Pease Brothers are Headed to KONA!

Prior to today, my timeline of life has been dotted with some pretty unforgettable moments. If I had to tally them into a top ten I believe that the list would contain my graduation from high school, the weddings of my brothers, and my entry into college.

Prior to today, I am sure that my list would include the crossing of many finish lines, the beginning of our foundation only a few short years ago and the many smiles we've witnessed on the faces of athletes, family and friends as those KPF athletes compete in and succeed in another race.

Prior to today, among my greatest life experiences have been breaking the barrier in the Peachtree Roadrace and of course breaking the tape at Ironman Wisconsi and Ironman Flori nd earing the announcer bellow, "Brent Pease. Kyle Pease. You are an Ironman".

But then today came. And as wonderful as each of those life affecting moments were, they have become temporarily dwarfed by the magnitude of today.

You see today, just moments ago, Brent and I crossed the finish line together at Ironman 70.3 in Raleigh, NC. And that word TOGETHER needs to be capitalized. In official from Ironman approached as shortly after we crossed the finish line and said  "Brent and Kyle . We are proud to announce that you have been selected to compete in the Ironman World Championship this October in KONA, Hawaii."

Together we trembled as we heard the absolutely urreal words leave his lips. Together we were sure that we were dreaming. Together we cried as we heard his powerful words. Together we are still battling to catch our collective breath as we share this incredible news with you. Together.

This is  a dream come true. Who would have ever imagined that a man who has never taken a step under his own power would be blessed with the opportunity to compete with the world's greatest athletes in the Super Bowl of Ironman at KONA Hawaii?  The only thing more incredible than this is that I'll be able to experience it with my best friend, my brother, my arms and legs, Brent.

KONA will undoubtedly test our mental and physical abilities, but to be out there for 140.6 miles on the famous lava fields of Hawaii with the greatest athletes in the world is the biggest honor and Brent and I simply can't wait to tackle it.

Several years ago we didn't even have a running chair and now we get to compete among the best. This points to the pinnacle of achievement and the reward for all of our hard work. And yet, this is when all of our hard work begins. I can promise our friends and fans, our family and our foundation that we will work harder than ever to make the best out of this opportunity.

KONA does not back down and neither can we! We hope you will join us on this incredible journey we are about to embark. These words have never sounded more incredible, "TOGETHER WE WHEEL"
~ Kyle Pease

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

KONA is a lifetime of looking over the fence and seeing Kyle just waiting and watching as everyone else played on. 

KONA is a village of volunteers along for every step of the journey to help us get here. 

Kyle is a hero to many, but to me he is just my brother. The brother who grew up sharing in it all, the good and the bad.  

Come October we get to share one of the greatest challenges yet and Kyle won't be watching this time. He will be carrying me down to the beach, through the swim and out into the lava fields to pedal with me all up and down the Queen K. Then, hopefully, together we will run till we reach the finisher's chute, where we will hear our name called out as Ironman {men}.  

I am in awe that we will have this opportunity and cannot wait to share it with my brother. This is the culmination of our dreams. Together. 

~ Brent Pease

Inclusion Looks The Same but it Sure Sounds Different in DE

Hello Kpeasey Nation-

It is beyond our wildest imagination seeing our little flower continue to take root and blossom. As we see the foundation continue to grow, Brent and I took a little jaunt north to Delaware for a little Bowling with Kpeasey Northern style. The rules are still the same with the goal being to knock down ten pins with two rolls and to spread inclusion far and wide, but those northerners sure do talk funny. As long as they continue to use words like inclusion, kindness, together we wheel and as long as their efforts are met with ear to ear smiles, we will get used to the amusing way those Delawareans speak. 

We brought Tina and Naomi Hicks along with us and we got to see good friends Preston and Deb Buenaga of Preston's March for Energy and participated in our second Fusion Inclusion 5K. It is an example of inclusion at it's finest with dozens of athletes enjoying two laps around Christiana Mall. 

Besides seeing the family who put on the bowling found raiser is was good to spread the message of inclusion that we continue to spread everywhere we go. It is exciting to see the little islands of KPF begin to spread in Atlanta, Delaware and Utah. Fusion Inclusion and Preston's March were gracious hosts as they always are.

In between our trip and recruiting new athletes, Brent and I have been going to different groups  around the Atlanta area to recruit so that KPF can continue to grow and evolve. As we turn the corner into the summer months we are gearing up for the largest 10K in America, the Peachtree Road Race. This year we have have our largest group of participants with ten teams. The teams include Sherry Adams and Brandon Clift, Naomi Hicks and Carrie Smith, Justin Knight and Chris Nasser, Ricardo Aranda and Matt Shechtman, Curtis Ward and Yvonne Leeb, Lizzie Kriskey and Rebecca Carpenter, Katy Freeseman and Krystle Andrews, Bentley Grace Hicks and Fred Soller, Kyleigh Kramlich and Scott Stafford and lastly yours truly with Brent Pease. We are stoked!

