Goosepond Weekend!

Early on a Saturday we make the trek down to Scottsboro, Alabama.  Last tri of the year, but this was special as I was speaking to all those taking to the starting line.  We tested the equipment and went on a quick run with our good buddy Andrew Shanks.  After we felt good about our equipment, we settled in for a short rest at the hotel and waited on our friend John David and his entire family.  I was pretty excited to have them all there and words don't describe the thanks I felt with them.  John David has long been a friend and it always brings joy to see him by our side on race morning.

In my speech I spoke of the gifts that we have and no matter how small the gift we should all share those.  For me a simple gesture of opening a door can make the world of difference in my day.  The group in Alabama was an incredibly warm group and as I spoke to the group I was already looking forward to a fun day racing with everyone.

Delivering remarks to racers of Goosepond 70.3

Raceday started at 4:45am...cold and dark, I settle into my thoughts. Upon our arrival, we assemble our equipment and prepare for the day ahead.  There was a piercing coolness to the day but I was ready for what was before us.   JD and his nephew Martin pump our kayak and Brent pulled on his wetsuit.  As the horn sounds, Brent lurches forward and I feel the boat move swiftly in the water.  We were moving quick today.  Maybe Brent didn't want the cold water on him much more than I needed that wind blowing in my face.  Either way I was screaming my head off at him.  No sense in slowing down now...

No time for sight seeing today :)

A quick transition was aided by sherpas Dad and JD and then we were off on the bike. The wind was in my face as we turned through the Alabama country roads.  My legs got tight, my back started to ache.  Should we stop? What are we doing? "Brent how many more miles??" He lets me know it is a mere 20 miles...We all face the challenges of the day and together we all must get to the other side of the mountain.  Brent was working hard and I wanted to work harder.  I urged him on and fought through the barriers of my own.  As we neared the transition I was proud of how hard we worked and knew I had learned another lesson as we race more and more. 

Saying hey to friends with our great escorts for the day!

The run was difficult as well as the cold never really let up.  I knew we needed to stay positive and once on the run we had friends and family all over.  Plus the other racers were great energy to keep us going.  As we made our way over the course John David and his family pulled up alongside us and offered us some warm food.  Yep french fries and hamburger :) I think I know a new fuel source for those longer races and those salty fries were some of the best food I have ever tasted...well at least 6 hrs into a good race. 

 

As we raced along I kept thinking of positive thoughts.  I asked more of my body and more of Brent to get us across the line.  This was no easy day but as we approached the finish I knew we had earned it!  We finished in 7hrs 18mins making it a terrific end to a great weekend. I would like to thank the people of Scottsboro for their unbelievable hospitality and generosity as well as all the positive things they had to say about the foundation. To our three escorts on the bike... I don't know how to thank you enough.  To JD and his wife, their children, his mother and cousin thank you for all the support.  It gives us all the more reason to push through.  To Dad for being there all day to make sure we were taken care of a thousand thanks!!

We have a great November in store and hope to share our gifts with many of you!

All the best!

K-Peasey

Pride

Holcomb Bridge Hustle 5k

Holcomb Bridge Hustle 5k Teams With Kyle Pease Foundation!!!!

Holcomb Bridge Middle School and the second-annual Holcomb Bridge Hustle 5k are
excited to announce a partnership with the Kyle Pease Foundation (KPF), a non-profit
organization which provides sports-participation opportunities for persons with disabilities.

To kick off this partnership, HBMS will be hosting an in-school assembly on Oct. 19 with
Kyle Pease, his brothers and KPF supporters to promote this year’s race, discuss the
organization’s goals and educate all HBMS students about inclusion of all athletes as part of the
group’s mission.
Through this partnership, the school, it’s PTA and race organizers, will be promoting
KPF’s mission to provide assistance for persons with disabilities and to help them meet their
individual needs through sports. Kyle Pease, as well as students who are being assisted by
KPF, and numerous KPF supporters and volunteers will participate in this year’s race.
We are excited to be able to help all students experience the thrill of reaching the
starting line and the exhilaration of crossing the finish line.





