Inaugural Relay Around Columbus Race June 16/17 2012

I present you - Mikey and the Unicorns

Getting the car checked and prepping for take off! Love those smiles!

Looks pretty good in print, doesn't it?

Go Melissa, Go!

Melissa kicked off our race at 4:18pm ... little did we know we were in for another 18 hours of fun!

I bumped into Ms Kathy Williams who was volunteering at the event! It's always nice to see a familiar face :-) 

Here comes Melissa from her first leg! The heat was brutal!! 

Yet she looks strong every step of the way!

Melissa hands off to Walt

There he goes! 

While we were only 2 legs into the race - Tony was ready for a snooze.

I guess Michael is too ...

So precious!

"Wait .. I think that's Walt - JOAN get over here!!"

The exchange ... with a slap bracelet.

There goes Joan for her leg that included the loop around Sharon Woods.

YAY!!! We got to see Sarah Carothers :-) She just finished her first leg of the day.

Here's Tony waiting for Joan to arrive...

There she is!

The transition ...

And Tony's off on his journey along the Alum Creek Trail and towards the LLS Office!

Here's Michael waiting patiently for Tony to arrive! 

" I see him - I can tell by the stride!"

There's the hand off...

Michael's off towards Wolfe Park in Bexley for his first leg!

Joan maxing and relaxing - waiting for Michael to arrive at Wolfe Park. 

There I go from Wolfe Park, on my way to Three Creeks Metro Park.

A really great sweaty shot of the group after my first leg of the race!

This group had an awesome Team Captain that provided sparklers!! 

You can't tell - but this is Melissa coming in from her 2nd leg! All you could see was lightening bugs and headlamps moving in the woods .. however we could recognize that bright pink shirt coming towards us!

Here's Michael and Tony chilling in the chairs that Joan's husband, John, brought us in the middle of the night - while waiting for Walt to finish up his second leg! 

Here's Walt finishing up leg 2 and Joan beginning her journey in the dark!

She was very quick and consistent .. which means Tony had to be on his toes waiting for her to arrive for his second leg! 

Here's a picture of Michael beginning his second leg!

I did not take anymore pictures because I no longer cared about anything outside of finishing. It was a fantastic experience that I can't wait to do again. Of course I would say I learned a lot and would do some things differently next time - but overall, fantastic! 

Who's coming with us next year?

New chapter in my life with Team in Training

It's been a long time since I've thrown anything onto this page ... with starting a new job at the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society 10 months ago ... I have found something to truly pour my whole heart into. This job has given me the chance to inspire others to step up and take the challenge of a marathon, century ride or triathlon WHILE making a difference in the lives of cancer patients/survivors and their families. 

The group who kicked off my passion - Nike Women's Marathon October 2011

Coach Jim Tucker who has been officially out on the trail with us for 20 years - kicking cancers ass!

St Anthony's Triathlon Team April 29th, 2012 - Dan Melcher, Rachel Ramsey, Christopher Wheaton, Tony Shawver, Alysia Smith and Coach Bryan Fugate

I got the chance to meet a personal hero of mine, Derek Fitzgerald and his two awesome brother-in-laws out at the St Anthony's Triathlon. Derek is a survivor of Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma and a heart transplant. He didn't beat all of that to sit on the couch - did I mention he just completed a half-ironman this past Spring?

I couldn't just watch my teammates make the difference from the sidelines ... stepped up to the challenge too! I did the Capital City Half Marathon on May 5th 2012 alongside 88 teammates. We raised a total of $115,000 for this event alone!

Central Ohio Chapter 

While this was my 4th time running Capital City Half Marathon - it was the first time I ran it for my biggest fan and personal hero, Grandpa John.

From right to left: Michael Martino, Joe Barylak, Laura Naso, Sarah Novak, Kat Mukavetz, Alysia Smith, Meg Brown, Rachael Leahy, and George Kalec

With my two pals George Kalec and Michael Martino!

Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon May 20th, 2012 - 26 teammates who raised a little over $26,000 for cancer research.

My AWESOME friend Katie Rowell who trusted me enough to sign up for TEAM and complete her first half marathon in Cleveland.

A running event wasn't enough for this girl ... so I finally committed to a bike and joined the America's Most Beautiful Bike Ride team for the event on June 3rd, 2012. My group was made up of Coach Tim Hamburger, and teammates John Didlott & Noah Pugh. There were 1,300 TNT participants at the event and raised a little over $5million dollars towards the mission. 

First climb of the day takes you up to Emerald Bay ... what an amazing view :-)

Another fantastic shot along the 100 mile bike ride at AMMBR. For many more pictures from my trip, use the following link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9rh4fl7G-g&feature=youtu.be

I am no longer just a runner, but a cyclist too! Stay tuned for my FIRST triathlon :-)

Wendy's International Triathlon June 10th, 2012

Jami Huck, Amber Fosler, Mary Kalec, Kelly Davey, Coach Garrity, Lisa Dillahunt, Bill MacDonald, Kami Maddocks, Amanda Moses, Susan Jacobs, James Neff, Scott Saunders, Ashley Egbert, Sarah Rooney AND Sara Sacksteder

This group of individuals raised a total of $19,049 for cancer reach!

Wendy's International Cheer/Triathlon TEAM all together for what proved to be one amazing day!

While I am ready for some rest after such a busy 2 months of events weekend after weekend ... it's hard to imagine this Fall season without some of these inspiring individuals. I feel very fortunate to be a part of such a fantastic organization and group of people. They are not just a teammate, but a part of my TNT family. As a united Central Ohio Chapter, we raised $208,000 this Spring/Summer season and a grand total of $415,000 for the year!!!! Saving lives one mile at a time.

Thank you again for helping make a difference in the lives of blood cancer patients and their families! 

GO TEAM!

Alysia Smith

Interested in learning more about LLS and TNT? Click the following link: https://www.teamintraining.org/coh/firsttimehere/ 

Want to make a donation? Use the following link: http://pages.teamintraining.org/coh/ambbr12/asmithgpqp