Addicts run Commonwealth Games 5K as a release

Watch this story: Addicts run Commonwealth Games 5K as a release

For a few of the Coventry Commonwealth Games 5k runners their journey began long before the starting shot was fired.
   
Six months ago, Matt Satterwhite and Matthew Mitchell had never laced up their shoes to hit the pavement.
   
Mitchell says, at least not for a race.
“Unless it was blue lights behind me, no,” Mitchell said.
   
Mitchell can joke now, but that’s because he’s on the right road.
   
After years of alcohol and drug abuse Satterwhite and Mitchell turned to the Roanoke Rescue Mission for help.

“I just needed a new lease on life, so I came to the mission to receive that,” Mitchell said.
“Before this (I was) just always in trouble using drugs and alcohol the whole time,” Satterwhite said.
   
Getting clean and sober doesn’t always mean getting fit and trim.
   
It just so happened Tammy Wiley approached the Rescue Mission with the idea of getting a group together to start running and eventually enter a race.

“I think it’s a sense of accomplishment, getting out early at 6 o’clock in the morning and running and then actually being able to participate in a race and finishing and completing the 5k,” Wiley explained.
   
Wiley says volunteering to help train folks in the substance abuse program is actually a blessing to her, and her fellow runners are now family.

However, Satterwhite says running is a gift.

“Depending on drugs and alcohol for the last 20 years as a stress relief you need something and running has pretty much taken the place of it,” Satterwhite said.

Sponsors helped pay for the Rescue Mission group to run in Saturday’s race.
   
Also, running shoes and clothing was donated.

Paula Deen works out [VIDEO]

Paula Deen works off some of that butter! This video is a lot of fun. She is a great sport.

Man Runs From California To Georgia Raising Funds For Juvenile Arthritis [VIDEO]

Patrick McGlade is running a marathon. But you won’t find a pack of competitors in front of him or behind him. He’s running this one alone. He’s raising awareness and money for juvenile arthritis.

The idea came to him when he was running a marathon. Actually I was in the middle of a 24 hour race and I decided well if I can run for 24 hours straight, I think I can run a marathon a day. That’s when I started looking for charities,” says McGlade.

The Arthritis Foundation welcomed him with open arms. The charity has been there every step of the way lining up support, food and shelter for McGlade.

“For the most part, it’s been a very good experience.”

But very challenging, says McGlade. He runs 30 miles a day. He stops to take photographs along the way. He was drawn to a sign on the 13th Street Bridge recognizing the 2006 Little League World Series Champions from Columbus. Once he snapped his photos, it was back to work.

McGlade’s Huntington Beach, California to Tybee Island, Georgia run is expected to end April 23rd. His goal is to raise $50,000. So far McGlade has raised $17,000. To see photos of his journey, his route, and to donate, visit http://patricksrunblog.blogspot.com/

SOURCE: Man Runs From California To Georgia Raising Funds For Juvenile Arthritis

Ohio coach proposes to rival coach on field

An Ohio high school softball coach threw a curve at the rival team’s coach when he dropped to one knee on the diamond and asked for her hand in marriage.

Glen Este High School varsity coach Tim Gregory and Milford High School coach Christy Foster had been dating more than two years before Wednesday’s proposal.

Gregory says “softball is really what brought us together.” Foster, of course, said yes to the proposal and called it perfect.

 The ensuing game wasn’t, though. Gregory’s team won 1 to 0.

 Read more: Ohio coach proposes to rival on field

World’s smallest bodybuilder [Video]

At 2 feet, 9 inches and a mere 19 pounds, Aditya “Romeo” Dev isn’t like other bodybuilders.

The 21-year-old from Punjab, India, weighs as much as the body armor worn by U.S. troops in Afghanistan and Iraq, but that hasn’t stopped the little person from becoming a body builder.

Dev told “Good Morning America” today that the most he’s ever lifted is 10 pounds — about half his weight.

“From the very beginning I liked lifting the dumbbells and lifting weights,” he said through a translator. “I used to watch wrestling when I was a small kid and that’s how I got inspired.”

His hard work has paid off — three years ago the Guinness Book of World Records named him the world’s smallest body builder.

When he hit a Crunch gym in New York City, people flocked to him, picking him up for a pose and taking pictures.

And ladies, he’s available.

“I don’t have a girlfriend,” Dev said, with a shy grin.

Watch this story and see him in action: An Inside Look at the Littlest Bodybuilder

Soldier wounded in Iraq dives into new adventure [Video]

Great story!

Matt and Tracy Keil are exploring new adventures after a sniper’s bullet left Matt without the use of his arms and legs.

Keil is an Iraq War Veteran who nearly died in Iraq. His injuries left him a quadraplegic.

With his wife Tracy’s encouragement, Matt is facing his fear of the deep.

“I was nervous because I’m not sure how my regulator is going to work if my mask is going to fill up with water. Am I going to start choking on water?” said Keil.

Tracy is a certified diver. Now, she is hoping this could open up a new world for Matt.

“Always chair, couch, bed, shower, that’s it. So this is a nice opportunity for him to spend a little bit of time out of the chair,” said Tracy.

Matt’s volunteer helpers from Craig Hospital eased him around the shallow end of the pool.

One volunteer said it’s an amazing practice in trust. “Imagine you can’t move anything and somebody puts a regulator in your mouth, a mask on your face, and says ’all right, we’re going to go underwater now,’ that’s trust.”

“Once I got comfortable it just seemed natural, it seemed fun. I was like, let’s go to the deep end right now! I’m ready, I’m ready for it,” said Keil.

“You’re floating in the water and doing something like this let’s you know even though you’re paralyzed and disabled, you can still go out and scuba dive. You can do anything,” said Keil.

