Chance to Win: Run Ugly Fitathlon + How This Race Came To Be

Chance to Win Entry to Run Ugly Fithalon!

When: Sunday, April 21, 2013  @ 9:30 a.m.
What: 2 miles total running/walking with 8 fitness challenges.
Where: 8999 Martin Luther King Jr Blvd., Denver, CO, 80238

Easy Entry!

 1. Like Catch Carri on Facebook 

 2. Email carri@catchcarri.com and send along your “Ugliest” running picture along with a caption.

OR

**A winner will also be entered to win a  running shirt designed by the founder of the race.  It has pockets and headphone loops along with moisture wicking material. And, it’s made in the USA! 

 “It won’t be pretty…but, it will be fun.” That’s the motto behind the Run Ugly Fitathlon. The Run what? This is a race for anyone of any fitness level. It begins with a 1 mile run followed by 8 fitness stations, and then finishes with another 1 mile run. Which means you won’t be bored! 

Proceeds go towards research and raising awareness about melanoma. Jessica Linney founded the event after she was diagnosed with malignant melanoma at age 28. “At the time, I was a single mother of a five-year-old daughter trying to get through the extremely competitive and difficult program to be a nurse anesthetist,” says Jessica. “I was fortunate that I had surgical removal of my tumor and lymph nodes and the disease had not spread. I had always been athletic, but I turned to running as a way of dealing with the stress.”

Linney decided to harness her love of running to help raise money and awareness for melanoma. I chatted with Linney to get the scoop. 

Carri: Tell us more about the event. 

Jessica: This year we are changing up the stations, adding new ones- there is always the option to not do a specific station if it is too difficult for a person who may have injuries. The basic premise is that it is a race for children to adults, no matter your physical shape. We had ages from 5-70 last year, and it was a blast.

There will be a free skin-screening booth manned by the University of Colorado dermatologists again this year, and I will be adding a survivor tent, as well. This provides a place for those who have lost loved ones and those who have survived their fight to be honored.

Carri: What is the significance behind the name Run Ugly Fitathlon? 

Jessica: I was running my first Leadville 50 in 2011, and I looked around about five miles into the race. I was out of breath, the elevation kicking my butt, and I was in good company. Unlike the runners I see on magazines, those around me were a motley crew of runners, all shapes and sizes. We had one very essential thing in common, we were doing it, no matter how ugly it looked. So during the race, I had roughly twelve hours to think about it, I decided to create a shirt that celebrated “Running Ugly.”

For every shirt I sold last year, I donated 1$ to benefit the Jack Marston II melanoma fund.

The “Run Ugly” is my motto because no matter what you are going through, what you look like, how you feel…just get out there and do it!

I wanted to take it a step further, so last year I decided to create a race that combined running, obstacles, Ugly costumes, and raising recognition for melanoma, an extremely deadly disease. I called it the Run Ugly Fitathlon because it was in the format of a decathlon.

Carri: What do you most love about Colorado? 

Alyssa: I love Colorado because of its raw beauty and ruggedness. I feel there is no place else in the country that I could run a race in the morning and then ski that afternoon. The culture of making every moment count is what really inspired me to start a company and a race to benefit a disease that is a growing problem in this state and country.

Carri: Where do proceeds benefit? 

Jessica: This year the proceeds from my race will benefit the University of Colorado Cancer Research. I now have had melanoma three times. The last removed March 7th, 2013. Colorado has some of the highest rates of skin cancer in the country because of the outdoor lifestyle and altitude.

Carri: What is something readers would be surprised to learn about you? 

Well that’s a tough one. In my spare time, I coach volleyball for my daughter who is in middle school and I am finishing up my first novel. I like to keep busy.

Want to participate and support “Run Ugly?”

Visit: www.uglysports.com