We completed a marathon!!!!

On November 1st Abby & I participated in the Rails to Trails Marathon in Norwalk, WI (near Tomah). Admittedly, we did not properly train for the event following our May half-marathon and the injuries incurred at that time. So we did end up walking a good portion of the 26.2 miles but we completed it as promised ;) I had a time of 6 hours 46 minutes and Abby completed it in 6 hours 4 minutes.

The route itself was very beautiful and seeing the "real" runners in action was incredible. I started the trek an hour early since I had registered as a walker and the runners passed me at mile 6...completing in 30 minutes what had taken me an hour-and-a-half! The route was an "out & back" format, so these same speedy runners were passing me on the return at the 11 mile mark - man were they fast. The first place finisher completed it in 2 hours and 55 minutes (note that's less than half the time it took me). Wow!

The route also featured a 3/4 mile tunnel that was only lit by glow sticks & some camping lanterns...that was challenging & I was walking-no way I coulda run full-speed in the dark.

As you can see by the third picture, we did end up with some ailments. I counted 13 blisters on my feet/toes and the photo is of my left, big toe which is now black and the nail will be falling off :( Marathons are not good for the body! At least not this old, out-of-shape body :) On the positive side, I did not have any pain with my previously bruised/fractured leg.

Additionally, we made it more of a family event with other family members completing the Rails to Trails 5k (3.21 miles). Thanks to Cindy Cheney (Our Mom) and my children, Mariah & Katrina Strese and Carmen & Shane Crandall for being there to cheer us on.

Thank you to all of you who have supported us throughout the year with moral & monetary support!!!! We are currently awaiting responses from the Family Readiness Groups to see what events/activities they would like our raised funds to sponsor. As soon as we receive word from them we will share with you how your generous donations are being specifically used and hopefully the FRGs will be able to share photos with us. There are security restrictions so we can't guarantee we will be able to get these but we will definitely try.

God Bless you and your families during the upcoming holiday season and please remember to pray for all the soldiers & their families that will not be able to enjoy each others company during the holidays!

Love,

Kelly & Abby

We did it!!!!

We made our goal of raising $3,200.00 for the Red Arrow Brigade Soldiers!! Thank you so much to Cathy M., Harv & Elaine W, & Esther M. - all of whom noticed we were just shy of our goal and sent donations to give us that little boost we needed. Special thanks to everyone who has so generously donated to this great cause! You all ROCK!

Here's is a long overdue update of what is going on with Running for Red Arrows. First, I (Kelly) had an MRI & it turned out that I did not have a stress fracture but rather a couple of bone bruises. Honestly I'm not sure that diagnosis has been any more promising than a fracture as the bruises have been VERY slow to heal. I did get some custom orthotics-who would have known at 34 I would be an orthotic wearer-but these have made all the difference in my recovery. I have not been able to train for the past two months but will be starting again on Monday so please keep your fingers crossed that my leg will cooperate with my plan.

Since our last post, Abby has gotten a new job (in addition to her 2 part-time jobs). So between that and not having any training competition, she has not done much training either.

Additionally, our brother Casey is currently home on an R&R leave! We couldn't be happier to see him ;) He is so impressed with all the support that you have shown for him & the other soldiers and sends his thanks out to you all.

So as you may have guessed, there is no way that we will be prepared to run in the August 8th Paavo Nurmi Marathon. We are going to start our training back at square one due to our two month hiatus and we will be running the Rails to Trails Marathon in Sparta on November 1st.

Thank you all once again for your continued support as we continue on our marathon journey. We promise that you will see those training meters moving and more regular posts. Blessings to all!!

Pancake Breakfast Results - Wow! What Generosity!!!

Wow! Thanks to the help of so many wonderful friends & family, along with generous business sponsors and great guests including many of the Hot Rod Power Participants, our pancake breakfast fundraiser was a great success! We estimate that we served about 425 folks.We raised $1,964.38 to be donated to the local Family Readiness Groups!!! Over $600 of that were flat out donations in our donation jar!!! We are still overwhelmed by the generosity of everyone who attended. Plus, we got another mile sponsored - thank you Dede!

