I’ve always felt that it is best to remain looking forward and into the future and spend as little time as possible looking behind into the rear view mirror. It’s a healthy attitude that always leaves be moving forward and never in reverse.
However, at the end of another record breaking and highly successful year, it is the one time I allow myself to rejoice in past accomplishments. And what a year it has been.
Our athletes set the tone and raised the bar of the Foundation, as well as, in their own personal competition. It seems that every time we believe our team of athletes has reached their peak, they manage to climb a little higher. This lends credence to our motto, Where There’s a Wheel, There’s a Way. And the way of the KPF athlete is upward and onward.
In 2019, 50 athletes and a whopping 225 volunteers participated in March at The Annual Publix Race which was our largest race showing to date. No idea how large the support and the Foundation can get, but this was certainly a prime example of how much we continue to grow.
In May we released our autobiography, Beyond of Finish. The book has done tremendously well even spending time in the number one spot on the Amazon list for books on inclusion and in the top five for triathlons. To date, we’ve received nearly 50, Five- star reviews and encourage everyone to visit Amazon and leave another. We would like to show our extreme gratitude to our partner Buffalo Wild Wings, who supported the project and continues to lead the way with their incredible support.
The Peach Tree Road Race has elevated itself to become the marquis event for the push assist division and the most competitive push assist 10k race in the country. I like to think that we had a lot to do with that not only for the Foundation but in the name of inclusion. We broke the barrier in 2014 and it grew to nine assist teams in 2019 each of whom have to qualify in February in order to compete in July.
In October we participated in the Marine Corps Marathon in DC. Though we had a wonderful race in the back drop of the Nation’s Capitol, we may take a brief hiatus as the logistics need to be fine tuned before we return. We will be back, but not likely in the year ahead.
In November, we enjoyed our End of year Bowling with Kpeasey Fundraiser with Ricardo Aranda capturing the coveted Jake Vincent Award. For those of you who experienced this, he wasn’t crying, he just had something in his eye.
In the coming months and year ahead, sign ups for the Publix is about to begin. This year, Publix weekend will be coupled with Olympic trials on Saturday. We are again partnering with the Atlanta Track Club as the official push assist sponsor for the Publix Race. We will have a presence at the Expo with some of the Olympic athletes in attendance as well.
In April of 2020 the Boston Pease Party will take place with Brent and I and Lizzie Kirksey and Gordie Powell taking on the 26.2 Boston Marathon. We will be partnering with Dick and Rick Hoyt and The Hoyt Foundation Team which is a near dream come true!
April is also the annual Camp-Wheel-Away event. We encourage all to join us in attendance of a truly unforgettable weekend away.
On behalf of Brent and I and all the athletes, have a joyous holiday season and a happy New Year. We couldn't do it without all you, our KPF family. ~ Kyle
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“We are all so proud to be a part of the Kyle Pease Foundation and helping all we serve. I am beyond proud of the work the board, Kevin, J-Dude, Shawna and our entire support structure perform on a continued basis.
We look forward to learning how to bring things beyond the finish.” ~ Brent