#run3rd

WHAT IS #run3rd?

#run3rd all started with the actor, Sean Astin (one of my first celebrity crushes - Goonies, Rudy, Lord of the Rings, etc). Sean has been running for most of his life but recently realized his only purpose for running has been for himself. He thought that seemed somewhat selfish and he reevaluated what drives him to run and keeps him running.

Sean realized he’d never really run on behalf of a specific cause or for a particular person. He thought about selecting a cause, but realized that seemed too exclusive – choosing one cause would leave out so many other important issues. So, he reached out to his Twitter followers. He asked them to submit dedications and said he would run on behalf of ALL of those causes/issues/people. He received a number of dedications for a wide variety of things – for a family member with cancer, for no bullying, for autism awareness. The list went on and on. And before his race, Sean read the list, printed it and ran with it as his purpose.

As a result of this, #run3rd was born:

Run FIRST for yourself. There are tons of physical and mental rewards.

Run SECOND for your family who wait for you, listen to your stories from the road and who are there for you.

Run THIRD for others.

Joining #run3rd means you want to honor someone else’s passions, concerns and loved ones as part of your running/walking.

• It’s about awareness – bringing attention to causes/programs/issues that are important to people around me. The more attention, the more people may want to contribute to specific causes/charities.
• It’s about respect – honoring people who have had diseases, conditions and situations affect their lives.
• It’s about celebration – not all dedications have to be negative! If you want me to run in honor of your new marriage, THAT is important too!

WHY DO #run3rd?

• Running a half marathon or a marathon is a big task for most of us (and for less experienced runners completing a 5 or 10k can pose a big challenge) so if you decide to run for others it can provide huge motivation during the training period. Let's face it there's going to be lots of occasions when a night-in on the sofa or a night-out at the bar is going to be more tempting than a 10 mile run on a cold wet night. However if you've committed to running on behalf of others, you won't want to let anyone down and are sure to pull on your shoes and head out the door. The motivation factor can be a huge help just at the times when your training is getting tough and you're thinking about chucking it or settling for a more modest time.

• High-profile races such as 5ks, half-marathons or marathons are fantastic opportunities for people to increase awareness about their cause. Runners wearing a charity's name on their shirt on race day can help raise the profile of the charity in the public's consciousness.

• Running long distances gives a person lots of time to think. Often times, you think WAY too much about yourself – how you feel, the fact that you want to stop, how hungry you are. However, when I’m running in honor of a cause/person THAT is what/who I think about. I think about how their lives have been affected by their situation. About any medical treatment they may have had to go through. Those thoughts give me strength and they keep me moving.

HOW YOU CAN PARTICIPATE IN #run3rd

Sean has recently decided to take #run3rd public and encourage other people to participate. He has selected team captains to start #run3rd in their areas at local races. Thanks to my sweet friend Leah, Sean selected me to be a Team Captain. I have chosen to have my team participate in Ele’s Race in Okemos, MI – a 5K run/walk that provides support to a community organization that helps grieving children. The 5K takes place on July 22.

I’m looking for other people who would like to complete a 5K walk or run with me as part of the #run3rd team! We will collect dedications from others and post them on our #run3rd shirts to raise awareness! We will walk/run for ourselves, for our families AND for others! And you don't have to walk/run the event in Okemos. You could do a different event near your home around the same time and still participate in #run3rd!

YOUR DEDICATIONS

You don't have to walk/run with me to participate. You also can give me dedications that will serve as my "reasons to run". Think of me as your own graffiti wall (stole that visualization from Sean). You can spray paint whatever you want on me. During my run, I will wear a shirt listing all of the dedications I receive. Not only will I be thinking about all of these issues during my run, but everyone that sees me will think about them too. The more aware people are, the more they may donate time or money to your cause!

Let me know if you'd like to join me in walking/running or have a dedication for me to add to my list! 

- Heather