We would like to especially take a moment to thank all our fabulous volunteers who came out late Saturday night to help us set-up, got up early to start the day on Sunday, and worked like mad all day long to cook, serve, clean-up, etc. There is no way we could have done this without you! So thank you to Ali H., Allie G., Annette, Anita, Austin, Brittany, Candy, Chris, Cindy, Colleen, Dan, Dave, Dede, Faith, Gary, Gene, Josh, Julia, Katie, Katrina, Kyle, Laura F., Laura G., Linda, Mariah, Rob F., Rob G., Roger, Taylor, Tom C., Tom F., Tom S., and Tristan. Super special thanks to Chris & Rob G. who not only volunteered, but who have also defended our freedom during previous tours of duty in Iraq. Thanks guys!!!

We had several veterans who attended and it was great to get to visit with them & hear their stories and how much they appreciated what we are doing for the troops and their families. We also were able to talk to Casey on Skype...all the way over in Iraq! Everyone enjoyed being able to see & hear from him.

Soooo, with this event & the additional mile sponsored, our total is now at: $3,182.58 - a mere $17.42 from our goal!!!

Thank you again to everyone who has helped us on our mission!

Pancake Breakfast to Benefit the Red Arrows

Please join us on Sunday, June 7th from 8am to noon for a pancake breakfast fundraiser to benefit the local 32nd Brigade Red Arrow National Guard soldiers. The event is being held in the Fort Atkinson Municipal Building Gym. The menu includes pancakes, sausage, applesauce, milk, orange juice, and coffee. Prices are $5.50 for adults, $3.50 for children ages 3 to 10, and children 2 & under are Free.

All proceeds from the breakfast will go to the Family Readiness Groups (FRGs) of the 32nd Brigade. The FRGs use these funds to send care packages to the soldiers and for support and bonding events for the soldiers’ families.

Additionally, the Hot Rod Power Tour is passing through downtown Fort Atkinson the morning of June 7th on their way from Madison to Racine. We are anticipating that many of the tour participants will be stopping for breakfast. We are also hoping that the gathering of muscle cars will be another great reason for local people to come to our event.

Thank you so much to these area businesses for contributing to the breakfast: Badger Bank, Berres Brothers Coffee of Watertown, The Blackhawk Bar & Grill, Jones Dairy Farm, Kwik Trip of Fort Atkinson, McCain Foods, Opp Inc. Print Shop, Pick N Save of Fort Atkinson, and Vos Sentry Foods.

Thanks to all the wonderful volunteers that have agreed to help us with this event too!

You may download a flyer here. Feel free to pass it along & post it wherever you think appropriate. We hope that we will see you there!

We did it!!!

The Finish Line
Kelly finishing
Abby finishing
Kelly & Abby wearing the bracelets honoring Casey.
That's right, Abby & I finished the Madison Half Marathon! 13.1 miles -what an accomplishment for two non-runners ;) We couldn't have done it without all the support from people like you, so thank you!

On race day, the traffic was backed all the way up the ramps and down the beltline so we were just getting there when the starting horn blared. We did well for the first half of the race and stayed together. We even had a beer around the 8 mile mark! Why? Well there were some very enthusiastic spectators there handing out small glasses of beer similar to those being handed out with water & gatorade at the water stations. These people were just so excited & really wanted somebody to take the beer. We figured it was the least we could do since they got up bright & early to cheer us on ;) Besides, if you remember, we are not "real" runners so we can have fun & run.

Around mile 11 we were no longer having fun. It was getting pretty hard to start running after each water station. (We walked while drinking - another lesson learned - running while drinking from an open cup does NOT work). The worst part was probably between mile 12 and 12.5, we were cramping up and slowing down. But then we could see the finish line so after one more brief walk we headed for it. Of course they would put a hill just prior to the last stretch - evil route planner people - and then the downhill side had mounds of grass growing through the cracks in the pavement...why had this not been removed? Did these people not consider the fact that maybe some of us runners would barely be able to lift our feet off the ground at this point!?!?

