Our little ticking clock below ran away faster than any one of us could have anticipated, including the Chicago Marathon office! Registration is now closed and since we have no post-close spots, we can not register any new people desiring to run the marathon. :(

So the next question is WHAT NOW??

Well, if you're at all like me, I was pretty bummed. My first year on the job and I was pumped to reach our goal of 35+ runners. Competitiveness runs in my family and I was ready to take on the challenge. However, you can't cry over spilt milk. You can't stick a square peg into a round hole. You can't run for Family Empowerment Centers AND run Chicago Marathon 2012. So what can you do?

You still have a few options:

• If you or a friend/family member is already signed up for the Chicago Marathon, they can still run for our team!! Get the word out. Use your voice. Like our facebook page. Have them email carrie@familyempower.org

• You can pick another marathon/half marathon/10k to run for us and we will assist you with fundraising and training. We already have 2 people running the Milwaukee marathon for us the same weekend as Chicago and we are hoping to represent in other races in the near future as well.

• You can support our runners through encouragement, running with them, and supporting them financially.

• You can volunteer with us on race day, as we cheer on the 11 people on our team!

• Finally, if you are really, really addicted to the Chicago Marathon running experience (and who can blame you!), you can click here to run for a different charity. If you do this, you do have a minimum amount you must raise depending on the charity. Many of them can be kind of high, but it is doable. As much as this would sadden us and we would desire you to run a different race for us, we will support your decision. And maybe even cheer for you on race day! ;)

• Finally, we are starting our first ever Family Fun Run/5k/10k race in Rogers Park Chicago this summer! We would love you to bring the whole family out, run for us, volunteer, and enjoy the day!! 

These are some awesome ways to support us! A visit or volunteering your gifts are always welcome as well! And get geared up for next year. Start deciding now if you want to run. Join our team early. Who knows how quickly it will fill up next time.

Blessings,

Carrie