Big weekend ahead for the PFFRT

The gun goes off at 8am this coming Saturday for the 2012 Hartford Marathon and Half Marathon and the Petit Family Foundation Running Team will have a HUGE group toeing the line. The Hartford race has always been a big turnout for our team, but this is set to the be the biggest in our short history. Here is what it looks like so far:

Hartford Marathon Relay:

2 teams of five runners ready to go

Hartford Marathon 5k:

5 runners so far with a few more likely

Hartford 1/2 Marathon:

2 runners

Hartford Marathon:

1 runner

In total, 17 team members of all ages will be on the line representing the PFFRT. It's an amazing to think about how far this small team has come. We even have a team member coming all the way from Texas to run. Way to go the extra distance, Bill!

Stay tuned for updates, results and pictures - it should be a great time!

-PFFRT

PFFRT members run the Vermont 100 on 100...and win!

A few members of the Petit Family Foundation Running Team joined forces with a handful of other runners to take on the tough Vermont 100 on 100 race in August. The race, a 100 mile relay race on Route 100 in Vermont, is well known by distance runners as being a test of resolve and ones quadriceps. Mike and Brian decided to give it a go with fellow St. Lawrence University alumni to see what they were made of...and ended up winning the masters division!

http://www.100on100.org/results.html

The course is a brutal one, starting at the Trapp Family lodge in Stowe, winding up and over the Green Mountains, and finishes at the top of Mt. Killington. It is gorgeous, as well, with many stops along the White River to rest your sore legs. Each of us ran a 3 separate legs, usually around 2 hours apart, with a total average of 15 miles a piece. Mike and Brian's team finished 7th overall out of 107 teams with a time of 11 hours, 22 minutes and 55 seconds; that's 6:59 pace for 100 miles!

(Mike in the white with his hand on Brian)

It was an amazing time, and a timely one at that as much of Route 100 was impacted by Hurricane Irene a few weeks later. It is tough to look at the images of so much damage to a beautiful landscape we were just running through. Our thoughts are with all of those still affected by the storm.

Great day, great race, great to be part of the PFFRT!

Caroline off to a flying start

PFFRT member Caroline may be new to high school cross country, but she hasn't let that intimidate her. You see, Caroline is already a seasoned veteran, used to running in front of big crowds.

How, you ask? Simple - she has been the trusty anchor leg for the Petit Family Foundation Hartford marathon relay team anchor for the last two years. Caroline took on the pressure of finishing strong and has done so with speed and maturity beyond her years. She has signed up to take on the honors of the anchor for a third straight year and we can't wait to see what she is going to do.

Caroline hasn't shied away from older runners so far, as she has been right up in the front of the pack from the first race of the season. A consistent #1 for her team, Caroline can be found crossing the finish line in the top three in almost every race.

Fantastic running, Caroline!

PFFRT member is a Saint

I know, that's a pretty aggressive statement. However, Mike is literally a Saint, or at least a coach of a few lady Saints.

Coach Mike has his lady Saints cross country team running impressive times early in the season and looking to make a statement at the upcoming NCAA pre-regional meet. The St. Lawrence University XC women's team is familiar with the spotlight, as they climbed as high as #2 in the national in last year's polls. They roll into this year after winning the last TWO individual titles at the national meet.

Good luck in the rest of the season, Mike!

A former stand-out runner himself for SLU, Mike will be making his marathon debut in a few weeks in Hartford. While Mike thinks he is an old timer, we just think he's really fast. Good luck, Mikey!

PFF takes the title in....India?

Yep, that's right, India.

Team member Katie is currently in India and decided at the last minute to run the Shimla half marathon. In fact, she only found out about the race during a train ride from Delhi to Shimla on a Friday and registered the next morning. She laced up the sneaks, roudly donned the Petit Family Foundation Running Team shirt, and took off at the gun.

And then she won.

Yep, that's right. Katie covered the brutal, hilly course in just under two hours, even though it was at an average altitude of 2,200 feet. For her efforts, she took first place in the women's division.

Not. Too. Shabby.

Nice work, Katie!!!

Katie will also be running the New York City marathon, which is coming up in November. She is raising money along the way for the Petit Family Foundation, and doing and all around amazing job. Please help her reach her goal by donating here:


www.crowdrise.com/nycmarathonforpetitf/fundraiser/katiedsrunforthepetits

PFF Running team is wicked smaht

I am sure she doesn't want to be recognized publicly, but we have to point out the awesomeness that is Jacqueline. While she will not be running races with us in the near future, she will be in Amman, Jordan as part of the Fulbright grant she was awarded. How awesome is THAT?

High-five to you, Jacqueline!

She will be studying Arabic and conducting research on the institutional response to female domestic violence in Jordan. If you would like to follow along, check out her blog:

www.begintheworld.blogspot.com

Way to go, Jacqueline, we are proud of you!

Lots of updates

Hello everyone-

We have been quiet for a while, but it's because we have been quite busy. Many of our team members have been hitting the road, running races, and really just doing a lot of pretty awesome stuff.

To start off, the Petit Family Foundation hosted the 4th annual Petit Family Foundation 5k in July. The turnout was incredible, the biggest to date. It's much more than just a 5k, so if you have not experienced the race yet, please make your way to next years event. You don't have to be a runner to attend, as there are many things to see and do. Check out the website here for more:

www.petitroadrace.com

Check out these numbers...

Over 1000 at the pasta dinner the night before

Over 2100 runners

Over 1500 walkers

Netted over $100,000

RECORD turnout overall - 7000+!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That is pretty spectacular. Having run tons of 5ks, I can say with absolute certainty that I have never been to a 5k with those kinds of numbers.

The Petit Family Foundation has really got something going and it's incredible to be a part of and watch it happen.

-PFFRT