We have many events leading up to the Peachtree including our summer gala; a celebration of the Peachtree athletes as well as our summer fundraiser event. I personally am super excited about this because the location is where I did therapeutic horse back riding as a kid. It brings back great memories and it allows me to witness the growth of the Chastian Horse Park which had such an incredible impact on my childhood. The event is being held on June 16.

As this weeks blog comes to a close I encourage all to sign up for the Jake Vinson Family Grant and to look at our website for updated events and latest happenings around the Foundation. 

My Name Is ________________ and I Race with the Kyle Pease Foundation

What's up KPeasey Nation?  Well, we are gearing up for some huge events over the next several months but that doesn't mean we have come down from the emotional and physical high from our amazing race at the Publix Race. I keep replaying the numbers in my head and I'm beginning to feel a bit like John Nash in the movie A Beautiful Mind. Fifty-eight teams of athletes, over two-hundred volunteers, thousands of smiles and thousands of live positively impacted. That's an equation that makes me extremely proud. 
 
Watch and enjoy our video from the Publix Race and I think you'll know what I'm talking about.

Since then we have done several local 5K around the Atlanta community and we are gearing up to travel to Delaware to run the 2nd Annual Fusion Inclusion 5K at Christiana Mall on April 29th. We are excited to see our Delaware friends and family helping to raise awareness and raise funds for the Kyle Pease Foundation. 

As many of you may be aware, our family up in DE started their own version of Bowling with Kpeasey, our fun and exciting fundraising event held every year in November. This year, the Delaware version of the same will be held on April 27 and Brent and I are excited to be in attendance. We are excited to "knock a few down" with Paul, Abbey and the rest of the Delaware contingent.

Brent and I are gearing up for Ironman 70.3 in Raleigh NC to be held on June 3. This will be our first half Ironman event of the season and we are excited to shake off the rust and spend seven or eight quality hours of competition and bonding together.  

Speaking of bonding - this past weekend was the 4th annual Camp Wheel Away where we partnered with Camp Twin Lakes to enjoy a weekend filled with a wide array of inclusive activities. Among my many favorite events that we participate in, CWA is one of my highlights.  This was our largest group of campers to date with 17. It was a great turn out and people really loved the activities. Among my favorite moments was a new activity where campers played with slime. Messy but so much fun.  Another highlight was hearing Ricardo Aranda speaking about what KPF has done to enhance his life. It formed a lump in my throat that still hasn't gone away. 

We are getting ready for the Peach Tree Road Race on July 4 which is of course the largest 10K in the country. We will be stepping to the starting line with our largest group of participants to date. It is exciting to experience the growth and realize the acceptance.

Don't forget to look for our big summer gala and fundraising event at Chastain Horse Park in Atlanta. This was the therapeutic horse park where I first experienced therapeutic riding several years ago. This is sure to be the event of the year (and I got that right from the horses mouth).

Finally, we are taking applications for the Jake Vinson Family Grant. Please visit our website to get information and to apply for this year's award. 

Until next time, watch the video above and post on Facebook - My Name Is ________________ and I Race with the Kyle Pease Foundation. 

The Kyle Pease Foundation Cans Some Memories at Publix

Well if memories could be canned, those we experienced during the Publix Half Marathon would have no expiration date. What an absolutely incredible weekend it was. I cannot thank enough all those responsible for making the biggest event in our history a reality.

We all have good days and bad days. We all have days where we experience growth and other days where we face challenges. As a foundation, we need to take the Publix half marathon and put it into our back pocket to pull out at any time we need to expunge a bad day and replace it with incredible.

It will be a day that Brent and I will never forget. I’m confident it becomes a can of memories that will never expire.

From Friday night to the completion of the race on Sunday night, we were so busy. From getting chairs ready and to the starting area to making sure that everyone was comfortable and ready to roll, the entire behind the scenes operation, required a lot of attention to detail and great combined effort.

The banquet, which was held on Saturday night at the Hyatt Regency in Atlanta was standing room only. The food was incredible and there was not a dry eye in the place. Everyone spoke from the heart and our race director, Helen Gardner, received a well-deserved standing ovation, while Brent and I exchanged mutual admiration for each other with standing O’s of our own.

It was the first banquet of this type with over three hundred in attendance and was the perfect acknowledgment of the fruits of our labor and a fitting thank you for all the hard work everyone put in.