Mission Statement: The purpose of The Kyle Pease Foundation is to create awareness and raise funds
to promote success for persons with disabilities by providing assistance to meet their individual needs
through sports. Programs may include scholarship opportunities, purchasing medical equipment for
others or contribute to other organizations that provide similar assistance to disabled persons and
participating in educational campaigns to create awareness about Cerebral Palsy and other disabilities.

KPF will provide these services directly to individuals as well as partner with other existing non-profit organizations to achieve these goals. Direct beneficiaries will be limited to persons with disabilities who need adaptive sports equipment, mobility devices or medical care.

Bowling and Shopping With KPeasey!!!

Guess what?!?  It's that time of year again.  Yes we are already ready to go for our 3rd annual bowling event.  So please go ahead and SAVE THE DATE:

 

When: Nov 15th 6 pm - 9 pm

Where: Midtown Bowl 1936 Piedmont Circle Northeast  Atlanta, GA 30324

What: An Evening to benefit The Kyle Pease Foundation

Donation: $35 Suggested Donation to benefit The Kyle Pease Foundation 

                 Your donation will include a shirt, bowling and pizza!

 

 We hope that you can make it again this year so please be sure to mark the calendars NOW!!

See how much fun everyone is having!!!

We will also have our raffle again with more GREAT prizes

Unfortunately Karl Malone's shoes will not be available this year

And of course special guests....

The Dude

Not this dude...well maybe

We look forward to seeing everyone again soon and sharing with you our journey and plans beyond. 

Perhaps equally as exciting we now have another way to help The Kyle Pease Foundation. 

The Kyle Pease Foundation has teamed up with Socialvest, a cause-based shopping platform, to give you an opportunity to earn money for our organization every-time you shop online. Anytime you shop at one of 100's of participating retailers including Amazon, Target, Gap, Best Buy, and Nordstrom a percentage of your total purchase will be donated to the organization, at no cost to you! We know you want to support us but that time and money are two of the two biggest challenges we all face. Our goal is to find easy ways for you to give back just by doing something you already do: shop.

Visit SocialVest or use the link: https://www.socialvest.us/get-involved/register/kylepeasefoundation.

Please consider joining us in November and the next time you shop please remember there are easy ways to help too!  Thank you to you all who help us make this possible and we look forward to sharing with you soon.


All the best
KPeasey
Founder: The Kyle Pease Foundation

When can we race again??

Greg and Marin Smith have been racing with The Kyle Pease Foundation this year and most recently they competed in a duathlon at John Tanner Park near Carrolton, GA. First off we cannot say enough about Chuck and Kristen for and all of Tri The Parks race series for allowing us the opportunity to compete.  Rest assured you will be seeing us at plenty more of those races next year.  Truly a well run series. Greg recently helped pen a blog posst to share the experiences of his family at their first duathlon (Thanks Christy, Lauren and Graham for sharing the day!!!)

-Brent
KPF BOD Member, Walking with KPeasey racer

Marin and I had a tremendous time in the John Tanner tri-the-parks duathalon  this past weekend racing as representatives of The Kyle Pease Foundation.   For the past couple of weeks she and I did several training rides and runs together and I had the opportunity to talk To her often about racing again on Kyle's team. Marin was quite excited once again to Go Fast!  Several times during our training rides leading up to the race she would be on the bike with me encouraging me "go faster daddy", usually while I was going quite slowly up a hill!  On race day I woke Marin up at 5:50am, earlier than she has ever willingly gotten up.  She perked right up and told me she was ready to race.   After arriving at the park, she was very excited to set up - having her grandparents there to shower her with attention.  She was very excited to see Brent and especially Kyle arrive to cheer her on.

Kyle and Marin were all smiles!!

