Halloween-No Running Today!

Jake and I started to get our things together last night for our early morning training session today, when Jake pointed out an interesting problem: Halloween Costume. He didn't want to have to put on his Halloween costume at the Athletic Club after working out. Understandable.

Here are Jake and Elizabeth in costume this morning before school. Jake's the one doing the 'Strength...and Honor' salute. Elizabeth is the pink unicorn.

How2Kids

Jake's video from last spring has started appearing as a part of a show called How2Kids, about kids with special hobbies or abilities.

Watch the video now. Some of you have seen it before, but it's starting to get airtime now.

For those of you joining us late, Jake demolished his previous record yesterday, running a 5k in 22:18! His previous best (from July) was 23:03 and his previous best before that (from Memorial Day this year) was 23:53.

That means he's cut his PR by one and a half minutes in just a few months. Holy Adidas, Batman!

But the year's not over yet! He and I decided to kick off another fund raiser run, and he's going to run the Thanksgiving Day race in La Canada, just a few miles from us.

If you'd like to sponsor Jake, just email me. You'd be supporting him for up to $25. Here's how it works:

$10 if he runs and finishes
$5 more if he breaks his PR (currently 22:18)
$5 more if he wins his age division
$5 more if he breaks 22 minutes (his goal for this race)

In the past, some of you have double and even triple sponsored him, so if you'd like to do that, please just let me know!

Thanks!
Jim

We're back in action!

Jake and I have been secretly waiting to spring some news on you and this is the day! For the last several months, Jake has been training fairly intensively, and the results are truly startling.

If you recall, Jake ran his last 'Jake Runs For Kids' sponsored race in May in Brentwood. He ran a very strong 23:50, which was a new PR, and he raised a few hundred dollars.

In July, Jake ran in a race we didn't announce in a town called Baldwin Park and shaved almost a minute off his time, finishing first in his division at 23:03. Today, he ran in his 'warm-up' race called the Great Pumpkin Race in Westlake Village, California, and came in at a startling 22:18.

In other words, in just five months, he's shaved more than 90 seconds off his PR!

BUT, the best news is that Jake will be running on Thanksgiving Day in La Canada, California and he wants your support.

Here's how it's going to work. If you become a member of Team Jake, you'll sponsor his fund raising efforts for WorldVision (www.worldvision.org) in the following amounts:

$10 if he finishes the race
$5 more if breaks his amazing new PR of 22:18
$5 more if he wins his division (10 and under)
$5 more if he breaks 22:00, which is his goal for the race.

If you'd like to 'double' or 'triple' sponsor him, the total amount would simply be doubled or tripled, as some of you have done in the past.

I'm going to create the new fundraising page and provide a link when we closer to the race. I'm also going to publish some pictures from today's incredible race.

Please email me to let me know if you want to be part of Team Jake for this run!

Jim

Jake's Brentwood Pictures

There was a professional photographer at the Brentwood race, who snapped a few pictures of Jake, which you can see (and buy and turn into mugs and junk like that) here.

Also, don't forget to make your pledge if you haven't already! Here's the link.

Best,
Jim

Jake's Brentwood Pictures

There was a professional photographer at the Brentwood race, who snapped a few pictures of Jake, which you can see (and buy and turn into mugs and junk like that) here.

Also, don't forget to make your pledge if you haven't already! Here's the link.

Best,
Jim

Be part of Team Jake

To be a part of Team Jake again, please make your $20 donation to WorldVision by clicking below.

Support Team Jake.

It's official!

Although the final time is a little off from yesterday's posted time (23:54 instead of 23:50), it's still a Personal Record for Jake by a mile AND good for 7th place out of 30 boys under 14.

Here are the results.

Jake was beaten by five fourteen year olds and a very fast 11 year old named Colin Jackson. It's tough competing with kids that age!

Ok, so if you'd like to support Team Jake, your pledge should be:

$10 because he finished
$5 because he broke his PR
and $5 because he finished in the top 10 in his division. (He didn't break 23 minutes, so no $5 there).

For a total of $20.

I'll post the new pledge page later today.

Congrautlations, Jake!

3 out of 4 ain't bad!

This is Jake just before we set off, in a picture taken by my phone.

He felt good with no nerves at all, really, which is why I think he ran so well.

To review the table of pledges, Team Jake supporters will do:

$10 for finishing the race (done)
$5 for breaking his PR (done! Previous PR- 24:08)
$5 for finishing in the top 10 of the Men's 14 and under division. (Official Results aren't out yet, but he was 7th unofficially!)
$5 for finishing under 23:00 (not done).

Still, that brings the pledge to $20 out of a possible $25. The results, however, aren't final, so I'm not declaring them a done deal yet.

More info to come!

Jim