All 58 athletes completed the race in flying colors and the KPF athletes had their own coral at the start of the race. This doesn’t usually occur, but was an example showing how we have truly arrived and been accepted as a key part of this historic race. It was simply inclusion at its best.

Our rally corner, located at mile 6.5 was standing room only and we could hear cheers of encouragement for miles as we were making our way around the corner.

Everyone who participated was honored to be a part of it. The foundation embodies what inclusion is all about and being accepted in such grand fashion was enough to make my heart beat right out of my chest. I have a goal of 90 athletes for next year’s race and feel that it is well within our reach.

Brent and I would like to take the opportunity to thank all of the sponsors and volunteers. Without you none of this would be happening. We’d also like to offer special thanks to the Atlanta Track Club to Helen Gardner, Danny Grabel, Ian Evans, Mike Ragan and Curtis Henry. Our since gratitude also goes out to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Champion Place, and the Titan Wheelchair Sports Program, all of who continue to make inclusion a reality in the greater Atlanta area.

And now a few inspiring words from my brother Brent: 

You have heard us boast of 58 wheelchair athletes, of triumphant finishes but none of that would be possible without the great partnership with the Titans Community Foundation & Rick Thompson.  They are doing amazing work and we were honored they asked to join us this year.  It allowed us to create awareness towards inclusion in a way we have never done before.

This race has turned into a massive undertaking for us.  We had 300 in attendance at dinner, 224 volunteers, 101 hotel rooms, 58 amazing athletes and 1 fantastic cause!  When I took my turn on the microphone I was overwhelmed at the site.  When this all started I don't think any of us realized the impact that Kpeasey could have, not just on those we serve, but on those around our organization.  Thank you to each of you for allowing us the opportunity to serve and for helping create the opportunity for inclusion.

The finishing photos are amazing and you can see more by clicking here: photos 

Camp-Wheel-Away is coming early this year during the weekend of April 6th. We are looking for campers to participate in this incredible weekend experience. Please reach out to Brent if you are interested in attending.

We are also currently accepting applications for the Jake Vinson Family Grant which will be awarded to a deserving recipient at our bowling event in November.

Our next official race will be the Peachtree Road Race on July 4th, the largest 10K in the world.

Gearing up for Publix with KPF

Wouldn't be a Kyle Pease blog post if I didn't start it off with a top of my lungs shout of "Hello,  K-Peasey Nation!!!

We are gearing up for an absolutely ground breaking event and I can hardly catch my breath because I'm so excited to share the good news. When I started the foundation in 2011, I had lofty goals, but honestly, I never dreamed it would grow to this size. I have spent all of my life dreaming big, but in doing so I also believe in keeping my expectations somewhat real. 

Well, to be perfectly truthful, I never imagined that we would see the day that is soon to come upon us. The Kyle Pease Foundation will have 58 athletes rolling up to the starting line at this year's Publix Half Marathon to be held on Sunday March 18. With over 200 volunteers a virtual sea of Kpeasey blue will be soon throughout the streets of Atlanta. 

We have dreamed of this moment forever and have to pinch ourselves at the realization of this huge accomplishment. There will be countless events leading up to the race including a team dinner to be held with over 300 people in attendance. I'm overwhelmed and just can't wait to experience this momentous event with Brent and all the incredible athletes, volunteers and sponsors who make this all possible. . 

This past weekend we had first race of the year, The Hearts and Soles 5k. It's always nice to dust off the cob webs and embrace a new racing season. This first race had some added significance in that we were gearing up for the qualification for the Peachtree Roadrace.

This year in partnership with the Atlanta Track Club (ATC), we had to qualify for the world's largest 10k. We are super excited to be part of this ground breaking opportunity. Brent and I blazed the trail in 2013 as the first duo team to ever participate in this prestigious event. Now along with ATC. we have seen it grow to nine teams. Congratulations to the Walking with KPeasey AJC Peachtree Road Race qualifiers: Men: Kyle Pease, Justin Knight , Ricardo Aranda.
Women: Naomi Hicks, Katy Freeseman , Lizzie Kirskey. Mixed: Sherry Adams, Bently Grace, Kyliegh Kramlich. #TogetherWeWheel. This is a true life example of being the planters of a single seed, and like farmers nurturing, watering and continuing to work the soil, until our efforts germinate and grow into a precious flower. A virtual garden of inclusion. Thank you to the Peachtree, ATC and all responsible for supporting our message so strongly. 

 Stay tuned for more updates and news as we unveil some new programs and rejuvenate several existing programs as well. We are excited about what 2018 has in store and ready to gear up for everything that comes our way.