A duathlon consists of a run, then bike and then run.  After we started out on the first run, all the other runners turned to encourage Marin and she was thoroughly enjoying herself.  She sang songs to help me along...."mr. Sun, sun, Mr. Golden Sun, Please shine down on me". (we started off running with the sun in our eyes after the first quarter mile).  After the first transition saddling up into our bikes, we were off and fast.  Seems the trip to All3 Sports to tune up the ride was well worth the trip! 
We ended up passing quite a number of riders (blowing by some at 30+ mph) and all I could hear behind me was "WEEE.....WEEE!" like the little pig in that geico commercial. Marin was having a blast!   About 35 minutes into the ride, Marin decided to take a little nap since dad was cranking the peddles pretty well on his own (and as I said, she did wake up pretty early).  Finishing up the ride at 16mph pace for the entire ride was great and off we were for the final run.

Heading out for the final lap!

We managed to finish strong together encouraging one another and getting encouragement and energy from all the other racers around us.   Really cannot say enough about the people that put this race on and all of those out there as a volunteer or fellow competitor.  When we finished, Marin was tickled to get her Gold medal!

That evening, thoroughly tired after a great day, Marin unprompted said to me when I was putting her to bed that she was looking forward to our next race, this next time with Kyle!  I of course could not be happier.  Marin knows of course she is a little bit different from typical kids due to her walker and legs. However I am a true believer that modeling at an early age that she can participate in and achieve everything that typical kids/athletes/adults can is so important.  Plus it's incredibly fun for us all and a great way for dad and his little girl to bond together with Mom, sister Lauren, brother graham, family and friends cheering along the way.  The Thrill of Victory!

All of the winners!

We are looking forward to many more occasion and even more so when we can share the road with Kyle and the rest of They Kyle Pease Foundation!

-Greg Smith

Seattle and More

My good buddy Ben, who also chairs the board for the Kyle Pease Foundation, asked me to go to Seattle and watch his team participate in an ultimate frisbee tournament.  This was also a good opportunity for me to see one of my aides, Carla, who I have not seen in nine months since she has been on rotation for her PT school there.  I was also able to reconnect with my friends, Noa and Julie, who I had not seen in over 11 years.  

I met Noa and Julie at a United Cerebral Palsy camp in Connecticut when I was 14.  This camp was one of the first times I was away from home, and Noa took me under his wing.  We developed an awesome friendship.  I went to their wedding and visited them a couple times in Boston when Noa was in med school.  

Back to Seattle...I was in my manuel wheelchair, so Noa had to transfer me quite a bit.  There was a lot of laughs and a lot of screeching the first couple times.  But by the end he was a pro's pro.  We saw some major attractions of Seattle such as the Space Needle, a tour of Safeco Field, and, of course, Gas Works, a beautiful public park.  It was so good to see everybody.  It was just like old times.  

This past weekend was also exciting for my Foundation as our Board of Directors got together for a weekend retreat.  We’ve made a lot of strides since our inception a year and a half ago and it’s been on display a lot over the past few months;  we’ve had a number of kids participating in various races locally under KPF and just last month sent Christina Young to the National Junior Disabilities Championships.  With our weekend retreat, we spent time getting to know each other better and worked with a third party facilitator to help us focus our efforts and make sure we’re operating in the most efficient way possible.  We’re already seeing some great results and are excited about the growth of the Foundation.  More to come soon!!

We are about to enter the fall portion of our season, which started this past Saturday with a nice little 4 miler.  I was actually second place male in the 25-29 category and 5th place overall!!! No wheelchair division needed!  After that, we will take some more time off while Brent does his Louisville Ironman.  Please wish him well as he has trained for this for almost a year.  I know he will do great.  I will be tweeting live from Louisville, so make sure you are following Walking With KPeasey on Twitter.  Thanks again for all of your support.  

-KPeasey

National Junior Disability Championships

Hello everyone! My name is Christina Young and I am one of the athletes that is a part of The Kyle Pease Foundation

Thank you, Kyle Pease Foundation, for being my first ever sponsor for such a great event! On Wednesday July 25th, I got the opportunity to travel to Mesa, Arizona for my last Track Junior Nationals (NJDC) thanks to The Kyle Pease Foundation. I traveled there with my team, the Georgia Blazers, a team with 5 other athletes and two coaches. My team and I went to compete in the 100, 200, 400, and 800 meter races as well as field events consisting of discus, javelin, and shot put.  We also had 6 swimmers there before us who competed and got firsts in 30 events out of 34. So already our team was doing great. 

