committee
Bill Schneider – WELS Kids Marathon Director
WELS Kids Marathon Committee:
David Habben
Belinda Matter
Gwen Scherf
Sally Schneider
Greg Uehling
Charity
I wanted to share with you one of the people you all are donating funds to as a part of the charitable contribution portion on the WELS Kids Marathon. Luke Currier is participating in this years WELS Kids Marathon. Here is the story as written by his parents:
Our story began back in 1996. Luke was born with a rare disease called Klippel-Feil Syndrome. It affects several areas of the body. In Luke's case, his spine, kidneys, and heart were affected. When Luke was 2 years old he had open heart surgery to repair an ASD in his heart. At 3 years old, Luke again had surgery to stabilize his spine. The neurosurgeon and orthopedic surgeons fused c-1 and c-2 together. We have been going for follow up visits for the past 11 years. We have always been given a clean bill of health and I actually let my guard down and let him 'be a boy'. I of course think every boy should be wrapped in bubble wrap, but that is another story...This past month (April) at our annual checkup we were informed that Luke is in danger of a 'significant spinal event' that is Dr. speak, for really bad. He is at risk for either a life ending injury or if he survived he would be a quadriplegic. This is because the spinal cord in the area of c/3 and c/4 is not protected by his spine. The only things protecting his spinal cord are his neck muscles. Obviously our choice was made for us. Luke is scheduled for a c-3/c-4 spinal fusion on May 5, 2010. He will be operated on at 1pm at Lutheran General Hospital. It is located in Park Ridge, IL. We are having the same surgeons, Dr. John Ruge (neurosurgeon) and Dr. Steven Marjetko (orthopedic surgeon) who preformed his spinal fusion in 1999. The road to recovery is going to be a long one. – Kris Currier, Luke’s mother
Luke had his surgery May 5th and was able to return home on May 8th. His surgery lasted just over 4-1/2 hours and his recovery time will be a minimum of 8 months (from time of surgery). He was notified by his doctors that he will no longer be able to play baseball or basketball, two sports every young boy loves to play. But Luke assures us he will be the best golfer ever…J Other than a slip on the bleachers while watching his friends little league game and 16 stitches later, I am happy to inform you that Luke is doing well.
Luke and his younger brother Noah along with their mother have been walking and just have been thankful for the bonding time they get. It has truly become a highlight of their taking while on their mile walk together!!!
For more information and Luke incredible journey, please visit the website below.
http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/lukecurrier
Volunteers
We are still looking for a lot of volunteers for the final event on August 28th. If you are available to help out, please mail us at welskidsmarathon@yahoo.com. All the work is very easy and most allow you to be able to be there when your child is running the final mile. We are in need of the following:
Course Marshall's to keep the kids safe
Food Prep Set Up
Registration/Packet Pickup Table
Clean Up Committee
Medal Hand Out
Sponsors
We like to highlight our sponsors here. Without them, we would not be able to put on this event the way we feel it should be put on. Sky High Marketing has been out tshirt supplier for 2 years now and they give us a major discount and are a very professional company to work with:
Sky High Marketing specializes in apparel, promotional products, and design services. The company has a great showroom filled with client projects and product examples. Learn more about Sky High Marketing online at http://www.skyhighmarketing.com/ or contact them at 262-542-8286.
Also, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans has helped us our tremendously. “Nearly 3 million members turn to Thrivent Financial for Lutherans to help meet their financial needs. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans offers a wide range of competitive products and personal service. We are committed to serving Lutheran families, communities and congregations. Proud sponsor of the WELS Kids Marathon.”
Southeast Wisconsin Region
20800 Swenson Dr. Ste 175
Waukesha, WI 53186
262-432-6280
We also have some new sponsors which include Midwest Sports Events and Dupont Cheese – Marion. Thank you very much for helping our program.
Bango Is Back!
We have recently been informed that Bango from the Milwaukee Bucks will be back again this year at the final event of the WELS Kids Marathon. There are no basketball hoops at the track so we won’t be able to see Bango do his YouTube famous dunk off a 16 foot ladder during this years NBA playoffs, but he will the there for pictures, high fives, and maybe some running as well. This is one time you do not need to Fear the Deer.
Website
There is a website (http://kidsmarathon.blogspot.com/) with all the information you may need concerning the 2010 WELS Kids Marathon. Some sections you will find on the website include: Frequently asked questions, directions to the Final Event, course map, sponsor links, updates, etc. Please feel free to leave us a comment on the site as well.
