Ham Run Half-Marathon and 5k Just One Week Away

     Next Sunday morning will be a little bit different than today.  It will start out much earlier and the first task of the day will be to place road signs and tables for aide stations along the last 12 miles of the Gunflint Trail.  A volunteer meeting will follow along with the hustle and bustle of any last minute preparations for the 3rd Ham Run Half-Marathon and 5k Fun Run.

     I’m so thankful for all of the volunteers for this event for without them there is absolutely no way I would be able to pull it together.  Theresa Oberg and Margo Furcht have done so much to get the race to this point and I am very grateful.  I was thinking about this while sitting at a class yesterday at the Emergency Services Conference.  

     I was looking around the room and saw some of the key volunteers for the Ham Run.  I realized how easy a job can be with the right people working together.  The class was a mock emergency designed to teach more about the Incident Command System and the many different roles and responsibilities of the members of an Incident Management Team.  Hand picked participants for yesterday’s class included Sheila Wieben the Ham Run race volunteer coordinator.  Rick Johnson the communications guru would have been there but his wife was hospitalized.  Also in attendance was the person in charge of race transportation and the half-marathon start, Sue Ahrendt.  Gunflint Trail Volunteer Fire Department members Michael Valentini, Bob Baker and Mike Prom were also there and they all play important roles at not only the Ham Run but also the Mush for a Cure. 

     If you surround yourself with winners then your odds of being successful are greatly improved.  I feel lucky to have the help and support of the Cook County Community, a group of winners in my book.  I hope you’ll be among them next Sunday on the Trail Less Traveled during the Ham Run.