You can get a lot of strange looks when you tell people that you are going to walk 60 miles over three days and camp in tents at night. They get less and less when you do it over the years, but inevitably there is always someone that thinks you are off your rocker. So, here’s how I got involved and why I continue to do it:

Three years ago, my sister approached me for a donation. She told me about this walk that a friend of hers had gotten her to sign up for and that she had to raise $2300. Oh, and to top it off, she was going to walk 60 miles. I’m not really sure why, but when she described it to me, it really sounded like something I needed to be doing. I asked her if I could join her team instead of donating and she said yes, so off we were.

That first year, I didn’t have too hard of a time raising the minimum, but I didn’t do too much above it. I didn’t really have a huge reason for walking except that it was something that I could do with my sister and my mother-in-law is a breast cancer survivor. When you get on the walk, one of the top questions that other walkers ask you is, “why are you walking?” A lot of them have very compelling reasons, and I really got to thinking. My reasons have kind of evolved over the past three years, but they are all rooted in the same thing. I’m walking for my wife. When we were dating, her mother got breast cancer and she had to watch her go through that fight. I don’t ever want her to have to fight a battle with breast cancer. So, I walk in honor of my mother-in-law and I walk for my wife.

Over time, my reasons have evolved. I’ve got a sister (and teammate) and mom that I walk for. I walk so that my two sons don’t ever have to see someone they love go through this.

So that’s why I walk and how I got involved in a nutshell. If you’re considering taking on the 3-day, it’s a wonderful experience and it’s a great thing to raise money for. If you have questions, please contact me and I would be glad to answer questions!