Napa Is SOLD OUT To Everyone But TEAM CHALLENGE!!

The Napa to Sonoma Wine Country Half Marathon is so popular that it has sold out SEVEN MONTHS prior to the race!

You are in luck if YOU want to participate! You can sign up for Team Challenge and reserve your spot!!

Remember information meetings start February 11th! Reserve your spot TODAY!

Go to http://www.ccteamchallenge.org/ and find an info meeting near you or call 404-982-0616 for more information!

Join us! Challenge yourself to change a life!!

Way To Go Team Challenge!!!

Congratulations to all of the Team Challenge participants that participated in the ING Miami Half Marathon this past weekend!!

These runners and walkers all reached their half marathon goals and raised.... are you ready.....1.6 MILLION DOLLARS for Crohn's and colitis research and patient services!!

Team Georgia could not be more proud of you and we look forward to seeing all of you this summer in Kona, Hawaii or Napa, California!

If you are interested in participating in Team Challenge for the summer season, information meetings start February 11, 2009. Go to http://www.ccteamchallenge.org/ and find a meeting near you!

Call 404-982-0616 or email Awhitworth@ccfa.org for more information.

GO TEAM CHALLENGE!!

"Sea of Humanity"

CNN reported this morning that an estimated 1.4 million people attended the presidential inauguration on Tuesday. For those of you that tuned in or saw the photos, you were able to see this "sea of humanity" standing shoulder to shoulder for literally miles back.

Did you know that there are also 1.4 million Americans living with Crohn's Disease and ulcerative colitis? As you you look at the picture above, imagine that these are all of the people in America that are suffering with these diseases. This is a LOT of people that need our help!

You can help them and help yourself by joining Team Challenge, the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation's half marathon training program. You can train to run or walk a half marathon, go on a great trip to either Kona, Hawaii or the Napa Valley wine country this summer and raise much needed funds for Crohn's and colitis research and patient services.

Our summer season starts next month! We will be having information meetings throughout February. Come and find out how you can take a challenge and change a life!

Go to http://www.ccteamchallenge.org/ to find and information meeting near you. Call Angel at 404-982-0616 or email Awhitworth@ccfa.org for more information.

Help find a cure for our "Sea of Humanity".

Volunteer+Team Challenge= Free Coffee!

How would you like a free cup of Starbucks coffee and help Team Challenge at the same time? Go to http://pledge5.starbucks.com/ and download a pledge card. Pledge to donate five hours of volunteer hours and Starbucks will give you a free cup of coffee!

Team Challenge and CCFA are always looking for volunteers and what better way to spend a few hours then helping the 1.4 million people that have Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis.

Call Angel at 404-982-0616 or email Awhitworth@ccfa.org if you would like to volunteer!

The "S" Genreation

Today we celebrate the birthday of Georgia born Martin Luther King, Jr. As we celebrate not only the birthday of this great man we are reminded about what it means to serve. I have heard the new generation will be called The "S Generation", S standing for service.

As CCFA is an organization and Team Challenge is an event that depends on it's volunteers, we are always mindful and thankful to those that take the time to do service. I wanted to wish everyone a happy Martin Luther King day and leave you with one of my favorite quotes in hopes it will inspire you to continue to serve.

"Everybody can be great... because anybody can serve. You don't have to have a college degree to serve. You don't have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love." -Martin Luther King Jr.

Team Challenge Billboard!

Check out our Team Challenge billboard! The billboard is located near the intersection of Piedmont and Monroe (behind Ansley Mall on the right).

Encourage your friends to drive by and check it out and when you go by it, give it a little honk!

Let's make sure everyone knows about Team Challenge and what a great program we have!

www.ccteamchallenge.org

Join us at the movies!

There is a great movie playing tomorrow as part of the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival!

