Help Team Challenge cross the finish line in Sonoma

The Napa-to-Sonoma half marathon is less than three weeks away, and Team Challenge needs your help!

As I previously wrote, I’m mentoring seven runners and walkers who are participating in the Napa-to-Sonoma half marathon in order to raise both awareness and much needed research funds for Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. They’ve been training hard for over three months and are physically prepared to complete 13.1 miles.1

But they still need your help to get across the finish line in Sonoma. With time running short, our team hasn’t yet reached their fundraising goals. That’s where you can help. (And to make this more interesting, I’m making a challenge — learn more below/after the jump.) 

The seven whom I’m mentoring (and the amount remaining to be raised toward their respective goals) are:

• Jane and Mary-Pat Klee ($2,561) — Sisters Jane and Mary-Pat joined Team Challenge to combine their goals of getting fit and helping people with IBD.2

• Claudette Harris ($2,200) — Claudette has had ulcerative colitis for over 10 years.

• Greg and Nancy Toler ($710) — Greg and Nancy are running for their son Kyle, who has Crohn’s disease.

• Fred Eckman ($270) — Fred chose Team Challenge to benefit from his first half marathon.

• Patty Sankey (Patty has passed her original fundraising goal!) — Patty has had ulcerative colitis for over 20 years.

If you click on any of the names above, you will be taken to that person’s fundraising page for Team Challenge (where you can make a donation).

The Challenge
To make things interesting, here is my challenge. If your donations help all seven of these people meet their respective fundraising goals before 11:00 PM Central Time on Tuesday, July 6, 2010, I will publicly shave my head3  following the 2010 Napa-to-Sonoma half marathon.4  That is a total of $5,741 to raise in seven days. An ambitious goal, but it delivers a great payoff if you beat this challenge.

Do I have your attention? Great! Now please click on one (or more) of the links above and help us to beat Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.

I’ll provide periodic updates on fundraising progress in the Comments section below and via Twitter. Thank you in advance for your support!

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Notes:

1. In fact, they already ran or walked 11 miles as part of their June 15 team practice. [↩]
2. Inflammatory Bowel Disease [↩]
3. I realize that head shaving for charity fundraising has become something of a cliché, but it works. And trust me ... with all of my Crohn’s scars, you don’t want to see me run naked or any of the other traditional fundraising challenges. [↩]
4. Specific date and time to be announced, but no later than August 15, 2010. [↩]