Day 99: The Tri is Tomorrow!!

After 99 days of training, tomorrow is the finish line.. the Housatonic Valley Sprint Triathlon. I had no idea the journey would be this FUN.

The excitement is palpable.  I took my bike this week to the shop for a last minute tune up and so enjoyed the leisurely 5 mile bike ride home and thought “look at me, I’m an athlete”… something I hadn’t thought of myself as since well before my oldest of 3 boys was born 10 years ago. 

Today, with less than 24 hours to go, my friend Holly sent out this email reminding everyone about one of the big motivators for this training… She wrote: 

“The devastation from the January earthquake created a true children's emergency in Haiti. Nearly six months later 1.5 million boys and girls still remain vulnerable.
$1 can provide enough vaccine to immunize a child against polio for life
$3 can buy one dose of antiretroviral drugs for an HIV positive mother or child. “

More than 6 months later, I’m sorry to say, the reports are grim.  2 million remain homeless.  After 95% of schools were knocked down in the earthquake, few have been rebuilt.

But here’s the GOOD news. Since the crisis, UNICEF has sent 1,300 schools in a box.  There are 2000 more in the pipeline.  They’re providing 330k people w/ safe drinking water.  9k latrines. “ 

More than 60 of my friends and colleagues like Holly are doing THE TRI with me… 171 of you across the country have made your own UNICEF pages. 

Our team has managed to raise near 37,000 thousand dollars for the US fund for UNICEF!!!  I am so enormously proud. 

And it’s not too late to help.    

Here’s the link.

http://inside.unicefusa.org/site/TR/Events/General?px=3249698&pg=personal&fr_id=1250

The results will be featured on GMA Monday!!  Go team!!!!!  I am brimming with gratitude.