04/10/2016
Good morning Folks. Well, this post has taken a while for me to really think about. I have personally dreaded having to write it as I know so many of you are strong supporters of what the race is all about. There are many races out there, and a lot of them tie themselves to a charity of some sort, but very few if any, give 100% (aside from hard costs to set up a race) to the actual charity, rather they use it as a way to get more runners to their events, which in turn provides bigger paychecks to the people at the top. The Great Bacon Race prides itself with not keeping any of the profit for themselves. Every single penny that is raised has either paid for a porto potty, or event space rental and permits, or has been used to help families right here in Clark County with a special needs child, all with volunteer help which includes the board of directors, (yes we are 100% volunteers)
All this being said, The Great Bacon Race has had to make a very hard decision to cancel the race for 2016. This all started with a rumor at the beginning of the year that The National Parks (those are the folks that govern the use of Pearson and surrounding property, yes, even the road that runs along the water front) were raising the fee to use the Hangar space (where we set up the food) and the trail across the Historic Fort, as well as the pathway and streets that make up our entire course. Last years fee was around $600 which was hard, given the smaller group of runners but still doable with not getting crazy with bells and whistles. This year the fee has gone up to $1400. Add to that the rising costs of permits and the insurance (which is not only required, but the city also tacks on an additional $2.50 per runner since its a sporting event). I even contemplated changing the location of the event, but alas, that requires a different level of permitting, measuring, logistical planning, and basically lots of parts to bring it together. All of that is really difficult to deal with but a bigger piece is the sheer lack of help. Yes we always have a fantastic group of people that show up on race day and do an amazing job volunteering for the day. The help I am referring to is hands on stuff at the start of the year with all of the phone calls to be made to potential sponsors, lining up equipment needs, making sure refreshments are taken care of, contacting and arranging aid stations for the runners, the processing of shirts and medals, the dealing with city and state offices for permits etc..etc.. For the last three years, I have been on my own to complete these tasks, and i will be honest, my family has taken a hit because of how much time I have invested. Yes there is another board member, however that person lives several hours away and it is not only difficult to travel back and forth for various meetings and spearheading specific aspects of the race, but also costly. I have had people raise their hand and say "yes I want to be on the board, or yes I will take on this piece" but then turns out they just don't show up, or it appears the only reason they sign up is because there are cameras rolling and they might end up on tv or in the paper. I did not create this race so we can become celebrities, I created this race because after dealing with all the stuff my son went through, and is still going through, I realized how much help other families like mine, in our community really need. This has never been about "James", it has always been about the child that wasn't given a chance because the statistics said he/she wouldn't survive, and if they did, then they would never be able to do anything. Over the last three years we have first hand witnessed children break down those text book medical barriers and complete races, both on foot and with assistive devices. We have seen children cross finish lines after being told they would never walk; seeing smiles on their faces when they get to do the same activities as able bodied people, without feeling like an outcast. This is what The Great Bacon Race is all about, and the very same reason why you do not see my name plastered all over it. Like I said, its not about me. (sorry for the mini rant) At the end of the day, it comes down to this: in order to have a successful event, good hearted people are needed to complete a wide variety of tasks. It goes beyond just being a volunteer. It becomes an ownership. Having people on your team that take a job and treat it as if its successful ex*****on is the difference between a disabled child taking their first step in an event and building their self esteem, or never taking the child out because nobody thought they could ever do something like a race.
I know this was long winded but I really wanted to get the point across and let all of you know that the race is not gone forever. It will debut again in 2017 and will knock your socks off. I am taking the extra time to build a solid team of people with the same dedication and passion for helping children as I have. If you have any questions, please feel free to drop me a line. if anyone feels they are up for the challenge and want to be a part of an awesome organization, let me know. The only thing I ask is please do not ask to help if you are not prepared to give 110%.
