The Reveal II: Mission Miami to Key West!!

As I mentioned recently, I have several exciting things going on and I am ready to share just one of them with you today! It has been taking me some time to gather all the thoughts and emotions surrounding some of these things and get it down on "paper" (blog).

When I finally reached my goal weight and fell in love with running for the sake of running, I started making goals and lists of things that I wanted to do. One of those things on "the list" is to do a Ragnar Relay-

The past 6 months of my life have been filled with so many amazing opportunities and I am yet again, blown away by the adventure that I have been invited to participate in next:

Ragnar Relay Key West.

But, this is not any ordinary Ragnar Relay...no way.

(To quote Runner 12 aka John)

I will be part of a team of strangers, brought together by two people with a simple idea.

What if we put together a team of people that have all been very heavy, lost that weight in a healthy way, and now want to run a 200 mile relay race to promote good health and physical fitness?


This will be done with 11 other outstanding individuals who have changed their lives for the better by overcoming their own battles to win the war against FAT!! Our common bond? We have all lost a staggering amount of weight and become fit, healthy, happy people!

Not only will I get to share this experience with others who know firsthand what it is like to go from fat to fit, this will also be a very personal run for me as well. I have spent a lot of time in Florida over the years and to run from Miami to Key West (a drive I have done many times) and with a new set of HEALTHY eyes with be cathartic and a celebration of all I have overcome to get HERE!!

...and it gets better...

Our entire journey is being turned into a documentary film to chronicle our adventure! Our background, our coming together and the run from Miami to Key West.


Running. Florida. Film crews. 
Hmmm, kind like Road Rules meets The Real World meets The Biggest Loser Finale?

I am really over the moon about this and I cannot wait to meet my new Ragnar cRazies!  We had our first team meeting via conference call recently and it was great to hear everyone's voices and learn just a bit of their own success story.

I owe a huge thank you to my blog buddy, Jen at From Fat to Finish Line. Jen is the Jersey-tastic Jenious (genius and yes, that is a word now- Jen's Unite!!) behind the documentary and the driving force who got me involved in this project to being with! Jen is a weight loss success story, runnerd and all around awesome gal!

Any fans of the show The Biggest Loser out there?
Ada Wong, finalist from Season 10 will be a part of this exciting adventure. Ada is currently training for Ironman Coeur d'Alene!! (alert Katie, Sonja and the rest of my CdA friends please)

Rik (our fearless team captain) has lost a staggering amount of weight and working his way to running a marathon in every state. He is a brave man for heading up this crew of crazies! With experience as a Ragnar Captain, he is already guiding this ship in the right direction. Thank you Rik for everything you are doing to make this project a huge success!

Katie at Runs for Cookies. You must check this gal out. Cute as a button, sassy and I just love her energy. She's famous and hangs out with Dr. Oz...really. Her story is just awesome too.

John (aka Runner 12-I mentioned him above) I already love this guy and cannot wait to hang with him. He lives in San Diego and I have already invited myself to go live visit him for an undisclosed amount of time. yah, that's how I roll. John is also a Ragnar Veteran and the success story Manager for SparkPeople.

Mary at a small loss--but there is nothing small about what this gal has achieved! Mary has accomplished so much so far and is on her way to reaching her list of goals!! DETERMINATION has helped her shed 155lbs. Amazing.

Linda from 'Frickin Fabulous at 40' this gal is frikin' hilarious, we will be in the same van and I'm pretty stoked about that too. We'll have a little New York attitude with us :)

Allison (no blog) has spent most of her adult life battling obesity and now she is winning. Allison is halfway to her goal of losing 100lbs and with her fierce determination, there is no doubt she will get there!

Andrea-Another famous face who is friends with Oprah. really. This gals successful150lb weight loss story is so inspiring, it earned her a spot on Oprah's final weight loss show!

Lealah from 'Lealah on a Mission' was facing the prospect of weight loss surgery to get her health under control but she found the strength to do it all own her own without surgical intervention and has shed over 130lbs to date!

Meredith was hand picked to join the team via contest on Katie's blog. Having lost over 100lbs to date and gaining a love of running makes Meredith the perfect final addition to this team!

Now the fun begins-all the planning and of course, a name for our team!!
I'll keep you all posted :)
But feel free to follow along on Twitter with the Team's Official Twitter page to find out what's going on!