The squad

 It was Arizona, so it was always hot, but so was the competition! I was kind of nervous at first, but I found out that I was still fast. I've been to about four NJDCs in my life and every year I would come in the top three. So this year I was nervous because the other girls in my events had faster times than me this year. 

The first events I did was field. I had to miss shot put because my coach misunderstood something. So I ended up only doing discus and javelin. Well after some issues with equipment, I got all firsts, but no personal records. But I was totally fine with it since field isn't my forte. What I was ready for, was track. 

Before the Javelin and rocking some KPeasey Blue of course!

The next day was the first day of track events. It was so hot in AZ that track was during the evening/night, so all day we hung out at the hotel and relaxed by the pool before the first and only event that day, my favorite event, the 100 meter dash.  When I got there I started getting nervous, but no one could tell. All the the other girls in that event thought they'd beat me with the times they had this year.  Well they sure were in for a shock, and so was I. I ended up getting first place and beating all the girls with a time of 19.54.  I was so shocked my self. I had no idea where it came from. 

Not slowing down for any camera's :)

The next day was the 200 and 800, the events that I did for my high school team in the spring. I ended up winning both of those out of all the girls in all the wheelchair heats. With times of 2:29 for the 800 and :35 seconds for the 200. Again, I was so shocked! It was so unbelievable. Then the next day we did our last track event, the 400, a one lap sprint. I ended up winning that as well and beating every one with the time of 1:10 seconds. 

All in all, I won every event as well as had all season bests. It was great. That week also helped me make a very important decision in my life that will effect my future. I chose to do track and racing in college. I already will be playing wheelchair basketball at the University of Illinois on an athletic scholarship. So now I decided to do both sports and train as much as I can to hopefully make it to the Rio 2012 Paralympics. 

Was so surprised and happy to receive this!

The last night, we had a banquet where awards were given out. The Georgia Blazers won the third place for the large teams. This was one of our biggest awards. 

I really want to thank The Kyle Pease Foundation for sponsoring me on this trip. It was truly a life changing week that wouldn't have happened without the sponsorship. I also want to thank BlazeSports for all they have done for me in the past years. I am truly blessed. I really can't wait to see what other amazing things happen with Walking with KPeasy and the Foundation.

Rock The Band

Hi there, my name is Sam Harrison and I'm on the board of directors for the Kyle Pease Foundation. I'm also a worker, but most importantly, I'm a good friend to Kyle.  Recently I suggested to the board that we do a rock concert fundraiser to raise money for the foundation. This way I could combine two of my passions...rock n' roll and the Kyle Pease Foundation. 

Rainy night wasn't going to slow us down

 

I was pretty nervous going into the whole thing because I've never put on a full event on my own. There were so many different things I had to work out in order to make the night a success, but many late nights and emails later, the event came and went of without a hitch. We had 5 bands that volunteered their time for a great cause. A special thanks to those bands for sharing their music and time with us all!! 

I've known Kyle for almost four years, and as Kyle spoke he shared what friends, workers and supporters mean to him to help paint the bright picture of all our work.  

From photo left: Sam (me), Kyle, Ben Spears (Board Chair), Christina Young (KPF Athelte)

 

 One of the biggest parts of our night was the opportunity to introduce Christina Young, our newest athlete in person.  Christina who we introduced in our blog last week is quite the athlete and we are very proud to be a sponsor to her.

Christina chatting with Ben during the event

I cannot thank you all enough, our supporters, for coming out and helping make this event a success for KPF.  We look forward to seeing you all at our bowling event this fall and will be sure to keep you up to speed on new happenings for our foundation.

-Sam Harrison

Championship Athletes

The National Junior Disability Championships will take place from July 21-28, in Mesa, Arizona.  The Kyle Pease Foundation is pleased to sponsor Christina Young as she takes on the field in several events.  We recently sat down with Christina to ask her to discuss her upcoming competition.  Come out and meet Christina, at our event this Thursday, along with Kyle Pease and some great live music.

