KPeasey Keeps Racing in a Virtual World

Hello KPeasey Nation!  We hope that you are well and continuing to stay safe as we kick off Fall and remain distant socially.  We have a whole bunch of amazing things happening in 2020, so let’s dive right in.  

On November 1st, we are celebrating our 2020 NYC Marathon Athletes and Teams. KPeasey Athletes, Bentley-Grace and Kyleigh, won’t be able to wheel the streets of New York City this year.  So, we are going to bring New York to them right here in Atlanta.  Fred Soller and Scott Stafford have put together two amazing teams that will push Bentley-Grace and Kyleigh the same distance as the NYC Marathon, which was cancelled for 2020.  

We are so excited to celebrate them and their amazing accomplishments.  “How” you might ask… stay tuned to Walking with KPeasey on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to learn more! 

If you have not done so already, sign up online to participate in KPeasey’s Fall Virtual Marathon!  Between now and November 1st, sign up and run the distance of a marathon (or really any distance) to show support for The Kyle Pease Foundation and Inclusion.  All participants will be able to submit their times and help us show the world how strong our reach is for KPeasey Nation. Learn more and sign up www.kylepeasefoundation.org/events/fall2020

And guess what… The Peachtree Road Race is VIRTUAL!  To some this may seem like just another virtual race, but to our push assist athletes this is their change to participate regardless of qualification status or location.  Learn more at www.kylepeasefoundation.org/events/2020/virtualprr. Although it will be a different experience for all of us this year, it will be just as exciting to see inclusion at its finest as we continue to show the world what is possible.  

These times have been very difficult for all of us because we can’t be together.  But that doesn’t mean that we can’t be together virtually and feel the love for one another. We can show the world determination that we are capable of as a community.  KPeasey Nation, let’s focus on the can do’s!  

Together We Wheel, 
Kyle Pease 

A few other key dates coming up…

2020 Athlete and Volunteer Celebration (Virtual Event)
Sunday, November 8, 2020 - 5:00 - 6:00 PM EST
Learn More - www.kylepeasefoundation.org/events/2020celebration

For a Full List of Upcoming Events, Click Here

Stuck in a Cycle with My Cycle

By Kevin Enners ~ KPF Engagement Manager

Wake up, train, sleep, repeat.

This is what my cycling life has come to – except for the occasional weekend ride on Columns Drive – as in-person races for 2020 have been canceled because… You know.  Like a hamster on his wheel, I literally spin my wheel while watching a cycling training video day after day.

I wake up, I train, I sleep, I repeat.

The sport I fell in love with nearly two decades ago has become something more mentally therapeutic than a goal-oriented race. After a mentally challenging day, a spin on the trainer is just what I need. It’s more stimulating than Seinfeld reruns and the high from endorphins enough for Cheech and Chong to trade in “the smoke.”

But, as a goal-driven, competitive (almost wanting to beat everyone on wheels) athlete, I must admit that I am getting a bit restless. My mind starts spinning faster than my wheels with lyrics to the Smashmouth soundtrack: What’s the use in trying? All you get is pain.

Since there are no races, how do I know if I am improving? Am I just going through the motions, trapped in this endless Groundhog-day-like time warp? 

I wake up, I train, I sleep, I repeat.

Here’s the bright side: Without focusing on races, I am able to see “the big picture” and reorient my goals. Virtually boundless, I can go for longer rides without worrying that I’m going to blow up before a race. I can do a marathon on my indoor trainer (which I did in April) and I am planning on doing other virtual challenges (preferably outdoors) this fall.

Like Bill Murray’s efforts to break out of “Groundhog Day” purgatory, my participation in these challenges break up the “wake up, train, sleep, repeat” monotony.  

Indeed, this has been an unbelievable year for all of us, but it will end, and the cycle will be broken sooner or later when we resume racing and wheel together again!

Making the Most of 2020

Every year after the Publix Atlanta Half Marathon wraps up, the KPF office takes a couple days to sleep in and attack all the life stuff we put on hold getting ready for the most amazing weekend of the year. Once recovered, we come back ready to attack the race season!

2020 was going to be our most impactful season yet. We had new races and partnerships lined up. The Cupcake Road Race was the first on March 21st. Teams had been assigned and sent out. We were ready to roll!

We are all well aware of what happened next. Our 2020 programming never happened. 

It has been a crushing blow to so many of us. Bowie (my husband) just the other night said he really, really missed our KPF family and races. Bowie is NOT a morning person (seriously!). So you know he’s being genuine when he says that! Afterall, he travels with me and we have to be the first ones there on race morning!

I’ve heard the same from so many of you. We are all missing the laughs and smiles and sweat from putting it out there racing for inclusion. 

We need to rekindle that joy, rediscover those smiles!

