Western Branch 24 Hour Fundraiser Run

You may recall about a year ago, local runner Ryan Carroll running 100 miles in 24 hours on a track to raise money for cancer research, whilst his student athletes kept him company and took part in a 24 hour relay to raise money for their sport. Well this year Ryan’s athletes will be circling the track once again in the hope of raising much needed funds for their upcoming 2009-2010 season.

Recently announced, the Western Branch Track Club will be conducting the 24 Hour Relay on June 23rd at the Western Branch High School track starting at 7am Tuesday and ending 7am Wednesday. Funds are desperately needed due to the drastic Athletic budget cuts due to the current economic climate.

For more information about the fund raiser, please contact Ryan Carroll at 757-282-1440 or via email. You can also make a donation (large or small) at the designated fund raising page at ActiveGiving.com. Donations can be made with a credit card or via PayPal.

In conjunction with the 24 hour track run, a merchandise/gift certificates raffle is also taking place. Tickets are $1 a piece and the great thing is you don’t have to be present to win. Current prizes include, but are not limited to, airline tickets, a flat screen TV, Nintendo DS, digital picture frames, iPods, free race entries, gift certificates to numerous retailers, and a 50/50 raffle which is increasing in value all the time. Seems like a great opportunity to win a tremendous prize.

Tickets for the raffle will be on sale at this weekend’s Ed Lowery 5k Bash at Bells Mill Park (which so happens to be my next race), or you can stop by Western Branch High School during the event next Tuesday/Wednesday to make your purchase. Another option I just heard about is to send Ryan an email and ask that part of your donation be applied to raffle tickets. Ryan will add your name and contact information to the ticket and ensure it is entered in the raffle. Feel free to contact Ryan for further information:

Email: rcarroll82@gmail.com or
Phone: 757-282-1440

For what it’s worth, Ryan is probably the top area runner and regularly wins all the local races he shows up at. Somehow he juggles an impossible schedule yet remains one of the nicest, most genuine guys you could meet. Nothing appears to be too much trouble, and he’s always dishing out great advice and cheering folks on at the races. Furthermore, his athletes are a total credit to the local running community and regularly show up bright and early to volunteer at many of the local races. Not only are they good kids, but they’re talented athletes too – you should see what they’ve achieved in recent years!

I’ll soon be heading over to ActiveGiving.com to make my donation. It’s definitely a worthy cause and I’ll be more than happy to support Ryan and his great bunch of kids. Good luck to you all and make sure you don’t get too dizzy out on the track……

Update: Just made my donation. Didn’t see an option for PayPal, so please disregard my original information. Visa, Mastercard and AMEX cards are definitely accepted though. Maybe Ryan will chime in with an official response soon?

Update #2: Just realized why the Western Branch XC and Track teams are so successful. The athletes spend a ton of time following the 100 Push-Ups program! http://bit.ly/5vHad Thanks for your support Ryan and the team!