The homestretch was exhilarating! We gathered an extra burst of energy and crossed the finish line. Official chip times were about 2 hours & 34 minutes. Not too bad for our first time out there and considering at least 15 minutes of time waiting in line for porta-potties. The lesson...find a tree or bush. Needless to say after finishing, we were relieved to be done running but not at all feeling up for Bratfest. And then the pain set in...I sit here, two days later, typing with a bag of frozen veggies on my ankle (and it's not even the originally injured ankle). Yet another lesson learned - tape everything!

We also had some generous donations come in this week. The first was from Michele B. - thanks so much for your support! And then Tom & Kate S. sponsored TWO miles!! They took Mile #19 to commemorate their May 19th anniversary date and Mile #22, which Tom declares from his personal experience, is the last "hard" mile when running a marathon. If you would like to sponsor a mile please let us know - we still have 19 left that need sponsors ;)

Thank you all for your support both monetarily and morally!!

Please take time to remember today...

Yes, Abby & I did run the Madison Half Marathon yesterday as planned & we promise to post pictures & details tomorrow, but today we'd like to focus on Memorial Day. This is an often overlooked & understated holiday that has gotten very little recognition by people of our generation. I myself am guilty of thinking of this as a big event for the VFW's and WW II/Vietnam Vets but that it has little to do with me.

This year Memorial Day is much more personal to me. As I sat through the ceremony in Edgerton, I cried. I cried because of the guilt I felt for not having more consideration of this holiday in previous years, I cried for the mothers, fathers, daughters, sons, brothers & sisters who had lost their loved ones in the service of our great country. And I cried for those currently protecting our freedoms, including my younger brother, Casey, and all the families who are missing their soldiers today.

Please take a moment from your day to remember all the brave soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedoms. And say thanks to the veterans you may meet throughout your day. Finally, please say a prayer for all the soldiers currently protecting us and their families for the sacrifices they are making for people like ourselves...people they don't even know!

God Bless America & God Bless our Service Members Past, Present & Future!!!

Papa Murphy's Fundraiser - Great Value!!!

We are currently selling Papa Murphy's Peel-a-Deal Cards to help us reach our goal of $3,200 (one dollar for each of the Red Arrow soldiers deployed in February) These cards are just $5.00 each. You will save $22.50-$27.50 depending on what pizzas you choose to order. They are good at any Papa Murphy's & they never expire!!!

We can mail them to you if necessary at no extra cost. Send us an e-mail if you are interested to running4redarrows@yahoo.com or mail a check to:

Running 4 Red Arrows
PO Box 432
Edgerton, WI 53534

There is no limit to the number of cards you can purchase so buy lots :) Seriously, they would make great year-end gifts for teachers & bus drivers, and how about in birthday cards for those hard-to-buy-for-people, who doesn't like pizza?!?! And remember they don't expire.

If you think you can sell a number of them to your friends/co-workers please let us know and we can send you out as many as you like and you can send the funds back to us once the cards have been sold.

Special thanks to Ryan at Papa Murphy's in Fort Atkinson who also made a generous donation to our cause and hooked us up with this phenomenal fundraiser.

Thank you all again for your support!

Runners we need your help!

Good news! I am recovering & was able to run 3 miles today. Not a significant distance but just being able to run without a terrible amount of pain is a success.

As promised in the last entry, we have a way for other runners to help us in reaching our goal. You will see a pledge sheet for the Madison Half-Marathon above. If you are planning to run in this event and would be willing to collect pledges to support Running 4 Red Arrows, please print off a pledge sheet. Then just solicit sponsors for your run & collect the pledges. Mail the form & money to us by June 19th and we will take care of mailing out thank you notes to all your donors. Are you running another event? We can make a custom pledge sheet just for you and your event.

Are you not a runner but would like to help? Print off a pledge sheet and write in Kelly Crandall or Abby Freeman in the Athlete section and your info. in the Supporter section. Take the pledge sheet to work, school, meetings, etc. and gather sponsors on our behalf.