The sad news is that KPF will not be doing any large in-person events for the remainder of 2020. 

THE GOOD NEWS…..(Brent never lets me share the good news, I’m so excited!!!!!!) KPF has figured how to support our in-chair athletes and their volunteers who are comfortable participating together in upcoming virtual events! 

KPF is a beneficiary of Miles for Bethany on October 31 and we are hosting The Kyle Pease Foundation Fall Virtual Marathon Weekend November 6-8. 

KPF support is open to these events and others!  

How’s it work?  In-chair athletes can request virtual event support by completing this online form for each event. Push-assist volunteers will use the same form when partnering with an in-chair athlete. Each request will be evaluated on a case by case basis by the KPF Programming Staff.

So let’s get racing...virtually.... and SIGN UP for KPF’s Virtual Marathon Weekend to raise money to support and advocate for inclusion. 

Together WE Wheel,
Shawna

P.S. If you don’t mind running slow, hit me up….I miss being out there too!

Reunited and It Feels So Good

After a nearly unfathomable five months away from anything resembling a racecourse, Brent and I dusted off the cobwebs and picked up where we left off last winter. I say it was where we left off  but have to admit we were quite rusty. They say that it is “just like riding a bike” but I don’t think the adage holds true when you’re actually riding a bike. My body was contorted into positions it hasn’t been in months and it is amazing how quickly it forgot how it was supposed to feel. 

Nevertheless it was incredible to get back out there with Brent, doing what we love to do and what we have missed so immensely, hanging with my brother and enjoying the thrill of being out on the course. An added bonus, and perhaps the highlight of the event was seeing some of our KPF team out there to cheer us on. That’s what I miss the most, the comradery and feelings of family is what makes KPF so special. 

The event was part of the Endurance Zone TV where we competed with The Agars from Michigan and Team Tri Dat out of Oklahoma. Though it was called a competition it was truly more sport than race as we each had a camera on the bike and the chair and we recorded throughout the race. out the race. We each raced in our respective home states and did a run, then a bike and then a run again. It was an opportunity to spread the message of inclusion while raising money for the Challenged Athlete Foundation. As I said, the bike and I didn’t have a great day together as my body struggled and the heat index in Atlanta made it feel like it was 98 degrees. But all in all, it was great to be out there. 

Some of our foundation athletes came out and enjoyed the atmosphere of love and team spirit that we so sorely missed. We were joined on by Cougar Clifford, Justin Knight, Kevin Enners, Lizzie Kirksey and Katie Freesemann. It was really great to see everyone. Just as my body forgot how to react, I also forgot what the foundation means to me and the other people we positively impact. For that afternoon, it felt normal again. We were with everyone; with our family again. These days of dealing with Covid are extremely difficult, but knowing you have a family that loves you and is there to support you is what the foundation is all about. At the end of the day, and at some point, when the pandemic is way behind in the rearview mirror, we will be reminded that the Kyle Pease Foundation is all about love for one another.

The KPeasey Show Must Go On!

For an organization that thrives on social interaction these past several months have been quite challenging!  Right now we should be celebrating another Peachtree Road Race. Right now we should be gearing up for our annual team triathlon at John Tanner State Park. Instead, right now we are home like everyone else, texting our buddies and hosting Zoom calls.  

Right now we should be figuring out who would be riding in our new van out to that triathlon.  See our plan for 2020 was to utilize a grant we received in 2019 along with our Boston Marathon fundraising efforts to get an accessible van for KPF. The plan was to retrofit the van so we could transport up to 4 wheelchairs to events. We have always gone above and beyond to help our athletes get to our races, but inevitably and too often, we have had to say we are sorry, we can't get you there. Not everyone can squeeze into a Peugeot, and certainly not with their 400 lb wheelchairs. 

Can you imagine the laughter as Sherry loads into the van with Emanuel and Dale, all smiling after a long day of racing? The accessible vehicle for many of our athletes will provide another layer of independence.  It's another way to allow us to provide inclusive opportunities. 

At the core of what we do is inclusion. Being able to get people to the start line is a big part of how we create that inclusive experience! We invite you to our next finish line if you haven't yet witnessed it. Come see the finishing smiles and the look of pure exhaustion as they grab another finisher's medal!

With Boston canceled our fundraising has all but halted on that front. BUT we have been alerted to a giveaway contest for a new van.  We are calling on all of you: our athletes, our families, and all of our supporters to help bring awareness to our cause.  Help us present our case on social media as to just how great this van would be to KPF.  Not being able to help is always one of the hardest pieces of our job, having a van would make it a lot easier to say yes.  Help us Find A Way as we know that a "yes" can lead to so much...just ask Kyle :)

Please post your KPF memories, joys, experiences using #SmallBusinessBigImpact.

Together WE Wheel...AGAIN
Brent Pease