The Kyle Pease Foundation: The Best is Yet to Come

Hello KPeasey Nation,

We all enjoy the start of a New Year and the turn of the calendar page because it symbolically allows us to leave the negative in the year behind us. We are able to start fresh, begin anew and wipe clean the slate of anything and everything we choose to forget. 

But what happens when 2016 was so incredible that we want it to continue? The ride has been so wonderful that we never want it to end? The strides we've made and the things we've accomplished are so huge that we want to go on and on and on? 

Well, fear not. As much as we enjoyed 2016, there is not a doubt that 2017 will exceed it in every way. The year 2016 was merely a building block in the incredible organization we continue to build. The year 2016 was a phenomenal year that included a total of 53 athletes participating for KPF with 31 of them being brand new to the foundation. We hope to exceed such growth in the year ahead and are confident that this will happen. 

We have a full docket of races in the year ahead beginning in on February 11 in Augusta with "Dr Seuss is on the Loose 5k" and continuing in  March with The Charles Harris, which was my very first race in 2011 and in some ways was the catalyst for what we have become today.

Charles Harris will be followed by Publix, which will be bigger and even better than in past years with more KPF runners and more volunteers. 

Be sure to look at our website for latest races and updates throughout the year. And start looking for our blog on the website as we begin to phase out this in 2017. You will find new and exciting blog topics related to the foundation, including several guest blogs through out the year. 

As always we are so grateful for our sponsors, our many volunteers and especially for our athletes and their families.

As we move forward we promise to never forget you 2016, but look forward to seeing what your younger brother has in store. 

Together We Wheel, Kyle

KPF On The Rise During Busy Fall

Hello Kpeasey friends...On behalf of Brent and me, we would like to wish you all a very happy holiday season. 

The Kyle Pease Foundation has had a tremendous year due to the efforts of all of our fans, donors, sponsors and supporters. 

This past fall has been one for the ages culminating with our 7th Annual Bowling with Kpeasey event. The fun-filled fundraiser was a rolling success with most of our athletes in attendance. The event included laughter in abundance as well as selling the Kpeasey swag, the launch of Justin Knight's new book, A Knight in Shining Armor, great food and some awesome raffles and give-aways. Overall the event was a rousing success. 

One of the highlights of the event included the announcement of The Jake Vinson Family Grant. This was a special one as we awarded two recipients of the grant. Sherry Adams and her family received a grant to help facilitate the construction of a  handicapped bathroom to allow Sherry to gain more independence. Noah and Naomi Williams also received a grant to put towards a new van to get Noah to all of his activities. There wasn't a dry eye in the place. We were thrilled to once again have The Vinson family in attendance to announce and congratulate the winners. The memory of Jake will always be a part of who we are and what we stand for. 

Thank you to all who came out to Stars and Strikes to participate and volunteer for the event. 

And now a few words from Brent: Bowling with KPeasey actually started in 2009 before The Kyle Pease Foundation was actually born.  Kyle, with the help of some of his friends and aides, set up a bowling event.  That first event benefited Reaching for the Stars, an organization supporting individuals with Cerebral Palsy.  Kyle ran and organized the event on his own and helped to raise a little more than $3000 dollars.  

When the foundation was formed in 2011 we elected to continue with an inclusive event, bowling, that was the original vision of our founder.  Today we raise nearly $25,000 annually at bowling, which allows us to support our local 5K/10K races for ALL our athletes!  The joy we gain from helping disabled individuals find joy in endurance sports is a true joy and we look forward to continuing to share our mission.  Thank you all for allowing us to serve and for helping us grow year in and year out!  Together We Wheel

We did do just a bit of racing this season including a visit to NY and the New York City Marathon. Brent and I, along with with Ricardo Aranda and Matt Sour visited the Big Apple and had a blast during our redemption tour. Ricardo soaked up every famous NYC landmark that the city had to offer including Times Square, and the world renowned Katz's Deli. It was great to see Ricardo so excited even before the race. His enthusiasm was contagious. 

The race was equally amazing. It was surreal as Brent pointed out the spot along the course where our wheel exploded last year. This year, no such mishap as we blazed through the streets of the city in record time. We also were able to talk about the organization during an interview with USA Today and on our local station 11 Alive Atlanta. See more images on our facebook photo album.

The week before we were in the Nation's capitol for the Marine Corps Marathon. It is incredible to roll through the streets of DC with all those historic monuments and landmarks as a back drop. The MCM had many of our teams participating at their highest level and it was a true honor to celebrate it with the Abilities Experience. Nine KPF teams participated and had an incredible experience. What I love most about the event is the fact that it brings all of us together as a KPF family. Laughing, competing and just hanging out creates an unforgettable experience. 

The foundation would not be possible without our athletes, sponsors, supporters, board members. Once again, we thank you for making 2016 one to remember and we look forward to what 2017 has in store. Stay tuned for updated race info coming up on our website very soon.

Until then....remember that Where There's a Wheel, There's a Way!

KPeasey Says Good Bye To Publix and Hello to a Busy Fall Calendar

Hey guys, 

We hope everyone is having a good end to their summer. This is always a fun time for the Kyle Pease Foundation, as the fall is one our busiest times of the year. But, before I dive into the upcoming happenings surrounding the foundation, I want to start on a personal note. 

A few weeks ago, I decided to step away from Publix, so that I could help the foundation grow, while continuing my work at Piedmont Hospital. Publix will always hold a very special place in my heart, because it was the first job that I held. They gave me a platform as I was welcomed into the work force and got to know and serve some very special customers. 

