A Hugely Successful NC Marathon Effort!

It was a picture-perfect day, and the upbeat mood and wonderful organization made the Third Annual United HealthCare North Carolina Marathon a HUGE success, for so many reasons!

First off, the beneficiaries of this effort....Foster Friends of North Carolina. This is an extremely important non-profit dedicated to enriching the lives of children in foster care, right here in North Carolina. I cannot think of a more worthwhile organization than one that is committed to improving the life experience of kids who are challenged by the foster experience. Remember the expression, "Think Globally, Act Locally"? Well, Foster Friends of NC is right here in our backyard and if we want to improve our future, doing it one child at a time is a good start.

Secondly, I am so proud and thankful for Team Carolina Rustica! We had an outstanding group of individual running in green Carolina Rustica jerseys, and our presence was made known! This team not only ran for personal goals, but they ran knowing that their participation would result in a donation by Carolina Rustica to the Foster Friends of NC. A challenge was issued to finish under a certain time period, for which our company would donate an additional $100 to Foster Friends. However, given the heat, the hills, and the tremendous effort that all runners on the team exhibited, we have decided to donate $100 for each runner who participated, in addition to donating some entry fees direct to the organization. By this calculation, Carolina Rustica will be donated about $1,500 to Foster Friends of NC.




Lastly, a big congratulations and thank-you to the organizers, sponsors, volunteers, and other runners. It takes a huge effort to make a race event successful, and on this sunny saturday, all the efforts came together for an outstanding series of races, from the 5k to the half-marathon to the full-marathon. Starting with the moving trumpet playing of the "Star-Spangled Banner" and an exciting start, the race proceeded without a hitch. The local police support was phenomenal...they were friendly, professional, and enthusiastic. The volunteers were absolutely indispensable, and so much appreciated. And of course, without sponsors like UnitedHealthCare, BB&T Bank, the City of High Point, and Showplace....the race simply would not be possible at all.

Again, a hearty congratulations to all runners, and a sincere THANK YOU to Team Carolina Rustica for their participation. We will see you again next year, with an even bigger team!