Two years ago I completed my first half marathon with the help of Team Challenge! It was one of the best experiences I've ever had. I met so many amazing people--we trained together, we fundraised together, then we crossed the finish line together! All this to raise money and awareness for the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation.  Team Challenge has teams all across the U.S. so I when I got to Austin I got in touch with the local chapter to see how I could get involved.  Turned out they needed volunteers for the Austin Marathon so I signed up!

I woke up at 5:00 AM(o'dark thirty as my Dad calls it) and proudly put on my Team Challenge garb. It was still dark when I arrived at the water station--the calm before the storm! Myself and about 30 other volunteers quickly got to work pouring hundreds of cups of water and gatorade for the athletes that would soon be arriving.  I met a lovely woman and her son that had driven from over an hour away just to volunteer. We all worked together and by sunrise we were ready to rock!


When the first runner came over the hill and towards us we all got super excited and starting cheering like crazy. We kept up our cheering and high energy for over 3 hours!! Most runners even said Thank You--so heartwarming!

The leader of the pack!

The vibe was so positive and the athletes were inspiring!! When the first female runner came by our station I got a little teary eyed. Gosh, I'm such a sap but I couldn't help but be inspired by her! GO GIRL!

First Female Runner!

I think the highlight of the day was seeing the smile our youngest volunteer brought to the runners faces. I'm sure she helped tons of people make it through that last mile to the finish line!

She's so cute!!

Although I'm tired and a bit hoarse from cheering, I'm so happy I got to be a part of this event with Team Challenge! I feel inspired to keep training hard for my next race and I'll be sure to thank the volunteers handing me water!

If you'd like to learn more about Team Challenge click HERE!


Happy Racing,
Kristin