Journey for Jo 5K

Pre-race photo - Kate, Heather, and I

My dear friend Kate and her sister Julia lost their Mom to an extremely agressive form of cancer called Cholangiocarcinoma, a cancer of the bile ducks in the liver.  There was only a three week span of time between when their Mom, Jo, found out she had cancer, and when she passed away in May 2012.  I had gotten to know Jo from being over at Kate's house for playdates with the kids and Evan & Jayden's birthday parties.  She was a kind and caring woman who is dearly missed by her family and all of those who knew her.

Jayden, Evan, and Clara

Kate & Julia decided to put on a 5K called the Journey for Jo in honor of their Mom and to raise money for Cholangiocarcinoma research (there is currently no early detection of this form of cancer) and for patient & caregiver support.  The event was held on June 1, 2013 on Washburn's campus.  They put so much time and effort into it (I'm sure more than anyone even knows!), and their preparation and commitment was evident the day of the event.  It was so well run (no pun intended) and seemed very organized. 

There were lots of fun activities for the kids (kid's race, a balloon artist, cake walk, and face painting) and lots of post-race food, which is key because I'm always STARVING after I run these races!  The day of the event, I was amazed at all the details they had in place for the event.  Things like a a race photographer, chip timing, a certified course, signs throughout the course, middle school drumline playing at the finish, and even a medical van on-site and port-a-potties (a key detail!).  The weather was beauitful - slightly cool, which was great for running a race!

 

 

Somehow I convinced Matt to push the girls in a double stroller. 

It was his first race, he did minimal training, pushed about 60 pounds, and still beat me!

 

I was only a little over a minute behind Matt & the girls.  This was my third 5K and my time of 33:01 beat the time from my first 5K last year.  This race was physically a lot harder for me than the two I ran last year.  I guess preparation does pay off - I should have done more of it this time!

 

We hadn't planned on Avery running the kid's race, but she got right up there and was ready to run!  She got scared right before the finish line though when she suddenly realized she didn't know where her Mommy and Daddy were!

 

Clara was really excited for the kid's race. 

We explained that it was safe to run in the road this one time because

Evan & Jayden's Mommies made sure there wouldn't be any cars.

 

 

 

This was the first time Clara has had her face painted.  She LOVED it! 

She refused to nap that day because she didn't want it to rub off. 

6am wake-up time + no nap - I'll let you imagine what our evening was like!

 

The first annual Journey for Jo 5K raised $10,000! Just amazing! Check out their web-site, www.journeyforjo.com. If you live in the KC or Topeka area, you should definitely mark your calendar for next year's event - we are looking forward to it!