KPF Athlete Christina Young

KPF: What sports do you compete in? What event are you competing in as a KPF/Blaze athlete?

CY: I compete in wheelchair racing - road races as well as track and field. [I also] compete in wheelchair basketball.  I am competing in the National Junior Disability Championships where I will be competing in the track and field events including the 100, 200, 400, 800, shot put, javelin, and discus.

KPF: Wow! That's amazing!! Why did you start competing in sports?

CY: I started competing in sports at a very young age, after seeing my brothers play sports. I always wanted to play with them and beat them, so my family searched and found local wheelchair sports organizations. I always loved sports because of the enjoyment I get out of them, as well as all the new people I meet, and the pure feeling of competitiveness. But now that I am older, I also compete because of the health benefits of working out and playing sports. 

KPF: Being healthy is a great benefit and so is that thrill of competition. What/Who Motivates you?

CY: The fact that I love sports and will always love sports, as well as the competitiveness in me motivates me.  The strive to always be a healthy person also motivates me.   As well as the feeling when people who don't know about wheelchair sports realize what we can do.  

KPF: That is just awesome to see that inner drive.  We are so excited that you are racing under our banner as well as with your great team, Blaze Sports. What brought you to KPF/Walking?

CY: KPF came to a camp I was working at, Blaze Sports Camp, a camp for kids with disabilities. And when I heard Kyle's story, I knew that this was the kind of thing that is perfect for me to be a part of.   I knew it would be a better way for me to get out there and spread the word about what we can do, as well as I knew I could help spread the word about KPF around the country. 

Kyle speaking to Blaze Sports Camp

KPF: We appreciate that and hope that our future athletes have your same attitude and drive! What does KPF mean to you?

CY: It means that other people like me, with disabilities, have a chance to show the world we can compete in sports. [It means] that we can still run marathons, triathlons, and even a simple track meet. It means that If I want to do something, I should, and nothing should stop me or anyone else.

KPF: Well I wouldn't call a track meet simple :)  We are so proud to be behind you and along with all of our supporters, wish you nothing but the best.  We will be sure to post updates to facebook/twitter during your events and look forward to your race report after!

We hope to see many of you at our event this Thursday so we might continue to put more people like Christina Young into competition and share the thrill of the finish line.  We appreciate the opportunity to grow with you, our supporters, for it is you who make this all possible!

Best,

KPeasey

Hugs and Hand Pounds :)

Community

One of the first jobs I had was as Head Coach of the Riverside/North Harbor Swim Team.  I coached there for six great years and created some great memories.  During my time there, we used to hold a swim-a-thon to raise money for various causes in the community and it was always a great event for the kids.  After I left the team, all of the kids I worked with became the coaches and continued on with similar programs that we put in place during my time.  When I reached out to some of the team parents and coaches with the idea for a charity for their swim-a-thon, they jumped at the opportunity.

Kyle talking to the Riverside/North Harbor Swim Team

It was great to see the kids hanging onto every word Kyle said and the encouragement he sent to them to continue to provide for more kids.  It was very special to see the young kids that I had once coached speaking so highly of Kyle and turning their charity giving towards us.

Our first jumbo-sized check!!

The swim-a-thon was a tremendous success and the team raised more money than ever before!  We even had one of the former swim team moms jump in and raise over $1,500!  We cannot thank those in the community who help us continue to grow and reach our goals.  John Wooden said it best with his quote, "You can't live a perfect day without doing something for someone who will never be able to repay you."

Thank you to all the coaches, swimmers and parents of The Riverside/North Harbor Swim Teams.

-Brent

Working Together

Brent, Betty and Me before the swim

This past weekend Brent and I competed in the 11 Global Triathlon Series. This particular race was held in Lake Oconee, Ga. It felt  phenomenal to be out on the course. Our good friend Betty Janelle shadowed us the entire time and was the strength of our team on this day. She was simply awesome and gave us very encouraging words along with a good bit of yelling. (-; As we were racing, I kept thinking about our foundation and how we can attract more kids to race with us. Being at races like 11 Global is a big piece of this so we can continue to motivate those in our community and grow what we are doing.  This is not about me, I want to race for something bigger than that.  I want to see our foundation grow and bring joy to so many as I continue to experience day in and day out with this journey.   We are on the right track but still have to do the hard work to make this happen. 

