Race to Heal- 2 girls paddling 340 miles to raise $10, 000

The Girls Fall of 2010

2010-12-18T17:18:00.000-06:00

Here are the girls. This year... Hannah managed to make it to see Mark at the MR 340 and some of her other new friends. Marissa was busy playing football this fall!!!

SPAM and sickos

2010-12-18T17:01:00.000-06:00

I just removed about 30 posts to chineese porn from our lovely site. Seems it was the go to place for sickos around the world from April until August. Beware guys. I am checking and reporting! For this reason we have removed the youtube videos. Sorry. They were awesome to watch.

我只是删除，葡萄牙语约30个职位，从我们可爱的色情网站。好象是去为世界各地的sickos四月至八月举行。当心家伙。我检查和报告！

Keeping up with Marissa and Hannah

2010-03-04T15:21:00.003-06:00

Marissa and Hannah continue to be busy finishing out their school years. Marissa played volleyball this winter and Hannah is just starting her track season. The two haven't gotten together lately but a reunion is in order. It's been cold here in Illinois. Marissa and her dad head to Florida for the Everglades challenge. Follow what they are up to on his website! http://www.captainodark30.blogspot.com/

Checking in

2010-01-14T19:44:00.001-06:00

Well, the girls started new adventures this fall. For Marissa it was Jr. High and for Hannah High School. Marissa became part of the Cross Country team and Hannah the volleyball team. Hannah attended her first Homecoming-yes they do girlie things!

Grandma Gail finalized the scrapbook of the events leading up to the race and the race itself. We gathered all the articles, printed off all the comments from our friends, families and supporters and tucked them away lovingly.

This spring/ summer Marissa plans to train for another MR340-this time with her dad unsupported. Hannah is now training for track season and hoping to learn to pole vault. The girls enjoy their downtime as well as their excitement.

Hannah's dad and I were just reminiscing about all of the support the girls received for the race. Each piece carrying them through either financially, as part of their training, helping them to receive additional funds for their cause, or in spirit! Without any one of them, their ultimate end would not have been as successful if at all.

We received our MR340 dvd copy for Christmas and enjoyed watching pieces of the journey for others. What a blessing that time was as friends, as young women, and as families. Thanks for the memories.

Sorry about the video being removed. There are some sad people out there trying to exploit. If you want to see it please let me know and I can post it again temporarily.

Our pictures!

2009-08-09T13:19:00.000-05:00

Our race pictures are now at Walmart. You can purchase or view them here.

2009-08-09T12:16:00.000-05:00

Mark became known lovingly as "the man" on this trip. I should have capitalized that because he was so important to the success of the girls. He gave advice on everything from food to clothing to form to stretching. He knew the course, he knew the dads, he knew the girls. He was always patient. He provided us all with top notch state of the art boats that he built. He was also often some comic relief. Thanks to his wife too for letting him be there. From one mom to another he made all the difference in the mood and level of safety of this race. Thanks Michelle!

A few pictures

2009-08-07T22:00:00.000-05:00

I have tons of pictures and I will upload them after I am home and we are more rested. I also took some on my moms camera too! Thanks everyone. I am tired and need to go to bed. Everyone else is already asleep :)

a message from one of the mamas

2009-08-07T21:44:00.000-05:00

I amso proud of the effort of Hannah but also in awe of Mark. He was so great with the girls & the dads. That was a lot of time together under tough circumstances and he was the glue! He is a great guy and we appreciate the experience he provided. It was such an amazing effort by so many people on so many levels. Everytime we turned around someone was doing or saying something encouraging to get them to this moment. By Monday we should have the final totals and another video. Thanks family,friends, and new friends.

The End to an Awesome Journey

2009-08-07T19:52:00.000-05:00

Kimmy again!

So, I finally received an official call from Jenny on how everyone is doing. The team's official time in was 78 hours and 18 minutes. They did finish third place in their division and won $150, which they will donate to the Susan G. Koman foundation.