Any sponsorship you/we can get would be so helpful in reaching our goal. As you may have heard, the Red Arrows have now arrived in Kuwait and will soon be on their way to Iraq. Within the next month they will be established at their base and the Family Readiness Groups will be ready to start shipping out care packages so let's get those donations coming in!!!

Ouch!

Hi everyone! If you have been logging in to check our training logs you will see that I have no new mileage :( I tried to run the Monday after the Crazylegs & my ankle was shot! I'm guessing it was from weaving in & out of people during the race...those aren't movements I practiced during my training runs but obviously I will have to do some conditioning now that I know the hazards of race day. I haven't been able to run all week & have seen a podiatrist who has recommended lighter training & some physical therapy. I do plan to try a short run today to test out my recovering limb.

Abby, on the other hand (or should I say foot), has been logging some serious miles since her return from visiting Casey in Texas. Regardless, she is still nervous about the upcoming half-marathon and so am I - please continue to wish us luck!

We would like to thank Lisa N. for her generous donation to the Running 4 Red Arrows cause - she, along with all the others who have already donated, are the reason we have been able to achieve $758.20 in funds so far. Donations have dwindled over the past few weeks so if you have been waiting to send yours in we'd love to get that thermometer bumping up again. Perhaps you could take up a collection at work to sponsor a mile or organize a bake sale to benefit our cause, get creative - anything you can do to help will be SO appreciated by the soldiers & their families. We had hoped to get halfway to our goal by the half-marathon...that means we need to more than double our current amount. We would need $841.80 by May 24th!! That is also Memorial Day Weekend - so what a tribute to our fallen soldiers if we could achieve that.

Runners - we have a fundraising opportunity for you - details will be posted by the end of this week so keep checking back or sign-up for our feed and the latest info will be sent right to your e-mail. Thanks everyone!

Kelly Went Crazy!

Picture #1 -Kelly pre-race with arm around imaginary Abby
Picture #2 - Kelly approaching finish line at Camp Randall
Picture #3 - Wisconsin State Journal picture to give you an idea of just how "pleasant" the weather was.

Saturday was the Crazylegs Classic 8k (4.97 mi) run in Madison. I (Kelly) ran it solo since Abby (along with our dad, Rob & Casey's wife, Laura) is down in Texas visiting Casey on his final leave before going over to Iraq. It was my first official race experience & it was an adventure! I have never seen so many runners or been outside in so much rain!!

First I had to get my race packet from the Kohl Center. This had my race number and timing chip and my official Crazylegs T-shirt. Can I just tell you how intimidated I was seeing all those "real" runners! Then it was off to the Capitol Square for a lot of rain & waiting. When I signed up for the race I had no idea what my running time would be so I guessed high at 15min/mile - that put me in group "mm". Runners are placed by running time in an alphabetic fashion so "A" would be the fastest group and the slowest group was "nn". Yes, you probably noticed I was nearly at the very end of the line of 18,541 participants!

Well, group "mm" lined up on the complete opposite side of the Capitol from where the start line was so it was about 45 minutes after the race had started that my group finally got our turn to take off. During that never-ending 45 minutes it was a total downpour! About halfway thru the procession to the start line, as water was squishing between my toes with each step, I see people standing under the awning for a Chocolate Shop. It was all I could do to continue standing there in the rain, with my teeth chattering versus run right into that chocolate shop for some "comfort food" & warmth!! I was so frozen & soggy at that point that I really wanted to ditch the whole race but I knew you were all counting on me and supporting me so I held my flooded ground.

At the starting line things were better - I was still wet but not quite as cold because I was actually running! Me! Kelly Crandall - the girl who previously believed that there was never a good reason to run (unless of course being chased by a very bad person). I can't describe to you the feeling of looking at the runners ahead of me going up the hills and seeing so many people - it was exhilarating! Mile one & two came quite quickly. I found that running in this environment was so much easier than my training runs (despite the yucky weather). At mile three, I even sent a text update to my family/friends while I ran! Then it was on to the water station. What a site! Crushed cups from the runners before me covered the road - it was incredible the amount of them. At the four mile marker there was a sound system blasting the Rocky tune (you know the one where he runs up the stairs & puts his arms up). A DJ made us all do the Rocky arms on the count of three. Corny yes, but a helpful boost none-the-less.