Brent and Betty worked so hard on that swim!!

 Coming out of the water with our TYR Torque Swim Skin and Advanced Elements Kayak  was the perfect start to our day.  Betty was screaming at Brent to move, move, MOVE!!  It is always great to be a part of the wonderful Dynamo Multisport squad and racing alongside Betty was a tremendous honor.  

Betty never left that spot ALL DAY.  Look at Kathryn from Dynamo in the background with the Vuvuzela too!

Off to the Bike and we cannot continue to say enough great things about Freedom Concepts and the ride they put together for us.  We rode great and the support on the road was as special as always.  Betty told us after that, "seeing the looks on their faces was worth the price of admission."

 

 

The run course was cooking but as we turned the corner to home and heard the support of all those at the finish line I realized that another step forward was being made not just for me but for our Foundation and where we want to be!  I don't want to be the only one at that finish line...I want to bring that experience to so many more.

DIGGING it out.

We had a great sherpa crew along for the ride with, John David Johnson, my father, and Erica Pease doing a bang up job. We cannot say enough about our wonderful sponsors who make this all possible from the ground up with Newton Running, All3Sports, Gu, Albopads and 1st Choice Health Care. We look forward to the next adventure as Brent is preparing for his 2nd Ironman in August. 

Even more exciting is my good buddy Sam Harrison, also a board member, who is putting on a benefit concert on Thursday July, 12 at Park Tavern in Atlanta. Sam has worked extremely hard to bring more awareness to our foundation and our goals.  We look forward to celebrating with you all soon. If for some reason you cannot attend and still want to donate, there are ways to do that on our website race.kylepease.org/foundation. As always, thanks for the amazing support and we look forward to hanging out with everybody really soon.

 

-KPeasey

Camp Blaze

Camp Blaze is an amazing place, with an incredible purpose. To see so many disabled athletes from different backgrounds interacting and enjoying a variety of sports together really puts a smile on my face. It's like they don't even notice their disabilities and they were just out there to compete. I really look forward to seeing what the Kyle Pease foundation will do with Camp Blaze and the athletes who attend in the future. 
-Sam Harrison
Friend, Board Member

Kyle delivering his speech

 

 

First of all, I would like to thank the entire KPF team and all of the KPF board members for this awesome opportunity to work with Camp Blaze. Camp Blaze is a phenomenal organization (check out their video), and I couldn't be more proud of our involvement with a great group of athletes. One of the goals of The Kyle Pease Foundation is to support programs that are in line with our mission, which is to provide opportunities for disabled persons. Camp Blaze brings this together for so many! 

I am not what you would call a fisherman...

Being able to provide camp programs to those in need was extremely special and I was even more honored to speak with everyone at the closing ceremonies. It is incredibly important for the Kyle Pease Foundation to take a role in supporting these amazing athletes. 

Camp Blaze

We have an exciting few weeks coming up with a fundraiser from Brent's old summer swim team, another triathlon. We are continuing to search for new athletes so if you know of anyone you think would be a great candidate for the KPF, please email us. Thanks as always for the continued support!
#weallhaveagift
-KPeasey

Why We Race

Since Marin was diagnosed with CP when she was born, I have been fairly apprehensive about what her diagnosis meant for her ability to participate in all the things that non-CP kids can do.  She came home from the hospital and has been an incredibly hard working girl over the past three years, going each to physical, occupational, horse and swim therapy weekly.  She's made amazing progress in gaining strength and is starting to walk with aid of her walker over the past year.  I couldn't be prouder of her efforts.  Whenever Marin is able to get from Point A to Point B or do some other difficult task on her own she usually yells out with glee "I did it!"  I have tremendous joy when she says that. After watching what the Walking with KPeasey team has been accomplishing with their races, it inspired me to help Marin "go fast." I will continue to hope that as the years go by, Marin will continue to grow stronger in her abilities so she one day may be able to race solo with us...however until that day, it will be my honor to race with her and be her legs so she gets to go fast and see that she too can be an athlete.