The Peachtree Battle Publix was more than a place to go to work. It

was a community. It was family. In a way, the Kyle Pease Foundation is just like that. It embodies many of these same qualities. So, thank you, Publix for letting me be a part of your family for 14 years. You have helped me grow in more ways than I can express, and I will forever be grateful for that experience. 

Our teams are ready for the Marine Corps Marathon. They have completed two warm up races in the past two weeks. It is not too late to donate. If you would like to make a donation,

click here

. Our very own Justin Knight is getting ready to tackle Augusta, as well as, three teams that are competing in the Savannah Rock and Roll Marathon. Finally, Brent and I will be competing in the New York City Marathon.

A couple key dates to remember:

Camp Wheel Away: 

October 9-11

 at Camp Twin Lakes

Bowling with KPeasey on 

November 13th

We just want to thank everyone for their continued support of KPF. We are grateful for each and every one of you. And don't forget, together we wheel!

Kyle

KPF Athlete Ryan Whitley Experiences His Aha Moment at John Tanner Tri

Hello Kpeasey Nation,

As we get ready to run into our busiest season of the year, we can't help but look back at some of our incredible summer events. We kicked off the summer with the Virginia Highlands Summerfest in June, followed by the iconic Peachtree Road Race. At Peachtree our involvement grew by leaps and bounds and was only exceeded by our The Lekotek 4-miler, which became our largest team event race ever. 

One would think that that would be the pinnacle, but it just keeps on getting better at 

our favorite local triathlon The John Tanner Tri the Parks Triathlon. 

If I may, the whole reason why we started this foundation was to let every person have their moment, whatever that might be. Their moment to shine or experience life at it's very finest. 

This past Saturday, at the John Tanner, Ryan Whitley had his aha

moment where he realized just what it meant to be a triathlete by finishing the race on his own two feet. It was his first triathlon and after walking across the finish line surrounded by cheers and tears of joy, Ryan's smile traveled from ear to ear. This is my personal mission; for the foundation to help provide every athlete with the opportunity to smile and to enjoy their race day to the fullest. Ryan certainly filled that bill for me.

Please take a minute and relive Ryan's incredible finish line experience below. 

As we get ready for the fall events, 

which will culminate with Bowling with Kpeasey in November, we cannot wait until the Marine Corps Marathon in the Nation's capital in October. They don't call it the People's Marathon for nothing. The MCM will challenge our athletes, but will give them a purpose and  personal achievement that no one can take ever away from them. 

If you are interested in making a donation to support one of our Marine Corps Marathon team pages please visit,

our website support page

 and select the KPF team of your choice. 

We are so excited about being a co-sponsors to Golf with Jake as Jake Vinson and his family will always have a special place in our hearts. 

Speaking of this special family, it's not too late to sign up for the Jake Vinson Family Grant. The deadline is 9/15. 

Applications are on our website. 

Camp Wheel a Way which is always a fun time is approaching on October 9-11. Do not miss out on this incredible weekend. For more information visit our website as well. 

Thanks always for all the support. W

e can't wait to kick off the fall and for all of the Kpeasey family to have a great time. Until then, 

Together We Wheel...Kyle

And the Winner of the Inaugural Assisted Division of the Peachtree Road Race is...INCLUSION!

Ricardo and Matt win the Inaugural Assisted Division Peachtree Road Race.

PHOTO BY JORDAN D. HILL/JORDAN.HILL@AJC.COM

Hello K Peasey Nation...If you think the weather has been hot during the month of July, the Foundation schedule has been scalding. 

KPF started off the month on America's birthday with Atlanta's iconic race, The Peachtree Road Race, the largest 10k in the entire country with 

over 60,000 participants. That's a lot of athletes!

Peachtree even has a wheel chair division which was made up of 62 athletes this year. B

rent and I have been working very hard along with the Atlanta Track Club and The Shepherd Center to create the first assisted division in the race's long and historic history. 

The inaugural assisted division was made up of five teams with the winners being Ricardo Aranda and Matt Shechtman who finished in a blistering time of just over 38 minutes. 

In an article published by the Atlanta Journal Constitution, 

Matt thanked Ricardo for his reassurance as "Schectman’s endurance weakened over time".

“Ricardo is an amazing lead and he keeps pushing me the whole way. He talked me off the ledge and kept me going. He’s an awesome puller.”

He continued, “The Peachtree is all about inclusion,” Schectman said. “Sixty thousand different people out here with 60,000 stories.”

It was a very historic Fourth of July with fire works all through the day and a perfect day to celebrate both independence and inclusion. What a perfect pair as in many ways the two travel hand in hand. 

Two days after Peachtree, Brent and I packed our suitcases and hit the road in the KPF RV with a final destination of Muncie, IN for the Muncie 

70.3 1/2 Ironman.

It was great to see some familiar faces on the course each of which inspired us to a personal best of 33 minutes for the 1.2 mile swim. We followed that up with a g

reat bike portion of 3:56 for the 56 miles ride and followed that up with 

a very solid 1/2 marathon for a personal record of 6:28:00.  

We can't thank KPF athletes Tina and Naomi Hicks enough as they made their way to IN to support us. 

Brent is participating in his own full Ironman race this weekend in Sonoma Valley, CA at Vineman. We will be rooting him on and encourage him to spend more time on the course than in the vineyards. 

We are getting ready for a very busy schedule with the Lekotek Fun Run on August 13, a local triathlon on August 27 and then the People's Marathon aka the Marine Corp Marathon on October 30th in the Nation's capitol just a few days before the presidential election.  

Don't forget to check out our site for information about Bowling with Kpeasey, The Jake Vinson Family Grant and of course, Camp Wheel a Way!

As always, Together We Wheel!