Well 2011 went by in a blur but it was certainly a memorable year! I am grateful for all that I was able to accomplish and look forward to more adventures in the coming year. There is alot on tap and I'm sure more will reveal itself.

Once again, I entered the lottery for 2012 edition of the Western States but sadly I was not picked this year. I am a bit disappointed but I am grateful for the opportunity to have run this race two years in a row. Many go years without being selected so somebody else will have the chance to have their life changed by this incredible race. However my good friend Kenny "the gambler" Rogers was selected this year and he asked me if I could pace him. Of course I gladly accepted and will be in Squaw Valley this coming June to support and help bring Kenny across the finish line. I will be able to view the race from a different perspective and still represent Team Owen and the Gwendolyn Strong Foundation at WS100.

Which brings me to the purpose of this post. Once again SMA ass kicking will be in full effect again in 2012 and you can join us and help make a difference in a child's life. On March 18th 2012, the New Bedford Half Marathon kicks off and Team Owen will be running strong in Memory of Owen Simmons. Last year was our inaugural event and it was a smashing success. We had over 100 runners running for Owen and this year I know we can top that number. It was a such a great day, an exciting day, a day that we still talk about. " There are big days, and their a little days.......Make this your BIG DAY."

We are in the process of ordering t-shirts for the event and also planning an after race dinner/party. All we ask to join Team Owen is to purchase a t-shirt and wear it proudly on race day. We will also have a fundraising page set up on the Gwendolyn Strong Foundation page to make it super easy for any fundraising you want to do. We encourage fundraising for our cause but it is not mandatory. Every penny counts though in helping find a cure for this crappy disease. Again we will take a pre race photo on the steps of the New Bedford Public library to show everybody that we are in the SMA ass kicking business and business is booming! We will also have some training runs on the course starting in February and I will be posting when they will take place. For any further info, don't hesitate to contact me at stephen.taylor5@comcast.net or on facebook.

I would just like to thank my friends from Team Owen for all their help this year. Without you guys, all of this would not have been possible. A very special thanks to Andy, Heather, Adyn, Bill, Victoria and Gwendolyn Strong, Gillian and Claudia Sampson. You guys rock and I am fortunate to call all you friends! 2012 here we come!