-Greg Smith, Marin's father

That smile stayed all day!

 This is why we race...to see children like Jake and Marin have an opportunity to be the athletes!  Running and triathlons are great in that there is no discrimination.  Marin, Jake, Kyle and the 1,400 other runners all went through the same course and their bodies had to work to finish the day.  I am honored to be a part of this all and look forward to the next adventure!
-Brent

Jake's Team for the Day (Mom Amy on photo right)

The Virginia Highlands Summerfest 5k is an exciting race as it winds throughout the neighborhood where I live. The "hometown" race was made even more exciting this year with the additions of Marin and Jake to the KPeasey team. Being able to run alongside these two incredible racers really brought home the KPF mission for me. I could sense the joy and excitement from both Marin and Jake every second of the race!
-Evan

Our crew for the day!!

Sadly Evan's mustache did not make an appearance on the start line

To see Jake and Marin smile during the race is what I envisioned when starting the KPF.  It just simply can't be put into words.  I cannot wait for the next adventure so be sure to stay tuned for more summer fun!
-KPeasey

KPeasey and Co. before the start

Off to the races with KPF

“A hero is simply someone who rises above his own human weaknesses, for an hour, a day, a year, to do something stirring.” - Betty Deramus 

 It's an honor to be a part of this effort and helping Kyle live out his dream of helping others with disabilities get off the sidelines. Kyle has been a huge inspiration in my life and is truly a hero to me and so many - I couldn't be more proud of him for starting this foundation and giving back to his community. The Kyle Pease Foundation is eager to hit the pavement at our second race with sponsored athletes, locals Jake and Marin, at the Summerfest 5k on June 2nd. Come out to support Jake and Marin, their families, and The Kyle Pease Foundation for a fun day!

~Amy G. Moore

Me and KPeasey doing what he LOVES...BRAVES Baseball

 

The race was just the icing on the cake for us. The real mission is coming up next week! On June 2nd we have local Jake Vinson coming back for his second race with mother Amy for the Summerfest 5k. In addition, Greg Smith will be pushing our youngest supporter, his daughter Marin for their first race together. One of the best emails I got was from Greg who after our Half Ironman said sign us up! We are ready! So great to see The Foundation starting to grow and seeing that the efforts we put in both on the and off the course, starting to make a difference! 

Love that SMILE!!

 Evan is coming back out to join us for this race too and we are excited to hit the road with him!! So again be sure to come out and celebrate with us, and who knows, maybe come out to a great festival afterwards for free music and good fun!!   For more information on the foundation and to contact us to help support, please visit our website at race.kylepease.org

Looking forward to running alongside this great family next week!

We all have a gift.  Please come out and help us share ours
-KPeasey

Having a good time

Since New Orleans, I have had some needed R&R.  Coming off NOLA it was nice to finally get a chance to relax.  Went out to see my favorite ball club...

GO BRAVES!!!

To a wedding in Charleston, SC with Brent and his lovely wife Erica S. Pease. 

No spandex in this photo :)

I am really looking forward to a summer of going to the pool and hanging out with friends.  So much to do in this city in the summer so a little action in HOT'lanta will do me good!!  Of course, I cannot wait back to the grind of racing.  We are going to start adding some more races now that NOLA has come and gone and I am sure it will be a great time with lots of smiles and hugs all around.  As always, thank you for the support.

KP

 

See ya next time!!

 

Brothers Across the Finish

I had been looking forward to the test of a Half-Ironman since we signed up for NOLA.  We went to registration only to find out the swim was canceled.  We decided not to let the news affect us and instead focused on what we could control and that was to have our day.  With some time to spare, we went out for a quick check of the equipment with our Dynamo teammates to shake everything out one last time.

Which way, Haley?

