Best Moments of the Bellin 2019

The Bellin is one of the largest 10k races in the United States and certainly the most fun course I've ever run from the atmosphere standpoint. There are literally people lining the streets nearly the entire way, kids and families spraying you down with sprinklers and squirt guns, people setting up their own aid stations (occasionally with alcohol because Wisconsinites sometimes live up to their reputation) and music lining the course.

The Bellin holds a special place for me because it was the event that got me to start running, purely by accident and the desire for a challenge. I've had the chance to meet and run along side Olympic medalists and running legends. Two years ago, we met Teddy's amazing running buddy for the first time and ran the Bellin together with myTEAM Triumph (MTT). I'm not sure that anything will top that Bellin run, but you never know unless you're open to the possibility of awesomeness.

We ran the Bellin a few days ago with MTT. It was a gorgeous, albeit warm, morning with a record-setting number of MTT captains participating in the race. Teddy was antsy during the pre-race time as he wanted to spend his time playing inside the giant trucks instead of waiting patiently. Not a surprise, right, for a little boy?

Teddy loves the trucks. He was showing me the other truck.

Sometimes Teddy is raring to run, and he certainly was asking us to push him and get started. He kept putting our hands on his chair to ask us to run with him instead of all the waiting before the race. Once the race started, though, he was pretty chill and relaxed. I think he likes the vibrations of the chair, so he rests his head against the side of the chair. He danced a bit to the music with his feet, rang his cowbell a few times and loved the sprinklers and the cup of ice.

His angels were two lovely ladies from the Michigan chapter of MTT who were wrapping up the national MTT conference. They were experienced runners and angels who made sure Teddy had a great time and that everyone knew Captain Teddy was rocking the road. They offered to help Teddy and I run together if we ever wanted to do a race in their part of Michigan, which was sweet. They also sent me the picture of these guys in green who wanted to get their picture taken with the superstar that is Captain Teddy. (OK, we asked to get our picture taken with the Green Bay Packers players.)

Captain Teddy with his angels and the Green Bay Packers.

My favorite part of the day, though, was meeting Captain Nate and his dad who was his angel who pushed him solo for the race. This was Nate's first race, and he was a sweet boy who was about 5 years older than Teddy. His dad and I talked a bit before the race about an adapted wheel that allows him to run with Nate in his regular wheelchair and get out onto trails to explore. After the race, we happened to sit by Nate to eat our recovery banana and cookie. Nate instantly connected with Teddy, talking to him with gestures as well as words. When we went to leave, we asked Teddy to give Nate a high five, but Nate opened his arms for a big hug. Then he proceeded to tickle Teddy's feet to make Teddy giggle because he had just watched Dave do that. He was such a sweet kid, and what his dad said about the experience is why MTT is an amazing organization for our community.

I asked how the race was, and his dad said it was absolutely incredible to have all the crowd support. He said that people were cheering for Nate by name, which happens because the captains have their names on their chairs. Then he said, "They were all cheering for him, instead of staring at him."

That is acceptance and inclusion. That is what MTT is about more than any sporting event or achievement. It's helping people see beyond the chair to the person inside. #runlikeangels #mttambassador