The girls are doing great. A lot of excitement, but I'm sure they'll be ready to crash soon. Everyone has had a shower and eaten. At the awards ceremony, the girls received a standing ovation when they went up to receive their award. Jenny said it was so awesome. They've been approached so many times to give money. The second place finishing team, "We Got This, Go Home," donated half of their $250 prize money (I feel bad, now, for telling everyone in an earlier blog that I wanted them to get beat because their name irritated me). Los Humungos Paddelos, the 3rd place finishing men's tandem team, donated all of their $150 prize money. So, with the money that Hannah and Marissa won, that equals another $425 for breast cancer research, not including the money that is still being donated by others at the ceremony.

The girls have been interviewed by a Missouri reported and again by the same Wisconsin reporter whose blog we have been following this week. He will be putting another blog update out there soon, and there will be another article in the newspaper tomorrow. Jenny is to upload pictures for all of us later tonight and send some to him to put in the paper.

I'm sure I speak for many others when I say how truly proud and inspired I am by these two girls. What did you do the summer before you went into high school? I worked at A&W. That's about as inspiring as it gets for me. Hannah and Marissa, however, raised close to $11,000 for breast cancer research and completed a feat that most grown adults could not (I counted over 70 teams that dropped out at some point or another in the race). I have never been more proud to be an aunt as I am this evening.

GO GROW!

AT LAST!!!

2009-08-07T16:51:00.000-05:00

Well, they did it! I haven't received official word from Jenny yet, but through the grapevine, I've learned that the girls are in. I think they got in shortly before 4:30. I guess the crowd really cheered, and they are doing an interview with some newspaper.

Jenny still hasn't had a shower....

Aunt Kimmy

The End is Near!!!

2009-08-07T13:33:00.000-05:00

Aunt Kimmy again!

Jenny called to give a last update before the big finale! The team arrived at Klondike at 11:30 and ate some goulash and beef stew. They left out again at around 12:30. Our mom and dad, Mike and Gail, were there. They brought brother Gabe. Their spirits are still pretty high. Hannah got to call her friend Ally (I hope I spelled that right) and Marissa got to call her mom.

So, the finish line in St. Charles is 26 miles away. They are traveling about 6 miles an hour, so that means that it'll take them a little over 4 hours to get there. So, plan for a 4:30 or 5:00 finish.

When I talked to her, the support team plus Grandma, Grandpa and Gabe were eating some lunch at a tavern. Jenny is going to try to find some access points along the route to try to see the team again, but she's not sure if she'll be able to or not. All of their phone batteries are dying, so it'll be hard to locate them.

They're planning for a big crew at the finish. Grandma, Grandpa, and Gabe will be there, along with Tom's boss, Uncle Matt and Aunt Linda, and Hannah's friend Ally and her mom. Since they don't have to set up camp or anything at the finish line, they are going to try to get some posters made and stuff so that they have a big grand finish. She hopes to have some pictures posted later tonight when they get to the hotel.

GO GROW!

...

2009-08-07T09:15:00.000-05:00

they should be at klondike around 12...we are making spaghetii for the girls...finishing around 6 we hope

klondike

2009-08-07T03:25:00.000-05:00

it's about 3:30am I am at Klondike. met them at Hermann and they were in there about 12:30. Marissa was more energized after the stop but Hannah feels wasted. after some team talk they decide to leave and have hannah sleep while marissa paddles. the train runs thru the chkpt and there was no use staying. they will call me when they are an hour out.

And on the finish.....

2009-08-06T17:04:00.000-05:00

Hi. It's Aunt Kimmy again.

Jenny just called and said that the canoers got to Jefferson City at around 4 pm. When I spoke with her (which was about 5), the support team was packing up to head down river towards Hermann. The race team had already left. The plan as of right now is that they will not stop again until the finish. They've got all of the supplies they'll need to do so. They plan to keep going until the finish and not sleep. Jenny estimates that they'll be in St. Charles to finish tomorrow between noon and two. Jenny plans to set up camp tonight and try to get some rest as best she can.