Soon I could see Camp Randall! I sent another quick text (while running) to my mom, Cindy, who was waiting near the finish line so she could take my picture. The race ended on the 50 yard line inside the stadium, as I rounded the corner to enter the ramp of the stadium I nearly burst into tears! It was amazing - I just ran nearly 5 miles non-stop! Mind you in February I couldn't run for 10 minutes non-stop. What an accomplishment!!

My results were:

Time: 51.44 min/sec Place in my age group of Females 30-34 = 544, Overall place out of the 18,541 participants = 8,553

I know I have a LONG way & MANY miles to go to prepare for the half-marathon next month & the full marathon in August, but for now I am savoring this small victory ;)

Woo Hoo! Another Mile!!

Yep, we have mile #5 sponsored! Thank you to Tom, Anita, Brittany & Katie for sponsoring this mile in Casey's honor :) For those of you out there who are hesitant in sponsoring a mile because you don't personally know one of the Red Arrow soldiers, you can just make your sponsored mile in honor of ALL of the Red Arrows like Maureen did for mile #4.

Thank you to Julie A. & Meg C. for their generous donations as well. These wonderful gals have been a great help in reaching our goal!

We only have 16 weeks to go until the marathon...yes, you might think 16 weeks is a long time, but that's not so when your current longest run is 5 miles and you know you have to run 26 miles in JUST 16 weeks. We also have ONLY 16 weeks to bump up the fundraiser thermometer from 23% to 100%. We are still working on the details for some fundraising events but I can tell you that they will involve food! Something Abby & I are much more familiar with & are well trained in-tee hee.

Thank you once again to everyone who is supporting us thru donations, thoughts & prayers!!!

Happy Easter! More thanks & another mile sponsored!!

Happy Easter everyone! We hope that you have a great holiday with your family!! Please take a moment to say thanks to our troops who cannot be home with their families for this Easter and to their families for all their efforts in carrying on the festivities at home while they are "down" one member. God bless our troops and the work that they do in order to protect our freedom to celebrate religious holidays such as Easter (and all our other rights).

Thank you to our most recent donors! Danelle B. & Todd R. both generously donated this week, and Maureen A. sponsored mile #4!!! Woo hoo! We are now at $597!! That is about 19% of our $3,200 goal.

If you haven't been able to donate yet, no worries, you have plenty of time. The marathon is not until August 8th and we plan to wrap up the fundraiser by the end of August. So if the budget is tight right now, maybe just throw your pocket change into a jar until August & see what you come up with :) As always, your prayers for our troops are not only free but priceless so please keep on sending those!!!

Thanks again to everyone following this blog, supporting our cause, and supporting our troops! Easter blessings to you :)

We are all geared up!

Abby and I went to Endurance House in Greenway Station in Middleton yesterday & got everything we need to get through our training. Justin at Endurance House conducted a footstrike analysis for each of us. This involved running on a treadmill while our feet were videotaped and then we watched the playback in slow motion to see the exact mechanics of our steps. Justin used this information to determine which shoes would suit us best and prevent injuries. After trying on & running in a few different pairs we both found some that felt the best and kept us properly aligned so that we will remain injury free as we continue on 300+ mile training journey.

This analysis is free of charge and is not just for crazy chics who suddenly decide they are going to run a marathon. So if you are going to be needing new running/training shoes you should check out Endurance House. Their prices are competitive and the service absolutely can't be beat...Justin & the other folks worked with us for about 2 hours to get us the best fitting shoes along with providing running form & nutrition recommendations.

Besides shoes, we also got synthetic socks to wick away the sweat and a hat to protect us once we get going on our outside training. We also each got a Fuel Belt for our hydration needs and a variety of carb/electrolyte substances in goo and chewy forms. These come in all different flavors & textures so we have to try out many to determine which we can tolerate - for those that don't know us, we have "texture" issues...that may cause us some trouble :)

Thank you to all of you who have already sent donations and/or prayers for the Red Arrows. Please continue to spread the word about our mission...we haven't seen any donations come in this week but we have some press release & fundraiser event plans in the works so please keep checking back!!!

