Fundraiser for 100miles4Owen

On Thursday June 3rd, we celebrated the life and memory of Owen Simmons, Andy and Heather Simmons SMA angel. The celebration took place at Lebeau's Tavern in New Bedford and a good time was had by all. Clam Cakes and Clam Chowder were on the menu as well as good times, good friends, and inspiration.

We were there to raise money and awareness on behalf of the Gwendolyn Strong Foundation(our new friends from Cali) and to help kick SMA in the groin! I was able to see old friends and met quite a few new friends. It was truly a special night in remembrance of a special boy.

As the evening wore on, my good friend David Conceicao became the master of ceremonies and quickly had everyone grabbing their stomachs in laughter. David is a very special friend and I am very fortunate to have friends like this in my life.

I would be negligent in my duties if I didn't recognize special people in my life who made the night a smashing success. Gillian and Claudia Sampson have been so instrumental in helping me along the way. Anything I need, they drop whatever they are doing and are there for me. This fundraising drive would be nowhere if it wasn't for them. I am eternally grateful for the help and compassion. I would also like to thank Magda for all her help and for procuring some great raffle items for the fundraiser. Magda is always willing to go the extra mile and has also been deeply effected by Owen's story.

Lastly I would like to thank Andy and Heather and especially Owen. Andy and Heather are powers of examples for me and I am grateful for sharing their little Owen with all of us. How they have handled this adversity is awe inspiring and gives me direction in how I handle adversity in my life. There were beautiful pictures of Owen all over the Tavern and were a constant reminder how powerful his life and spirit were, even though he was only here a short while. He will live in our hearts and spirit forever and we are forever grateful. Thank you, you are missed Owen but will never be forgotten!

New Bedford High School WILD club car wash

As many of you know, I am a Police Officer in the city of New Bedford and have had the privilege of being assigned to New Bedford High School as a School Resource Officer for the past nine years. It can be quite a challenge at times but it is also I believe the most rewarding job a Police Officer can have. As a graduate of NBHS(1987 good grief) it gives me great pleasure and enormous pride to let you know about what a great group of students did this weekend for SMA and the Gwendolyn Strong Foundation.

A teacher(Lisha Cabral) who happens to be a long time friend of mine, helped form a group of students into a club called WILD(We Imagine Life Differently). This student groups goals are to change the culture of the school, to empower students, and to help make a difference in our community. WILD had heard about 100miles4Owen and wished to help raise money and awareness for SMA. They did this without me asking and did it all on their own. WILD decided on a car wash to help the cause.

The car wash this past Saturday was a huge success. Approx. 25 kids showed up and donated their whole afternoon to help find a cure for SMA. They raised approx. $1500 in little more than three hours and it is my understanding more moolah is coming in. More importantly they helped educate the public about this terrible disease which for some reason is not widely known. Take that SMA, grass roots baby! It made me so proud to be affiliated with NBHS. We as "old people" are always quick to find fault with young people when they mess up, but sometimes we forget how to praise our youth when it is so justly deserved. I addressed the kids at the end of the car wash and told them how proud I was of them. I could feel myself becoming emotional because what the kids from WILD did was reinforce my faith in young people. So to the WILD club, my heartfelt thanks and gratitude to you.

McNaughton Ultra Vermont

In order to participate in the Western States 100, one of the requirements is to volunteer a minimum of eight hours at another Ultramarathon. Volunteers are the life blood of all Ultra's and make them possible. I decided that I would volunteer at the McNaughton Ultra in Pittsfield Vt without knowing what I would be getting myself into. I am fortunate and grateful that I somehow got caught up in the madness that is the McNaughton.

I contacted race director(super cool dude) Andy Weinberg and offered my services. Andy invited me up and let me know that the race consisted of 200 miles, 150 miles, 100 miles, and a thirty mile "fun run". Because the Western is coming up in less than two months, I wanted to do the "fun run" as a training run. I don't know if fun is the appropriate word.

On the drive up with my girlfriend Magda(her first Ultra), torrential rain started as soon as we got in Vermont. The race had actually started on Thursday for the 200 and 150 milers but the 100 and 30 would start on Saturday morning. Forecast for the day was cold, rainy, windy, with possible snow showers at night. For once the forecasters were correct. Absolute nastiness. All we needed were locusts and the apocalypse would have been upon us. After a brief pre-race meeting, the horn sounded and we were off. It then started to rain for what it seemed the rest of the day. As Andy beautifully described the course, it was "a real ass-kicker." Straight up a mountain for approx. 5.5 miles followed by 4.5 miles down, making a ten mile loop.

After about an hour of running, the course was a total quagmire. I think I still have Vermont mud in my toes! It was ridiculous but just the ass kicking I needed. I learned alot about mental toughness in this race. Myself and Magda finished our three loops in a little over 7 hours and had a great time doing so. I also found out that you could actually "ski" on mud. Magda ran an incredibly tough course for her first Ultra, an amazing accomplishment. After we had finished our race, the real fun was about to begin.