Watch this story: Soldier Wounded In Iraq Dives Into New Adventure

5,000 calorie monster burger officially debuts [Video]

 

I know a lot of you are familiar with the story of the Fifth Third Burger.It’s a 5,000 calorie monstrosity created by the West Michigan Whitecaps that’s filled with meat, five slices of American cheese, chili, salsa, nacho cheese and Fritos. There may also be half a horse in there too.

But anyway, the burger officially made its debut this week, with the Whitecaps having an Opening Day challenge to see who could eat the whole thing by themselves. 32 brave souls attempted to do it. Only 17 managed to survive accomplish the feat.
A 16-year-old kid, Steve Landis, managed to be the first to finish. And his mom provided possibly the quote of the year for us.

“I wasn’t quite sure. Should I be proud of him or not?”

Are you kidding me? Anyone who finishes a burger of this size deserves not just our admiration, but a bronze statue. 

Watch video of people tackling this monster burger: I Can’t Believe I Ate The Whole Thing: The Fifth Third Burger Makes Its Official Debut

See Also: Reporter takes on 5,000 calorie burger: Burger Wins [Video]

Photo: Flickr user Josh May

Wheelchair is no obstacle in triathlon [Video]

About 1,500 athletes are in South Florida this weekend to compete in a Triathlon that will raise money for children, but for one man, it’s also about proving that his wheelchair is not his obstacle.

“This is where the fun starts,” Renzo Martinez says as he took his wheelchair through the finish line.

He was already set up in advance of the event.

“I choose to live and live to the best of my abilities,” said Martinez who has been competing all his life. His first competition was as a race car driver, until a spinal cord injury took away his ability to walk 20 years ago.

“I broke my back, so I have no sensation from my waist down,” said Martinez.

But that didn’t stop this athlete. In fact, he has a way for all of us to overcome any obstacle.

“Usually, you get your obstacle right in front of you and, usually, you get your goals ahead of you. If you look past it and look at your goals, you realize your obstacle disappears,” he said.

Martinez uses that philosophy to gear up for the Nautica South Beach Triathlon, which is a half-mile swim, a 19 mile bike ride, followed by a 4 mile run.

He is an inspiration, after winning several of the 35 marathons in which he has competed.

“Having a guy like Martinez, just makes your challenges seem so light and insignificant and it inspires you to go harder and faster and to finish,” said Michael Epstein, who is the executive producer of the Nautica South Beach Triathlon.

This is just training for Martinez’s next goal. He is raising $30,000 dollars to compete in an Iron Man Competition next year.

Read more and watch this story: Wheelchair Is No Obstacle In SOBE Triathlon 

Jobless gather for ‘Unemployment Olympics’

You know what you are supposed to do when life hands you lemons… these guys made some fun lemonade.

Who hasn’t secretly wished he could pin the blame on his boss? Or slam office equipment against the pavement? Dozens of unemployed people got the chance to do exactly that during the tongue-in-cheek Unemployment Olympics.

In a twist on the classic game Pin the Tail on the Donkey, participants pulled a hat over their eyes and spun around before using a pushpin to attempt to Pin the Blame on the Boss.

The Manhattan event, organized by a laid-off computer programmer, was decidedly low-tech, with most games arranged with the help of cardboard, children’s paint and chalk.

Competitors also played a game of Office-Phone Skee-Ball, hurling a black phone toward chalk goal marks on the pavement. A group of schoolchildren from nearby cheered them on.

Prizes were offered by merchants from the surrounding Lower East Side neighborhood.

Nick McGlynn was among those who lined up at Tompkins Square Park in front of a cardboard hutch labeled with bright green paint as the Unemployment Office, where participants were required to show proof they had lost their jobs. The 26-year-old, who worked with video for Gawker Media until he was let go in November, said he was thrilled to have something to do besides searching the Internet and updating his blog.

The gaiety of the event was enough to make Maria Tapia smile, a welcome relief from the anxiety that accompanied her layoff in January from a job as a finance executive’s personal assistant.

“I never knew that I wanted a job this bad until I didn’t have a job,” Tapia said.

But at least at these simple games, “people are trying to look at it in a positive way,” she said.

Read more: Jobless gather for ‘Unemployment Olympics’ in NYC

Students help injured classmate complete project and graduate [Video]

This is a a great one! If you are soft-hearted, get the tissues ready.

Last January, a Seneca Valley High School student was killed in a tragic accident on I-79 while driving to a sporting event.

But her best friend, a passenger in the vehicle, survived serious injuries and is now looking forward to a bright future.

Family, friends and teachers say it’s nothing short of a miracle to see Dana Hughes, a Seneca Valley High School senior, up and walking again. Two months ago, the teen was critically injured in an auto accident while heading to a lacrosse match.

As a senior, in order to graduate, Hughes had to complete her senior project of training and competing in the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s ”Just A Short Run” marathon at North Park.

However, the accident left her not well enough to run so about 90 of her classmates got permission to complete the project for her.

“She’s like a big sister to me. All my life, she’s always been my role model, so I wanted to do something for her,” said one of Hughes’ classmates, Megan Condit.

Hughes, just out of rehab, was able to walk five miles of the marathon, and dedicated the effort to in the memory of Quail. And today she had a chance to thank all of her classmates and friends who supported her.

“Everything that I got when I was in Pittsburgh Institute, in the hospital, the prayers especially helped,” she said. “I think, God was shining over me. I know he was.”

“I never thought I’d say this, but I never thought I’d be so excited to go back to school,” added Hughes.

Read more and watch this heart-warming story:  Students Help Injured Classmate Complete Project