Future Updates
In the next few updates, we will share with you a list of all the door prizes we have to give away at the final event. You must be present at the final event to be eligible to receive a door prize.
Final Event
A friendly reminder that the final event begins at 9:00AM and we ask that all participants arrive no later than 9:30 as we anticipate large lines to get through the packet pick up tables. We are planning a system to make this process smooth but we also have almost 400 participants that need to get there goodie bags.
Thank you,
WELS Kids Marathon Organizing Committee
Bill Schneider – WELS Kids Marathon Director
WELS Kids Marathon Committee:
David Habben
Belinda Matter
Gwen Scherf
Sally Schneider
Greg Uehling
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
2010 WELS Kids Marathon Update #1
Welcome to the 2010 WELS Kids Marathon. I hope you are all enjoying your summer and having a good time reading and running. This is our second annual WELS Kids Marathon and we have grown considerably. Last year we had 197 participants, this year we are just over 390 participants with a few more coming.
Everyone should have received their Reading/Running Logs by this time and I bet some of you have lots of miles already run and books already read. If you haven’t started yet, please go ahead and start. If you do not have a Reading/Running Log, or have misplaced the one you received, you can print one from our website: http://kidsmarathon.blogspot.com/
Have you heard about the Ultimate Challenge? This is geared toward the older participants in the Kids Marathon looking for that extra challenge. To become an Ultimate Kids Marathoner, simply double all the requirements by reading 52 books or for 52 hours and running 52 miles. We are planning special recognition for those who complete this challenge. Again, if you need an extra log to keep track of your books/hours and miles, please go to the website (http://kidsmarathon.blogspot.com/) and print one out.
Speaking of the reading/running logs, a special thank you goes to Central Office Systems in Waukesha for printing the logs at no cost to us.
FUN RUNS
As of the posting of this update, I know of 1 weekly run that encourage kids and families to come and run while having fun. Greg Uehling has organized a Sunday Evening run held at the South Milwaukee High School track starting at 6pm. South Milwaukee High School’s address is 801 15th Avenue in South Milwaukee. Please notify Greg if you are interested in being added to his email list for fun run updates. Greg’s email is guehling11@hotmail.com
SPONSORS
I would like to thank all of our sponsors that have made this event possible and fun by providing either funds or final event supplies. Companies such as: Thrivent Financial; Slingstone Products; Hydrite Chemical; Wisconsin Lutheran College; InStep Running and Walking Center; Sky High Marketing; the Milwaukee Bucks; the Milwaukee Admirals; Bicycle Doctor; Performance Running; Sitzberger, Widmann and Company; and Spiegelberg Financial.
Do you know someone or some company who would like to support us by becoming a sponsor? We are currently looking for companies to join us in our effort by becoming a sponsor, please consider passing on this call for sponsors to anyone you know. In addition to monetary donations, we are in need of supplies for the final event such as food and beverages for the participants and volunteers. If sponsors are identified soon enough, we will get the company name and logo linked on the website, in addition to the sponsor company’s logo printed on the shirts all participants receive. Please email us at welskidsmarathon@yahoo.com if you would like more information on becoming a sponsor.
VOLUNTEERS
Are you interested in volunteering at the final event? We have a lot of smaller duties available to help make this a very safe and fun event for all. Most of these duties will allow you to still be able to watch your child run the final mile, if applicable. For more information, please email us at welskidsmarathon@yahoo.com.
FINAL EVENT
We are busy planning the final event which will be held at Wisconsin Lutheran College on Saturday, August 28th from 9:00am to 12pm noon. Please plan on arriving no later than 9:30am as there are a lot of participants that will need to get through the registration line before the start of the first race. First race? Yes, we are looking into having 2 races this year to help with the large number of participants we are planning on this year. This will also encourage participants to cheer on other participants. More details to follow.
WEBSITE
There is a website (http://kidsmarathon.blogspot.com/) with all the information you may need concerning the 2010 WELS Kids Marathon. Some sections you will find on the website include: Frequently asked questions, directions to the Final Event, course map, sponsor links, updates, etc. Please feel free to leave us a comment on the site as well.
