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Posts Tagged ‘Hood to Coast’

197 Miles of Painful Bliss! The Hood to Coast Relay

August 27th, 2014 Mel White 4 COMMENTS

Photo Aug 22, 3 41 40 PM (1)Chief Wacko

On August 22, 2014 @ 3:30 a.m. 12 whackos and 2 dedicated drivers woke up to take on a challenge, one that they called FUN. I am one of those whackos — the Chief Whacko if you will.

The event is called Hood to Coast, aka …The Mother of All Relays. It’s an event in which 12 people with two support drivers and two vans run 197 miles from about 6000 feet on Mt. Hood to the beautiful Oregon Coast, Seaside, Oregon to be specific.

I have done this run before. This was actually my 13th year, but this year was truly different. Why? Because this year we ran for a purpose and with a purpose. Not just to finish but to help put a finish to cancer.

The Providence Cancer Research Center

This year our team, The Classic Exhibitionists, ran to raise money for The Providence Cancer Center, a leading research center in America. The Cancer Center focuses on the development of immunotherapy for cancer patients. Immunotherapy works in conjunction with traditional chemo and radiation therapies and has altered how cancer is being treated when compared to the treatment I received 14 years ago.

But this years’ Hood to Coast was way more personal for me and many others on the team. We also were running for and in honor of many family and friends — friend and family of ours and YOURS. Because of your generous donations and your trust and honor, we ran with the names of many of your loved ones on our t-shirts. As one teammate said during the event, “Yeah I am tired and I feel like crap, but I just look at that shirt and those names and I recharged.”

Photo Aug 23, 3 18 46 PMFor the Classic employees on the team, one name stood out on the shirts, Mike Swartout, our Design Director. Two of the game-changing therapies brought to market from Providence were as a direct result of the trials that Mike participated in as a patient at Providence Cancer Center. Mike is thankfully still with us four years after his diagnosis when he was told that he had only months to live because of his advanced stage 4 prostate cancer. Many patients now getting diagnosed are reaping the benefits of the work done in those trials that Mike volunteered for.

So we RAN. Nearly 32 hours later, we reached the beach and the beautiful Pacific Ocean. Along the way, we had nothing but fun. Van life is something you have to experience to really understand — the banter, the lack of sleep, and the SMELL! It was all great.  🙂

To our team, I am proud of you all. For several of you, this was the first of many Hood to Coast adventures. For others, this was yet another great year of which there will be more to come. For me, this one was THE BEST EVER. I had the great fortune of spending time with co-workers/friends, lifelong friends of mine, and family members such as my sister-in-law. But more than anything, this was my first first Hood to Coast that had purpose beyond a good time.

To Our Donors

I can’t put to words how truly blessed and honored we were to run with your names and the names of your loved ones on our backs and in our hearts. It truly was the fuel that powered this runner. So thanks so much once again. We raised over $13,000! Something, as the team captain, I am truly proud of achieving. And something that would not have happened without your support. THANK YOU!

Take a few minutes to review the photos. You can get a picture what it was like for us. You can see that while there was pain, the fun clearly outweighed it.

Be well.

-Kevin
http://twitter.com/kevin_carty
http://www.linkedin.com/pub/kevin-carty/3/800/32a

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Taking It Up a Notch! — The “Classic Exhibitionists” Run for a Cause

May 27th, 2014 Mel White COMMENTS

flasherClassic Family and Friends

Each year, a group from Classic Exhibits, our vendor partners, and friends raise money for Cancer Research/Awareness.

In the past, we have accomplished this through bike rides ranging from 75 miles – 100 miles. This year, we are taking it to a whole new level!! We are going to run 199 miles! That’s right, I said WE ARE GOING TO RUN 199 MILES. From Mt. Hood to the Oregon Coast. The event is called Hood to Coast. And believe it or not, we have fun doing it. 🙂

A team of twelve, along with four volunteer drivers and helpers, will embark on this 199 mile run to raise awareness and more importantly funds for Cancer Research. The facility is the Providence Cancer Research/Care Center. It’s located in Portland and is near and dear to the Classic Exhibits Family. Why Providence you ask? Easy — Mike Swartout, the Design Director at Classic Exhibits, that’s why!

Mike Swartout

MikeA few years ago, Mike heard the news no one wants to hear, “You have Cancer.” And in Mike’s case it was particularly bad — Advanced Stage 4 Prostate Cancer. His PSA was 2640. That is not a typo.

With the research and care provided by Providence Cancer Research/Care Center, Mike is still with us today. Mike agreed to participate in many experimental treatments/studies to help find a cure for this dreaded disease. Mike has outlasted the early prediction of only living a few months to having survived over several years.

His selfless approach as a guinea pig has allowed Providence to advance amazing treatments such as Provenge to the point of FDA approval. This drug is stopping the course of prostate cancer in many patients who are now getting diagnosed, something that Mike and all of us are very proud of.

So, with Mike’s permission and urging, we decided to “Take It Up a Notch” to raise money for the Cancer Research Center in his honor. Which is where you come in!

