The second MiracleKids Triathlon of the summer here in Minnesota took place this past weekend at Lake Ann Park in Chanhassen. Some 1,000 kids aged 7 to 17 took part in the swim, bike, run fundraising triathlon event. The weekend's motivation and slogan was and has always been "Kids racing for kids who can't."
The MiracleKids Triathlon now in its 8th year teaches kids the value of giving back to others in need. Billed as being the World's Largest Fund Raising Triathlon for Kids event, the event raises money for the Miracles of Mitch Foundation. Every year, hundreds of Minnesota kids battle cancer and are too sick to be active and have fun. The Miracles of Mitch Foundation relieves financial stress for families affected by cancer with the monies raised at the annual triathlon events. Each MiracleKid races in honor of a specific Mitch's All-Star (a Minnesota child who has been treated for cancer) in spirit by wearing their name on the back of their calf on race day.
The namesake of The Miracles of Mitch Foundation is Mitch Chepokas who was an active and fun-loving Chanhassen kid who lost his battle to bone cancer in 2003 at age 9.
Last year the kids and supporting families surpassed the $250,000 dollar fundraising goal. So the goal for this year was to go even higher, thus the $300,000 mark was set. A mighty challenge for these kids in tough economic times, but nothing they haven't done before.
The kids learn the benefits of training and fundraising along the way. For some it's learning how to swim, for others it's learning how to go from one discipline to the next. All of it which pays off on the day of the event. Fundraising like triathlon is something quite new for most of these young kids, it's almost like the learning how to swim example. What helps is that organizers make this fun for the kids. They have a training Workout Goal Sheet to help them prepare for the race as well as Pledge Forms with incentives for reaching various financial levels, including being part of the Mitchie Hall of Fame, something for those who raise a minimum of $1,000. Before the weekend's festivities, some 60 families representing 101 kids had achieved this honor.
These 1,000 kids plus the 800 or so kids that participated in the first MiracleKids Triathlon last month in Minneapolis did something quite amazing. Not only did they make their parents proud by going out and doing a triathlon event but they went out and surpassed this year's fundraising goal by getting donations totaling more than $300,000 (currently at $301,536.00) dollars. An amazing feat for those kids and families dealing with cancer here in Minnesota.
The MiracleKids Triathlon was started in 2004 by Minnesota's own six-time World Triathlon age-group champion Tony Schiller.
To learn more about the MiracleKids Triathon visit: www.mkidstri.com To learn more about The Miracles of Mitch Foundation visit www.miraclesofmitch.org