Thank you,
WELS Kids Marathon Organizing Committee
Bill Schneider – WELS Kids Marathon Director
WELS Kids Marathon Committee:
David Habben
Belinda Matter
Gwen Scherf
Sally Schneider
Greg Uehling
Everyone should have received their Reading/Running Logs by this time and I bet some of you have lots of miles already run and books already read. If you haven’t started yet, please go ahead and start. If you do not have a Reading/Running Log, or have misplaced the one you received, you can print one from our website: http://kidsmarathon.blogspot.com/
Have you heard about the Ultimate Challenge? This is geared toward the older participants in the Kids Marathon looking for that extra challenge. To become an Ultimate Kids Marathoner, simply double all the requirements by reading 52 books or for 52 hours and running 52 miles. We are planning special recognition for those who complete this challenge. Again, if you need an extra log to keep track of your books/hours and miles, please go to the website (http://kidsmarathon.blogspot.com/) and print one out.
Speaking of the reading/running logs, a special thank you goes to Central Office Systems in Waukesha for printing the logs at no cost to us.
FUN RUNS
As of the posting of this update, I know of 1 weekly run that encourage kids and families to come and run while having fun. Greg Uehling has organized a Sunday Evening run held at the South Milwaukee High School track starting at 6pm. South Milwaukee High School’s address is 801 15th Avenue in South Milwaukee. Please notify Greg if you are interested in being added to his email list for fun run updates. Greg’s email is guehling11@hotmail.com
SPONSORS
I would like to thank all of our sponsors that have made this event possible and fun by providing either funds or final event supplies. Companies such as: Thrivent Financial; Slingstone Products; Hydrite Chemical; Wisconsin Lutheran College; InStep Running and Walking Center; Sky High Marketing; the Milwaukee Bucks; the Milwaukee Admirals; Bicycle Doctor; Performance Running; Sitzberger, Widmann and Company; and Spiegelberg Financial.
Do you know someone or some company who would like to support us by becoming a sponsor? We are currently looking for companies to join us in our effort by becoming a sponsor, please consider passing on this call for sponsors to anyone you know. In addition to monetary donations, we are in need of supplies for the final event such as food and beverages for the participants and volunteers. If sponsors are identified soon enough, we will get the company name and logo linked on the website, in addition to the sponsor company’s logo printed on the shirts all participants receive. Please email us at welskidsmarathon@yahoo.com if you would like more information on becoming a sponsor.
VOLUNTEERS
Are you interested in volunteering at the final event? We have a lot of smaller duties available to help make this a very safe and fun event for all. Most of these duties will allow you to still be able to watch your child run the final mile, if applicable. For more information, please email us at welskidsmarathon@yahoo.com.
FINAL EVENT
We are busy planning the final event which will be held at Wisconsin Lutheran College on Saturday, August 28th from 9:00am to 12pm noon. Please plan on arriving no later than 9:30am as there are a lot of participants that will need to get through the registration line before the start of the first race. First race? Yes, we are looking into having 2 races this year to help with the large number of participants we are planning on this year. This will also encourage participants to cheer on other participants. More details to follow.
WEBSITE
There is a website (http://kidsmarathon.blogspot.com/) with all the information you may need concerning the 2010 WELS Kids Marathon. Some sections you will find on the website include: Frequently asked questions, directions to the Final Event, course map, sponsor links, updates, etc. Please feel free to leave us a comment on the site as well.
Thank you,
WELS Kids Marathon Organizing Committee
Bill Schneider – WELS Kids Marathon Director
WELS Kids Marathon Committee:
David Habben
Belinda Matter
Gwen Scherf
Sally Schneider
Greg Uehling
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Welcome to the 2010 WELS Kids Marathon
Welcome to the 2010 WELS Kids Marathon.
Almost everyone is signed up, logs have been sent out to participants and the running and reading has begun!!! We are bigger and better than ever (well, ever only means last year). Last year we had 197 kids signed up and running while this year we are closing in on 400. Registrations are being entered into the database and emails added to the yahoo email account for updates throughout the summer. Plans are now switching to finding sponsors, final event preparations and well as getting in the miles and books.
I know there are lots of questions out there that need to be answered. Our email is open for all questions so please feel free to drop us a note and ask away at welskidsmarathon@yahoo.com. Some of your questions may be have answers already in the Frequently Asked Questions portion of the site. The link can be found on the right side of this website. Also there is a link to the course map for the final mile and direction maps to our final event on August 28th.
I know there has been inquiry about how to get a new log or a second log. We are working on getting a link to the log so you can print it out on your own as many as you need. This should be up soon.
Also, stay tuned for updates on group runs being planned at various different locations around the area. I will try to provide dates, times, locations, and maps for these events. Please come and join others as they and you accomplish 26.2 miles over the summer. I know of "fun runs" being held in Muskego as well as South Milwaukee.
