The Publix Half Exceeds KPeasey's Wildest Dreams

Several years ago when we wrote our first children’s book titled “Where There’s a Wheel, There’s a Way”, I started it off with the following stanza: “Never in my wildest dreams, though believing that I can. Did I think I’d hear the announcer say, Kyle Pease, You’re an Ironman.”

Well just as I thought that that was a wild dream, I am dreaming wild again because never in my wildest dreams did I ever imagine that the Kyle Pease Foundation would grow and grow and grow to a point that we would fill up a ball room in a major Atlanta hotel.  But it happened, when 64 athletes and over 200 volunteers came together to support inclusion and to show what is truly possible last weekend prior to the Publix Half Marathon..

What made the weekend doubly special for our home city of Atlanta was the fact that we also played host to the US Olympic marathon trials on Saturday. This brought more than 20,000 guests to our fair city allowing onlookers to have a front row seat to Olympic history while also witnessing KPeasey history the following day. Many who watched the Olympic trials then lined the streets of Atlanta and watched our athletes motoring 13.1 miles around The Big Peach.

From the large crowd that filled the banquet hall and the very Inspiring speeches by Ryan Freesemann and Bryce Wooten. to the the race itself, there was no shortage of inspirational moments. After watching all the beautiful faces I was so overwhelmed with emotions and so proud of everything that we accomplished as a foundation that the race itself was simply the icing on the cake. It goes to show you together we wheel and together we are showing the world what inclusion is all about. 

A special thank you to the Atlanta Track Club for again making our involvement in this race one of their high priorities. We feel so incredibly grateful to the ATC for helping us create such an amazing race for our athletes and volunteers. Also a huge hats of to Brent and to Shawn Gray, our new Race Operations Director, and to Kevin Enners and Lisa Switzer for their amazing work in pulling the event together.

See our full photo album of the Publix Race

My Name Is ________________ and I Race with the Kyle Pease Foundation

What's up KPeasey Nation?  Well, we are gearing up for some huge events over the next several months but that doesn't mean we have come down from the emotional and physical high from our amazing race at the Publix Race. I keep replaying the numbers in my head and I'm beginning to feel a bit like John Nash in the movie A Beautiful Mind. Fifty-eight teams of athletes, over two-hundred volunteers, thousands of smiles and thousands of live positively impacted. That's an equation that makes me extremely proud. 
 
Watch and enjoy our video from the Publix Race and I think you'll know what I'm talking about.

Since then we have done several local 5K around the Atlanta community and we are gearing up to travel to Delaware to run the 2nd Annual Fusion Inclusion 5K at Christiana Mall on April 29th. We are excited to see our Delaware friends and family helping to raise awareness and raise funds for the Kyle Pease Foundation. 

As many of you may be aware, our family up in DE started their own version of Bowling with Kpeasey, our fun and exciting fundraising event held every year in November. This year, the Delaware version of the same will be held on April 27 and Brent and I are excited to be in attendance. We are excited to "knock a few down" with Paul, Abbey and the rest of the Delaware contingent.

Brent and I are gearing up for Ironman 70.3 in Raleigh NC to be held on June 3. This will be our first half Ironman event of the season and we are excited to shake off the rust and spend seven or eight quality hours of competition and bonding together.  

Speaking of bonding - this past weekend was the 4th annual Camp Wheel Away where we partnered with Camp Twin Lakes to enjoy a weekend filled with a wide array of inclusive activities. Among my many favorite events that we participate in, CWA is one of my highlights.  This was our largest group of campers to date with 17. It was a great turn out and people really loved the activities. Among my favorite moments was a new activity where campers played with slime. Messy but so much fun.  Another highlight was hearing Ricardo Aranda speaking about what KPF has done to enhance his life. It formed a lump in my throat that still hasn't gone away. 

We are getting ready for the Peach Tree Road Race on July 4 which is of course the largest 10K in the country. We will be stepping to the starting line with our largest group of participants to date. It is exciting to experience the growth and realize the acceptance.

Don't forget to look for our big summer gala and fundraising event at Chastain Horse Park in Atlanta. This was the therapeutic horse park where I first experienced therapeutic riding several years ago. This is sure to be the event of the year (and I got that right from the horses mouth).