We returned to the race after showering up at the hotel and started helping out with the other Ultra runners who were still out there in this mess. That is when I discovered what its like to be a true ultra runner. Mental toughness was on full display. Words cannot describe how miserable it was out in the elements. Runners would come in from a loop and would look like death warmed over. Shivering, teeth chattering, but for the most part in good spirits. What struck me was how the men and women runners would try as best they could to warm up/dry off and then after a quick break, venture back onto the course. Mind you these were runners who had already been out in the elements for about two days. I was totally amazed and in awe. I hope to find that place within myself someday. When I left, a runner(Ryan Dexter) had completed 180 miles and was going back into the breach at 10:00pm.

It was a pleasure meeting Andy and all the other people affiliated with the McNaughton Ultra. Check out there website, peakraces.com If your up a for a sick adventure and your willing to challenge yourself, look no further.

Memorable Monday

I was fortunate enough to be able to run the Boston Marathon this year. It was truly a remarkable day, a day to remember. I was treating the run basically as a training run for the Western States but things just turned out perfect.

Before the race started, I was overcome with this tremendous amount of gratitude. Approx., three years to the date, my life had become quite unmanageable. I was quite unhappy and lacked a sense of who I really was and what I wanted to do with my life. It is amazing in such a short time how things have changed. Certain people were put in my life and now there is no holding back. Instead of existing in life, I'm living!

If you have never been to a Boston Marathon, it is a truly amazing spectacle. The crowds, the music, the fellow runners, it is truly amazing. I felt so strong throughout the whole race and seemed to be floating along the race. I am more of a Clydesdale than Thoroughbred but for one day I felt fast. I know for certain that I had my guardian angels with me. Everytime I lace up the sneaks, I think of Owen and all little babies with SMA. Thoughts of Owen and my newest friend, Gwendolyn were with me throughout Boston. I also had alot of thoughts and memories of my dog Beau, who passed away in December.

I am a very grateful man and can't wait until the Western States. Till next time.....

Hello..My name is Stephen Taylor and I am from New Bedford Massachusetts. I am fortunate and grateful to have been bitten by the Ultrarunning bug. I completed my first 50 mile Ultra in September of 2009(North Face Endurance Challenge) and I am looking forward to participating in the 2010 Western States 100 Ultramarathon, ws100.com. The Western States 100 takes place this June 26th and starts at Squaw Valley Ca., and meanders 100 miles through the Sierra Nevada mountains. It is hot, it has over 40000 feet of elevation and descent, and I can't wait to torture myself.

This wouldn't be possible without one special person entering my life. A little guardian angel. It is said that god puts special people in your life when you least expect it and that he works through these people. My little guardian angel is Owen Simmons. Owen is the son of Andrew and Heather Simmons and has a brother, Adyn. Sadly, Owen passed away this November at the age of 23 months. Owen was diagnosed with SMA(Spinal Muscular Atrophy). SMA is a terrible disease which effects thousands of infants and their families.

• SMA is the number one genetic killer of infants and young children
• SMA is degenerative and terminal, often called the Lou Gehrig's disease of babies
• SMA eventually impacts every muscle in the body, incliuding the ability to eat, walk, stand , breathe and even swallow
• 1 in 40 americans or roughly 10 million american unknowingly carry carries the gene responsible for SMA
• SMA is pan-ethnic, does not discriminate based on race, gender or ethnicity.
• There is no treatment or cure, though the National Institutes of Health selected SMA closest to treatment and or cure
• Researchers estimate that a viable treatment and or cure is attainable within 5 years, provided adequate funding is provided

Even though I only met Owen a few times in my life, his impact on me is immeasurable. What he and his family went through taught me some things to remember as a I go on with my life. To be less self-centered, to give of one-self. To have courage and strength, when you think you can't summon any. To have a grateful heart, and to fill that heart with the love of family and friends. I have so many things to be thankful for in my life and I look forward to honoring little Owen whenever I can. I want to especially thank Andy and Heather for sharing Owen with all of us. They are the epitome of class, strength, dignity and grace. To learn more about Owen's story, please go to fight4Owen.com

I am raising money and awareness to kick SMA's butt. All money raised will go to the Gwendolyn Strong Foundation. The GSF is an unbelievable foundation run by Victoria and Bill Strong, the parents of Gwendolyn Strong. Gwendolyn is a beautiful young girl with SMA. I am really looking forward to having another guardian angel following me around and I can't wait to run for Gwendolyn. I strongly encourage you to check out their blog and website and see what an amazing family they are. To donate go to firstgiving.com/gsf We will be having t-shirts, sweatshirts, and will be having a dinner/fundraiser on June 3rd. More info to follow. If you have any questions or suggestions feel free to contact me. stephen.taylor5@comcast.net

GSF website: http://GwendolynStrongFoundation.org

Blog of Gwendolyn's life http://GwendolynStrong.com

Support SMA research: http://PetitionToCureSMA.com