Sponsor Us with One Click

199 Miles for Cancer Research

199 Miles for Cancer Research

Please consider sponsoring the Exhibitionists via our Crowdrise Page:  http://www.crowdrise.com/classicexhibitionist.

Our goal is modest, just $20,000.  That’s just over $100 per mile.

Your donation is 100% tax deductible. And goes 100% towards Providence Cancer Research/Care Center to allow them to continue to provide the great care and attention patients like Mike and others around the country are receiving due to their tremendous work.

So, let me be corny in saying, help support us please while we “expose” ourselves to Cancer Awareness by donating to our 199 mile run.

On our previous bike rides, we would be honored and grateful to run with the names of your loved ones that are battling or have lost their battle to this disease. So please make sure you email me their names so I can have them included on our shirts.

Again, click on the link to http://www.crowdrise.com/classicexhibitionist to donate.

And as a survivor of Cancer, I thank you for your time and your donations to help find a cure.

Be well.

Kevin Carty

p.s. Some may remember Providence from their clever Pink Glove video several years ago. Almost 14 million views.

 

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What’s Gonna Work? Teamwork!: Word on the Street — September 2nd thru September 6th

September 7th, 2013 Mel White 2 COMMENTS
What's Gonna Work? Teamwork!: Word on the Street -- September 5th thru September 9th

Word on the Street by Kevin Carty

There was a time about two years back when that phrase made me cringe. Only because it was part of the theme song to “The Wonder Pets,” a program my kids loved for a couple of years.

But no one can argue that teamwork is critical to any mission, workplace, event, etc. Often, it’s the “Team” that makes it the most fun and successful.

Hood to Coast Relay

Well, a couple weeks ago, I had a team that joined me on one of my annual/crazy adventures, and it was a great team that included some Classic Family members. Every year for 12 years I have run in the Hood to Coast Relay — “The Mother of All Relays.” It’s one of my favorite things to do every year . . . as crazy as that sounds. It’s a relay run where you and 11 of your closest friends run 199 miles from Mt. Hood to the Pacific Ocean. NONSTOP! For 30 hours. Without measurable sleep. Rain or shine. Including the occasional bobcat, like this year.

Like I said, its one of my favorite things to do every year. You can see why right? 🙂

This year was truly the most enjoyable year ever and a big part of that was the Team! We trained together, and we kept accountability for each other through apps like MapMyRun and MyFitnessPal. But the real difference maker for me was that I was able to include work friends this year. Both Bob Beuhl and Mel White ran with my van, and Cynthia Geddis and Stan Henderson volunteered along the race course for our team –“Race to Beer.” For the second year in a row, my great friend Tom Beard from ELITeXPO flew out from Chicago to be on the team.

I have spoken about the fun that HTC provide me and my friends, and this year I was finally able to share it with Bob and Mel. And I “think” they enjoyed it as much as I did, especially the Van Life which can get, shall I say, “interesting” at times. Just think, you have a driver and six sweaty runners in a van together for 30 hours straight. One of the runners was pumping milk as a new mom, another had a regretful reaction to breakfast, and then of course there was the smell of it all after about hour 12. You sort of get use to it believe it or not.

Doesn’t this sound like fun?

Anyway, it was another great year. Only made better by the fact that the team was so good. Everyone supported each other and cared for each other along the way.

Congrats to Bob and Mel in particular! They both did an incredible job! Bob seemingly ran every leg uphill earning his the name King of the Hills. And Mel brought us into the beach proudly with his third leg, the last leg of the entire race. Very well done Mel!

For me, another year in the books and already planning for next year. And as usual, the part I am looking forward to the most –Van Life with my teammates. It why I do it every year!

Hope you have a great week. It’s getting busier.

Kevin
http://twitter.com/kevin_carty
http://www.linkedin.com/pub/kevin-carty/3/800/32a

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Update — When Your Bucket List and Your Job Converge (8/29/11)

August 28th, 2011 Mel White COMMENTS

Kevin's Bucket List Project

Happy Monday to you all. Hope your weekend was good.

Thanks to our wonderful production staff here at Classic and to our Project Manager, Edie Arambula, mine was much less stressful than it certainly could have been. Starting on Friday, I began an annual endurance/idiotic event called the Hood to Coast: a 200 mile run from Mt. Hood to Seaside on the Oregon Coast. And thanks to our great employees, I did not have to worry about work on my Bucket List Project that shipped while my team and I were running.

The project is on the road and should be at its first stop later today to join up with other materials and goods for the event. Then it moves to its final destination tomorrow. Then setup begins.

I thought I would share some quick shots of a few elements. While it may not look like much yet, once it’s all up, in place and fully loaded with the clients own treasured memorabilia it will be outstanding for sure!

Link to P5D

Final footprint size will be 50′ x 100′ x 14 ft. tall at its highest. We should be done with setup and installing all the goodies by Friday afternoon. I will post more pictures as we work through the setup.

Have  a great week.

–Kevin Carty

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