Thanks to this week's donors! And where are those training miles?

First, we would like to thank the following people for the generous donations they made this week: Laura N., Melissa J., Tina D. & Harv & Elaine W. We are now at $437.00! Again, we could not do this without your support and appreciate you very much! Please continue to check our blog & to spread the word about our cause so that we can reach our lofty goal.

Now, you may be wondering why those training miles aren't changing...here's the scoop. I (Kelly) have had this respiratory crud for weeks now and I can hardly breathe just standing still, let alone while running! I am nervous about having lost 3 weeks of training time, however, I am fortunate that this was pre-pre-marathon training. My actual schedule for the official 16 weeks of pre-marathon training starts the first week of April. So please cross your fingers that my lungs are fully functioning by then (and that my legs haven't grown accustomed to this sedentary state).

Abby has been adding some occasional miles as of late, however, her unfortunate news is that she was permanently laid off from her full-time, scientist job due to the poor economy. While you might think she has extra time to run, the reality is that she has been busy job hunting, updating her resume, preparing for interviews, etc. If you know of someone who could use her expertise, please e-mail us.

Despite our recent setbacks were have NO doubt that we WILL complete our marathon! When there are 3,200 Red Arrow soldiers sacrificing for us, this is the least we can do!

Thank you to our first donors!! Facebook users please add us to your profile.

We would just like to thank our very first donors who have already bumped us $315 closer to our goal. Thank you Tom & Cindy Cheney, Sara Mansavage & the Flagel Family.
Only $2,885 more to go ;)

For those of you with Facebook profiles, please add our campaign to your profile by going here:
http://apps.facebook.com/sponsor-me/campaign/running-4-red-arrows. Click the share button and then select post to profile.

Let Us "Feed" You - Subscribe to the Running 4 Red Arrows Blog!

Okay, I am learning more each day about blogging. You will now see two options for subscribing to the Running 4 Red Arrows blog in the right sidebar.



The top option allows you to subscribe to our blog with a reader. The second option is to subscribe via e-mail. With either option you will automatically receive our latest blog postings without actually visiting our blog.

You will only receive the feed/e-mail if we have posted something new. We will be keeping you informed of both our fundraising progress and the ongoing marathon training trials & tribulations :)

Please know that we will NEVER share your e-mail with anyone!!!

Not comfortable with subscribing...no problem, just remember to keep checking back here to get the most current information on our efforts.

About the fundraiser

Okay, so we contacted the Family Readiness Group (FRG) Coordinator for Casey's Troop to see what we could raise funds for to help out the soldiers & their families.

She said that donations are used for the following things:

1- Care packages for the soldiers - these may include DVDs, phone cards, snacks, etc
2- Events for the families - occasional gatherings are held for the families of the deployed soldiers so that they can bond with & support one another during the absence of their soldiers.
3- Possibly setting up dedicated internet service for the soldiers. This means that the soldiers would not have to wait in long lines for internet access, they can "talk" to their families whenever they have the time to jump on their computers.

How did we choose $3,200 as our goal?
Well, that part was easy...we chose that number to represent each of the 3,200 men & women deployed. How do we plan to reach that goal? By encouraging everyone who is able, to donate what they can.

Here are some thoughts on donation amounts:
$26.20 to represent the 26.2 miles were are going to run (after the 300 or so we run in training)
$32.00 - another play on the 3,200 troops
$100.00 - Get a mile in your name - Hurry! - there are "only" 26 miles :)
Or whatever amount you can donate will be very much appreciated!

How to donate:
You can mail us a check payable to Running 4 Red Arrows:
Running 4 Red Arrows
PO Box 432
Edgerton, WI 53534

Or you can use the DONATE button on the right sidebar to make a donation online through Paypal. You do not have to have a Paypal account to do this. You can pay from your checking account or via credit card this way. Rest assured this is a completely secure transaction.