An affectionate salute to a Jewish sports icon and a must-see for avid runners, RUN FOR YOUR LIFE is the remarkable story of Fred Lebow, mastermind of the New York City Marathon. Raised in an Orthodox Jewish family in Transylvania, Fischl Leibowitz fled war-torn Europe and eventually settled in the Big Apple. After a career in the garment trade, this scrappy showman launched the New York City Marathon, eventually transforming it into the world's largest marathon, encompassing all five boroughs, and a source of civic pride during troubled times. Set amidst the urban funk of the 1970s, the film’s retro styling combines archival footage and interviews with family, athletes, city officials and journalists. RUN FOR YOUR LIFE chronicles the exuberance and heartbreak of an eccentric man who inspired thousands to go the distance.

The film will be playing at the Lafont Sandy Springs at 11:50 am. Go to http://www.ajff.org/ to purchase tickets. 1972 Olympian and marathon guru Jeff Galloway will be introducing the film. Join Team Challenge participants along with other runners/walkers in Atlanta to see this special film!

This was posted today on the in the RW forum by Soccer Fan. I thought it was pretty cool!

For days, weeks, months and years, we ran. We ran to feel good. To stay healthy. To getaway from our problems. To accomplish something. To dare. To test ourselves. To deal with cravings. To think. Not to think. To meet people. To be alone.

We ran on hills and on flats. At 4 in the morning. In a dress shirt and slacks after work. We ran errands. We ran for fun. We ran on business trips. On vacations. We ran for the high. For the low. Because we can. Because they said we shouldn’t. Because the time is right. Just ‘cause.
We ran through the blood-red forests. On breathtaking trails. Through canyons of steel, glass and concrete. Through endless fields. In knee-deep snow and desert sand. On red clay dirt. Along the riverbanks.

We ran when it poured. When it was nice out. In blizzards. In heat waves. We ran to music. To the rhythm of our footfalls. To the symphonies of nature. The concertos of city sounds. To some of the greatest books ever written.

We laughed. We cried. We gritted our teeth. Just couldn’t help ourselves. We glided. Crawled. Chugged along. Had the trots. Nearly puked. Puked. We couldn’t wait to run. Dreaded it. Felt like we could go forever. Wanted it over with. Showed off. Paid for it. Took it easy. Ran hard. Chaffed and blistered. Got sunburn. Windburn. Frostbite. We lost toenails. We hid stashes and hijacked the neighbor’s water hose. Bruised kneecaps and egos. Dug deep. Pumped our fists. Shook our heads. Had doubts. Questioned our sanity. Realized we’re mental. And then we ran some more.

We are as different as can be. But we have one common denominator– running and all it comes with.

So here’s to all of us. To those just starting out. To the experienced. To the masters. To the elites. To those who win hardware. To those who never will. To the healthy ones. To the injured. To the trotters. The joggers. The runners. The speedsters. To everyone who laces up and gets out there, good health and many happy miles!

Check us out!

Hey Everyone!
I wanted to remind everyone that Team Challenge staff, mentors and volunteers are out an about in the community. Ask them how you can get involed and be a part of our AWESOME Team Challenge family!

We have two fantastic events coming up for the summer season!

We are taking Team Challenge teams to:

The Kona, Hawaii Half Marathon on June 28th

and

The Napa to Sonoma Wine Country Half Marathon on July 19th

Team Challenge will train you to run or walk the half marathon and if you meet your fundrasing requirements, we will pay for you to go to Hawaii or Napa!

Team Challenge will be leading the group runs every Tuesday at 6:30pm at the Big Peach Running Company in Decatur, 114 East Trinity Place, Decatur, GA 30030.

We will also be at the Adidas Rep & Run this Saturday, January 17th at 9:30am Phidippides at Ansley Mall, 1544 Piedmont Road, Atlanta, GA 30324. There will be a raffle and giveaways! There will also be a Q&A with ING Georgia Medical Directors Perry Julien and Josh Glass. For those "seasoned" runners and walkers, there will be a 10 mile pace run at 7:30 am, and six mile pace run at 8:00am.

Come and run or walk with us! You can also get the details on our upcoming info meetings. You can find out everything you want to know about Team Challenge at one of our info meetings and be on your way to joining us in Kona or Napa!