Now go and have some fun this summer reading and running. Keep your mind active and well as your body. Be safe out on the roads and keep all eyes open to cars and other vehicle. Stay hydrated in the heat and warm if it cools off. But most of all, have fun!
Almost everyone is signed up, logs have been sent out to participants and the running and reading has begun!!! We are bigger and better than ever (well, ever only means last year). Last year we had 197 kids signed up and running while this year we are closing in on 400. Registrations are being entered into the database and emails added to the yahoo email account for updates throughout the summer. Plans are now switching to finding sponsors, final event preparations and well as getting in the miles and books.
I know there are lots of questions out there that need to be answered. Our email is open for all questions so please feel free to drop us a note and ask away at welskidsmarathon@yahoo.com. Some of your questions may be have answers already in the Frequently Asked Questions portion of the site. The link can be found on the right side of this website. Also there is a link to the course map for the final mile and direction maps to our final event on August 28th.
I know there has been inquiry about how to get a new log or a second log. We are working on getting a link to the log so you can print it out on your own as many as you need. This should be up soon.
Also, stay tuned for updates on group runs being planned at various different locations around the area. I will try to provide dates, times, locations, and maps for these events. Please come and join others as they and you accomplish 26.2 miles over the summer. I know of "fun runs" being held in Muskego as well as South Milwaukee.
Now go and have some fun this summer reading and running. Keep your mind active and well as your body. Be safe out on the roads and keep all eyes open to cars and other vehicle. Stay hydrated in the heat and warm if it cools off. But most of all, have fun!
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
2009 Final Note
Hello all 2009 WELS Kid's Marathon Participants,
I hope you all had a great time at the final event last September at WLC Rabbe Stadium. I can say that the entire Marathon Committee was all smiles watching you all show your best and earning your medals becoming official marathoners. Congratulations to all of you, you are all winners!
I wanted to drop a quick note to all of you to let you know that preparations of the 2nd annual WELS Kid's Marathon is well underway. We have a final date chosen and scheduled for Saturday, August 28th again at WLC Rabbe Stadium. If your school participated last year, check for details soon through your school. If you were an individual entrant and would like to participate again, please let us know and we will get an entry form out to you. We would like to have all entries back by the end of May so Running/Reading Logs can be delivered.
The committee is planning for another great event and look to improve on the mistakes we made last year. Please drop us an email here with your thoughts and comments on last year's event. Please help us improve and bring you the best event we possibly can.
As always, please check our website for updates http://kidsmarathon.blogspot.com/ and also check out our shutterfly website for pictures from last year's final event http://welskidsmarathon.shutterfly.com/. This site is password protected and I will only give out the password via official WELS Kid's Marathon communications and will not be posted on the website. Please email me at WELSkidsmarathon@yahoo.com if you would like the password so I can verify you.
Thank you once again to all our sponsors who helped make this event possible and thank you to all our volunteers as well. We could not have done it without you! And of course, thank you to all the parents and kids. You are all winners!
Thank you,
WELS Kid's Marathon Committee
I hope you all had a great time at the final event last September at WLC Rabbe Stadium. I can say that the entire Marathon Committee was all smiles watching you all show your best and earning your medals becoming official marathoners. Congratulations to all of you, you are all winners!
I wanted to drop a quick note to all of you to let you know that preparations of the 2nd annual WELS Kid's Marathon is well underway. We have a final date chosen and scheduled for Saturday, August 28th again at WLC Rabbe Stadium. If your school participated last year, check for details soon through your school. If you were an individual entrant and would like to participate again, please let us know and we will get an entry form out to you. We would like to have all entries back by the end of May so Running/Reading Logs can be delivered.
The committee is planning for another great event and look to improve on the mistakes we made last year. Please drop us an email here with your thoughts and comments on last year's event. Please help us improve and bring you the best event we possibly can.
As always, please check our website for updates http://kidsmarathon.blogspot.com/ and also check out our shutterfly website for pictures from last year's final event http://welskidsmarathon.shutterfly.com/. This site is password protected and I will only give out the password via official WELS Kid's Marathon communications and will not be posted on the website. Please email me at WELSkidsmarathon@yahoo.com if you would like the password so I can verify you.
Thank you once again to all our sponsors who helped make this event possible and thank you to all our volunteers as well. We could not have done it without you! And of course, thank you to all the parents and kids. You are all winners!
Thank you,
WELS Kid's Marathon Committee
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