Please note that if you would like your donation designated for a specific unit, you will need to e-mail us your name, the amount donated & the name of the unit you want to receive it. Thanks!

Why you should donate (if you are able):
There are 3,200 men & women and their families that are sacrificing for us! I know that we are all tired of the war and may have become numb to it by now. But these families are missing one another and the money you donate will help them to keep in contact with each other. It will also help the families to have the support they need, which will in turn let the soldiers rest a little easier. Yes, there are tons of "Support the Troops" efforts/organizations out there, but this is for supporting OUR troops - the 32nd Red Arrow Brigade. This is for the men & women deployed from OUR neighborhoods and their families.

What else you should know:
100% of the money you donate will be going to the Red Arrows. (We will cover all Paypal fees for online donations)

Please contact your tax advisor to determine whether or your donation is tax deductible. Running 4 Red Arrows IS registered for its own tax ID number as a non-profit organization, however, it is not officially a 501c(3)non-exempt charitable organization.

We did look into the possibility of forming Running 4 Red Arrows into a 501c(3)charitable organization but this would require hiring a lawyer, a minimum of $300 in registration fees, and time. We decided our money is better spent on the soldiers/families & our time on our training & fundraising.

Again, while you may or may not be able to deduct the donation, please rest assured knowing that we believe you will see benefit from your donation--we believe in karma, or paying it forward, or random acts of kindness, or the old adage that what goes around comes around. Thank you for your support of the 32nd Brigade!!

Who are the Red Arrows?

The Red Arrow Brigade is descended from the fabled 32nd Red Arrow Division, an infantry outfit mobilized in 1917 with 15,000 Wisconsin and 8,000 Michigan National Guardsmen -- the division earned its distinctive insignia, a vertical red arrow through a horizontal red bar, by piercing every enemy line it encountered in four World War I campaigns.

In February 2009, the entire 32nd Brigade Combat Team, 3,200 Wisconsin Army National Guard soldiers, were activated along with six supporting units outside the brigade. They were given a send-off for a one-year deployment on 17 February 2009 at the Alliant Energy Center Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Madison, Wisconsin. This is the largest operational deployment of the Red Arrow Brigade since World War II!

You can watch the deployment ceremony here.

Who we are & why this blog exists

Hi everyone,

Here's the scoop on why this blog exists. My name is Kelly Crandall and my sister is Abby Freeman. Abby had talked about running a marathon as kind of a New Year's Resolution type thing and I told her I have always wanted to do that. Now keep in mind that Ab & I are NOT runner's-well Abby is a little bit, but the only reason I could imagine for running is if I was being chased! So why on Earth would I run a marathon? Because it is a major accomplishment. Just think of being able to utter the words, "I ran a marathon." That is impressive!

Okay, so we sit on that thought for a few weeks & look over marathon schedules & training programs, etc. During this idle time, our brother, Casey Freeman, scoffed at us saying, "Yeah, like you two are ever gonna be able to run a marathon." Well, Casey was recently deployed with the 32nd Red Arrow Brigade and Abby and I sit here feeling helpless. Our brother is away from his family for a year and there is nothing much we can do to help out. (By the way, there were also 3,199 other soldiers deployed with Casey who are also missing their families.)

So here's where the two ideas collide: Abby & I decide we will train for & complete a marathon in Casey's honor. How cool is that?! Well, if you ask either of us, we think it's pretty cool. If you ask others who know us, they think it's pretty idiotic-so don't ask them! Well, then we thought, "Hey, why not make our marathon endeavor into a fundraiser for the 32nd Brigade?" We have heard of people running for breast cancer, diabetes, etc. Why not run for the Red Arrows? So with a few phone calls we found out that we can indeed do that!

So we came up with a name for our mission and created this blog. In subsequent posts you will find information on the deployment of this group and then info. on how you can donate, what that money would be used for, etc. If you are strapped for cash in these tough times & you just can't spare a buck - please just send up a prayer for these soldiers and their families-it won't cost you a thing.

We also plan to keep you posted on our training progress, our fundraising efforts and we'd also like to feature information on deployed Red Arrow soldiers and their families as well. Thanks for stopping by!