Life is Good

I am proud to have completed a Half Marathon back on October 10, 2021 and we are proud of Paul for his great accomplishment of the New York Marathon on November 7 , 2021.

Here are some highlight’s from the New York City Marathon:

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Here is a fun video:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1haCcIcbMnTDZcMUfrt3BJk4KkQtgfInU/view?usp=sharing

There were some pictures posted on BaseCamp 31’s website that included Paul and I running on the Half Marathon back in October:

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I recently wrote an article about BaseCamp 31 and it is being reviewed by the editor of a paper local to the area where the race was held, an advance copy is shown below:

What is BaseCamp 31?

It is a 5 acre plot of land in Lebanon, NJ. There is a building called the Club House there but there is so much more…..

BaseCamp31 aims to remove barriers to healthier living be they mentally, socially or physically.

They connect people through community service or through physical and social activity.

They challenge and encourage their members and people who come to participate in one of their races or public services events.

If you look at the membership page of BaseCamp31.org  you will see the philosophy of this organization clearly and boldly laid out.

“BaseCamp is where Fitness meets Purpose and Philanthropy” as stated at the top of that membership page.

BaseCamp 31 is now celebrating their 10^th year anniversary and appears to be  thriving and growing.

During the pandemic, they, continued their weekly scheduled outdoor activities as long as they could which really provide a point for community engagement. 

This includes a weekly run, hike or cycle which is coordinated so that people with a similar pace are grouped together.  This provides support and encouragement to stretch and grow in a comfortable and safe environment.

This also provided an outlet for people to connect with others safely (outdoors) during most of the pandemic, for the portion of time where even outdoor contact was not considered safe the BaseCamp 31 people arranged those events virtually connecting people doing the activity at the same time.

In early October 2021 I ran in the Main Street Half Marathon before I knew anything about BaseCamp31 other than a mention that the race was sponsored by that organization.

I had run a virtual half marathon last year and this was my first in person half marathon.  At the beginning of the race the announcer said something like “You signed up for this…..”  I thought to myself that I certainly did.

Everyone at the race was very encouraging and although I was at the end I felt like I was at the beginning of the race at each of the water stations with the encouragement and cheers that were given. One of the water stations had people dressed as bananas handing out water and Gatorade.  There was a private citizen handing out donuts.

I was welcomed in to the finish line by the race director giving out high 5’s and of course my family were greeting me as well.  A woman placed a medal around my neck and congratulated me.

The BaseCamp 31 community is an inclusive group of people that support each other by caring for each other and looking to improve the lives or situation of those around you.  One might join an event sponsored by the Community Service Group – a clean-up event or a food drive and hear about the group activities of the Athletic Group. 

An example of proactive community involvement was when the vaccines came and organized a group of people to assist seniors who did not have ability to go online to make appointments to do that for them.  They were able to schedule over 1,000 people for vaccines who would have struggled on their own.

The runners donate used sneakers and the organization has donated them to developing  nations where they can set up a little micro business with those sneakers.  They have even donated sneakers to the HS Track Team, as some students do not have the resources to get new equipment.

There are many experienced runners in the running group and at the recent half marathon it is hard to find them because everyone tries to help and encourage others so you would not be able to tell them apart from everyone else. 

BaseCamp 31 provides a scholarship to a local student population through the dues that they collect.

They have a pot luck dinner the day after Thanksgiving called “Friendsgiving”

In April they had a park clean up event – Between 30 and 40 people showed up, they divided the group into two teams and set out a little competition – which team would pick up the most debris?  They set out with garbage bags and gloves and after about two hours had picked up about 600 pounds of trash. They had drivers collecting the filled bags, showing the complete organization of events this community provides.

For a modest annual fee you can become a member of this wonderful group, they have a goal to be self-sufficient and may need to revamp the cost structure.  They will always make sure nobody is prevented from joining due to financial constraints.

I met with Michelle LeGrand the Executive Director over the phone and she gave me the background to base this article on.  I also reviewed their website and experienced one of their events, which I hope to participate in more of them in the future.

If you are looking to become more active or try a new activity this group can provide you a comfortable place to try that out, you will find yourself succeeding maybe in a small way at first but you will be amazed how good you will feel with that accomplishment.