Making a Difference for Birdie and Nathaniel!

Hello everyone!

As you likely know, I've been chosen to be sponsored by La Sportiva, Lifetime Fitness and Boundless Coaching in the renowned Leadville Race—a grueling 100-mile footrace through the Rocky Mountains. This Saturday at 4:00 AM, I’ll be at the start line, about to kick off a 100-mile trail run over 30 hours, running from 10,200 up to 12,600 feet and back again. I’m not a trail runner or even an ultra-runner but when I was offered this opportunity to tell my story through the running of this iconic and grueling event, I felt like I had to take it. I had only been running about 5 miles a week before I was offered this opportunity but since I began training in May, I've run 650 miles to get ready for this. This is because as crazy as this race might sound, this challenge isn't about the race itself.

As many of you may know, last year my daughter Birdie was diagnosed with a life-limiting condition called anencephaly and passed away shortly after birth. This year, we were heartbroken to find out that Luke and Elizabeth Crawford's first child Nathaniel, John Crawford’s grandson, has received the same diagnosis.

When we lost Birdie last year, my wife and I and many of our friends and family came together to raise funds for a Caring Cradle to donate to Grady Hospital who did not have one. A Caring Cradle is a meaningful device that offers solace to families in their toughest times. This device allows them to keep the child in their room while they are there and grieving rather than having the child taken from them minutes after it passes away. We also were blessed to be able to raise support for Abel Speaks, an incredible organization that walks alongside families that are carrying a child to term that has a life-limiting diagnosis. This year, I've taken on the Leadville Race as a platform to fundraise $10,000 to be able to donate another of these invaluable cradles and to Abel Speaks in memory of Birdie and Nathaniel.

Each contribution, big or small, can make a profound difference. If you're able, I'd appreciate your support in this cause that means so much to me.

Our goal is to raise $10,000 so we can donate one Caring Cradle to a local hospital (cost is around $7,000) as well as donate $2,500 to Abel Speaks which is the amount to support another family walking through this situation. If we aren't able to raise the entire amount, we'll make adjustments, likely making the primary donation to Abel Speaks. 100% of all funds will be donated to these two organizations.

I can't promise that I will finish as issues will always arise during any 100 mile event but I can promise you that I will give everything that I have!

Thank you for considering this opportunity. If you have any questions or would like to discuss further, I'm here.