Finally, we are taking applications for the Jake Vinson Family Grant. Please visit our website to get information and to apply for this year's award. 

Until next time, watch the video above and post on Facebook - My Name Is ________________ and I Race with the Kyle Pease Foundation. 

Gearing up for Publix with KPF

Wouldn't be a Kyle Pease blog post if I didn't start it off with a top of my lungs shout of "Hello,  K-Peasey Nation!!!

We are gearing up for an absolutely ground breaking event and I can hardly catch my breath because I'm so excited to share the good news. When I started the foundation in 2011, I had lofty goals, but honestly, I never dreamed it would grow to this size. I have spent all of my life dreaming big, but in doing so I also believe in keeping my expectations somewhat real. 

Well, to be perfectly truthful, I never imagined that we would see the day that is soon to come upon us. The Kyle Pease Foundation will have 58 athletes rolling up to the starting line at this year's Publix Half Marathon to be held on Sunday March 18. With over 200 volunteers a virtual sea of Kpeasey blue will be soon throughout the streets of Atlanta. 

We have dreamed of this moment forever and have to pinch ourselves at the realization of this huge accomplishment. There will be countless events leading up to the race including a team dinner to be held with over 300 people in attendance. I'm overwhelmed and just can't wait to experience this momentous event with Brent and all the incredible athletes, volunteers and sponsors who make this all possible. . 

This past weekend we had first race of the year, The Hearts and Soles 5k. It's always nice to dust off the cob webs and embrace a new racing season. This first race had some added significance in that we were gearing up for the qualification for the Peachtree Roadrace.

This year in partnership with the Atlanta Track Club (ATC), we had to qualify for the world's largest 10k. We are super excited to be part of this ground breaking opportunity. Brent and I blazed the trail in 2013 as the first duo team to ever participate in this prestigious event. Now along with ATC. we have seen it grow to nine teams. Congratulations to the Walking with KPeasey AJC Peachtree Road Race qualifiers: Men: Kyle Pease, Justin Knight , Ricardo Aranda.
Women: Naomi Hicks, Katy Freeseman , Lizzie Kirskey. Mixed: Sherry Adams, Bently Grace, Kyliegh Kramlich. #TogetherWeWheel. This is a true life example of being the planters of a single seed, and like farmers nurturing, watering and continuing to work the soil, until our efforts germinate and grow into a precious flower. A virtual garden of inclusion. Thank you to the Peachtree, ATC and all responsible for supporting our message so strongly. 

 Stay tuned for more updates and news as we unveil some new programs and rejuvenate several existing programs as well. We are excited about what 2018 has in store and ready to gear up for everything that comes our way. 

Kyle Shares His New Year's Resolution for 2018

Three weeks into 2018 and though I'm a bit late in blogging it is never too late to wish everyone a Happy New Year. So happy, my friends, to welcome to a brand new year. A year that will undoubtedly become the best ever for the foundation.

We have scheduled many events, including some very exciting new races as well as some we would choose to never miss. Like reacquainting with an old friend we enjoy returning to the events that have grown along with the Kyle Pease Foundation. Our numbers at the Publix Race this spring, for example, have gone through the roof and are indicative of the growth of the foundation. 

We will also be rolling out some very powerful inspirational tools that will set us up for success and though I'll hold off for now on sharing these I am positive you will hear more in the coming blogs (also known as a big market tease). 

Visit our website for the latest race schedule as our updated 2018 schedule is on the site

As we embark on this exciting year ahead I thought I would share my view on the always popular topic of New Years Resolutions. I choose to never have resolutions but choose to have goals instead. Like many, I simply don't keep a resolution. A goal is attainable while a resolution is something we usually forget about. There is passion in a goal. One is an idea and the other is a carefully orchestrated plan for success that we can put into action. One a fantasy; the other a commitment. The goal for KPeasey is built through every step every; every wheel and every mile. And though it is our goal in 2018 it hasn't changed since the inception of KPF; "To create awareness and raise funds to promote success for persons with disabilities by providing assistance to meet their individual needs through sports." 

And we will continue to reach for that goal into the the future because as you know, "Where there's a wheel there's a way". 

~ Kyle