It’s getting a little warm this time of year for racing, but I squeezed one in on Saturday, April 30th, for a great cause: the Tampa Firefighters Pediatric Burn Survivor 5k, which benefits Camp Hopetake, a summer camp for previously burned children of all ages.
As the race website explains:
Tampa Firefighters Local 754 in conjunction with Tampa General Hospital’s Burn Unit is in its 24th year of working as staff members, financially supporting, organizing, sponsoring and hosting Camp Hopetake, a camp for children who have been seriously burned. Hopetake provides a safe and supportive environment for kids to share their feelings and interact with other young burn victims from all over Florida in a week-long adventure in Tampa. This non-threatening atmosphere allows them to enjoy activities including swimming, bowling, fishing, games, crafts, movies and more as they cope with the social and emotional scars associated with their injuries.
So the least I could do is lace up the running shoes and sweat a little, grabbing 2nd place in my age group out of 22, and 17th overall out of 519.
Clutching the second-place bobblehead trophy.