We will have information meetings starting in February so you can come and hear about the program in detail. See the list below for places and times.

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Fulton County Library Buckhead Branch

269 Buckhead Ave, NE Atlanta, GA 30305

6:30 PM

Thursday, February 12, 2009

Doubletree Hotel

1075 Holcomb Bridge Road Roswell, GA 30076

6:30 PM

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Decatur Recreation Center

231 Sycamore Street

Decatur, GA 30031

6:30 PM

Saturday, February 21, 2009

Fulton County Library Sandy Springs Regional Branch

395 Mt. Vernon Hwy. NE

Atlanta, GA 30328

11:00 AM

Saturday, February 28, 2009

Crowne Plaza Atlanta Perimeter NW

6345 Powers Ferry Road

Atlanta, GA 30339

12:00 PM

To R.S.V.P for a meeting or for more information call 404-982-0616 or email Awhitworth@ccfa.org. www.ccteamchallenge.org

Happy Birthday Coach Mona!!!!

Today is our beloved run coach Mona's birthday!!! Let's all wish her a happy birthday! She is probably celebrating by running 50 miles or something like that! Happy Birthday Mona!! All of us here at CCFA an Team Challenge love you and hope you have a great day!!

Tuesday Night Fun at the Big Peach!

Thanks to all of you that came out to the Tuesday night run/walk at the Big Peach Decatur! Thanks to the storms on the horizon, it turned out to be a nice warm evening for a run. The turnout was great and we hopefully were able to spread the word about Team Challenge to all of those in attendance.

Thanks so much to Saucony for providing food and prizes for everyone! There were cool eco friendly water bottles and sling packs with t-shirts, socks and stickers! Congratulations to Team Challenge particpant Betsy Abrams for winning a new pair of Saucony shoes (of her choice)!

Thanks to the Big Peach for hosting the great event!

Eveyone is invited to come out to the Tuesday night runs at the Big Peach Running Company in Decatur at 6:30pm. We all have a great time...so come on out!

Happy New Year!!! Happy New You!!

Happy New Year Everybody!
Can you believe it is 2009?! Time sure does fly.

Have you made any new years resolutions? I have made quite a few. One of them is to be more active (I know this is a popular resolution). I know that the holidays are a tough time to keep to a fitness schedule on track (and forget about how many cookies we ate!) I plan to get out runnning and walking this week!

CCFA also has a resolution. We don't want the economy (and we know it's bad kids) to halt one minute of research that we are doing for the the cure of Crohn's Disease and ulcerative colitis. It is too important and it can't stop!

Well, if you have a resolution to be more active this year, now is a great time for you to get up, get moving and help CCFA with it's resolution to continue our research . What better way to do it than to join Team Challenge!

We have some fantastic events for the summer season!

The Kona, Hawaii Half Marathon on June 28th

and

The Napa to Sonoma Wine Country Half Marathon on July 19th

Team Challenge will train you to run or walk the half marathon and if you meet your fundrasing requirements, we will pay for you to go to Hawaii or Napa!

We will have information meetings starting in February so you can come and hear about the program in detail. See the list below for places and times.

Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Fulton County Library
Buckhead Branch
269 Buckhead Ave, NE
Atlanta, GA 30305
6:30 PM

Thursday, February 12, 2009
Doubletree Hotel
1075 Holcomb Bridge Road
Roswell, GA 30076
6:30 PM

Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Decatur Recreation Center
231 Sycamore Street
Decatur, GA 30031
6:30 PM

Saturday, February 21, 2009
Fulton County Library
Sandy Springs Regional Branch
395 Mt. Vernon Hwy. NE
Atlanta, GA 30328
11:00 AM

Saturday, February 28, 2009
Crowne Plaza Atlanta Perimeter NW
6345 Powers Ferry Road
Atlanta, GA 30339
12:00 PM

To R.S.V.P for a meeting or for more information call 404-982-0616
or email Awhitworth@ccfa.org. www.ccteamchallenge.org