It’s no secret that running is great exercise, but it can also be an excellent way to give back to a worthy cause. That’s what a group of UK alumni and friends have discovered.
The group of 12 are participating in The Bourbon Chase– a 200 mile relay race across Kentucky bourbon country with the goal of raising at least $5,000 for the National Hospice Foundation.
The team, going by the name Nick Ryan’s Ridge Runners, has strong ties to UK. Members include Prim Wathen, Stephen Barnett, Amy Jones, Amy Brin, Shelley Duncklee, Tony Jackson, John Dixon, Holly Uebel, Patrick Barker, Catherine Hayden, Erin Holaday and Molly Dabney. Of the 12 team members, eight are UK graduates, three are currently working on degrees at UK, and seven are UK employees.
Everyone on the team has been touched by Hospice in some way and is excited about the chance to give back to an organization that has meant so much.
”My mom spent her final days in the gentle hands of Hospice of the Bluegrass here in Lexington. The care and compassion they showed to her, all of us really, are beyond compare,” explains Hayden, whose mother passed away last summer of complications from diabetes.
Nick Ryan’s Ridge Runners will start their adventure at 9 a.m. on Friday, October 7 at the Jim Beam Distillery’s American Outpost located in Clermont, Kentucky. Everyone will finish in downtown Lexington where runners and supporters will gather for a finish line celebration, Kentucky style–with live music and local food and drink…and of course world-famous Kentucky bourbon.
You can keep up with the team, learn more about each member and even follow them during the actual race, at http://nickryansridgerunners.wordpress.com/
Or donate to the National Hospice Foundation and Hospice of the Bluegrass through the team’s fundraising page: http://www.active.com/donate/runtoremember2011/lwathen1
Let’s cheer them on, all across the big blue nation!