When we arrived at the race, we set up for our first run of the day.  With the announcement of the swim cancellation, they switched the race to a 2 mile run, 52 mile bike then another 13.1 mile run.  The goal was to finish the day that we started, but we both like to do well, so why not start strong?  With the Newton's laced tightly, we tore off quick to a screaming crowd of 1,200.  We finished the first two miles pretty quickly and got into transition to switch into the bike for the long road ahead.

Coming in from the first run.

We knew the bike was going to be tough even with our Freedom Concepts tandem cycle and the most recent round of improvements.  We tore off pretty quick but as soon as we hit the first flat it was wind in our face all the way. 

Tearing out of the gates for a long day ahead!

Around mile 25 Kyle's voice was getting weaker and he struggled to let me know what he needed.  We had eaten plenty of food and were going through water bottles like crazy.  But when we saw our dad, JD, Amy and the rest of our sherpa crew he let me know how badly his legs hurt.  We had forgotten one of his pads and it was wearing on him.  We stopped for some help and realized just how cold Kyle had gotten in the wind.  We wrapped his legs in shirts from the Boy Scout troop manning the aide station and gave him some extra jackets.  They were going to have to drag us off the course today.  As we neared the finish we both relaxed a little.

 I cannot begin to describe what a warrior Kyle was that day.  He fought harder than anyone on the course and was determined to finish under some tough conditions.  This was a team effort and it was showing as we both pushed each other onwards.

The run heated up just a tad.

As we went out on the run, things shifted for us.  We felt that with as many races that we had been in this spring we had it in us to bring it home.  The volunteers were just amazing that day.  They made sure to let us know as we hit each passing mile how close we were to the finish.  Kyle and I continued to push each other.  As we neared the finish, we let up just enough to enjoy what had been an amazing day.  Sharing the finish line with Kyle...as brothers...is what the day was all about.  We started this together and we finished the day together.  We both worked hard and earned our finisher medals as we crossed the line together.  I look forward to continuing our progress forward and cannot wait to see what the future will bring. 

Many thanks to our amazing sponsors for helping to make this all possible and getting us on the line well-equipped and prepared for all our challenges.  To my coach and teammates, thank you for believing in what we are doing and pushing us to greater heights.

To my wife, I thank you for being a constant supporter in everything I do and letting me chase my goals and dreams.

We are all brothers
-Brent


Driving into New Orleans, I realized what a big weekend this was and how important this accomplishment would be. The house atmosphere was fantastic and we all had a great time.

Michael Kidd and I discussing race strategy

Me and some of the Dynamo Crew

The day before the race with the swim in question we went out to test the equipment one last time.   What a fun chance it was to train with the Dynamo crew. We headed out to register and prepared a fun meal to wrap up the day.

We woke up at 4:45 AM to a house full of people and slipped on my new TYR carbon dynamo kit. I couldn't believe the swim was not going to happen and I was going to have to wait to use our new Advance Elements kayak. We cannot control the weather though and the show must go on.



The first run was awesome, starting right behind the professionals and even 81-year-old Sister Madonna Buder came by to wish me luck.

Off on run #1

 The transition to bike went smooth and we set off on my longest bike ride yet. The bike was long and grueling; the wind was sometimes gusting up to 30 mph and it felt like we were in quick sand. My body began to ache all over and shut down.

Just a long ride with Brent

Brent kept telling me to focus on small goals; just two miles at a time then the next goal. We were here to finish and I refused to accept defeat. We finally completed the bike and took our time prepping for the run. The run was a blur as we both fought hard to finish strong. Sometimes Brent would push me and other times I made sure he kept up the effort.

Staying hydrated was important as the temp went up

We saw our Sherpa crew all over. They were amazing. That's it, just amazing. Helping us and driving us to finish.

                              Crossing the finish line was the most amazing thing I felt in awhile. 

Crossing with Brent made it even more special and it embodied what this is all about. Together, as brothers, to help motivate others to join us. I think the announcer said it best when we crossed the line as he said, "brothers from Atlanta, and BROTHERS across the finish line"

We are all brothers and we cannot wait for the next adventure.

KPeasey