The girls are still going strong. They are both really sore. The support team had to slather them up with Icy Hot again. Marissa was feeling kind of nauseous, but once they got back out onto the river, Tom called and said she was feeling better. Hannah wants Jenny to get beef jerky and bug bite stuff to have ready at Hermann when they stop at the check point.

Two links that Jenny wanted me to pass on:

The first is Brian's blog. Jenny thinks he may be updating Twitter more often than she is. I checked the blog and it looks like he hasn't put anything on Twitter for 9 hours, but that may be due to the downtime Twitter experienced this morning. At any rate, here is the address for the blog: captainodark30.blogspot.com

Second is the address for Tom Held's blog. He is a reporter with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel who has been following the race very closely. He speaks with Jenny over the phone each morning to see how everyone is doing. He just recently completed a phone interview with Marissa. So, check this out too: http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/lifestyle/offthecouch.html

So, it appears that we are on our way to the finish... Keep those thoughts and prayers coming,

as it seems the girls still need them! GO GROW!

hermann

2009-08-06T14:12:00.000-05:00

they are coming in a little after midnight and will decide what to do. they are in a fairly close battle for third. there are some entertaining boyscouts here. we are very comfortably sleeping in the car aand wondering why we didn.t try that earlier.

2pm

2009-08-06T14:05:00.000-05:00

they are likely encontering barges now. the people coming in also say that there is a pool where they encountered nearly no current. it's hot and sunny but they wanted pizza so after much effort on our part (2 hrs) we have pizza for them. it took another hour or so to fill jugs and get snacks. people are saying this is a hard leg. I have had the chance to watch and see their legs shaking as they exit the boat. one man asked us to pass on to Mark that he will sleep 8 hours in a hotel and decide then what to do. checkpoint staff say a huge concrete barge is coming and will cause he waves and is warning people. just pray. we too are pretty tired and not as patient or thinking as clearly. I have had about 6 hours sleep the last two days and the girls have managed 11. it's tough because they need thepick me up of caffeine but too much nauseates or gives them jitters. they will not quit and as of last word they plan to paddle all night in case a storm hits.

Cooper's Landing

2009-08-06T11:00:00.001-05:00

Hi. This is Jenny's sister, Kim. Jenny just called and wanted me to post a bit of an update:

The girls and dads got to Cooper's Landing at around 10:30. Jenny and Emily missed them. They weren't expecting them to be there until about noon. I guess they are able to buy stuff at the checkpoints, so the canoers ran up and bought some ice. There is an access point later on down the river that they could meet each other, but Jenny is not sure where it is. They are planning to be at Jefferson City by 4, but Jenny said, looking at the map, that they might be there more like 2. So, keep watching the GPS tracker! They are making great time! Jenny said that they want to be done with the race by the 4 pm awards ceremony tomorrow. That may mean that they only get to sleep a couple of hours tonight, though.

GO GROW!!!!

It's all down hill from here

2009-08-06T05:53:00.000-05:00

the team pulled in about 11 last night. We all camped together at Franklin's Island conservation area near Booneville. We were up a bit after 4 to have bacon & eggs with english muffins, oj, & coffee. I felt sorry for those near us as the smells were fantastic! They shoved off in a bit of fog at about 5:30. We willsee them briefly in Cooper's. They wanted to do 100 miles today but might only make 90. The girls are so strong! Hannah told me last night that if they wold have paddled all night they cold be done today. They will likely make the 4pm awards but hope to get in even sooner tomorrow! Not even a hint of quitting. No crying. Their backs are a bit sore and their legs that's about it. Hannah and Tom are steering now. They have requested pizza. If someone (grandpa Ed?) cold go to the MR site at www.rivermiles.com and find the boat numbers of theother women tandem teams I can let them know how far they are from them. There is prize money involved now! With 4 teams and three places... We also think one dropped out and one is real near. A fifth one dropped before the race. Hannah's competitive nature is showing now!

MR 340 pictures-Day one and two

2009-08-05T20:03:00.001-05:00

This is Mark

Tom

The Old man and "The Man."

A little aid from Emily

Miami checkpoint

Our SWEET set up. We even did laundry!

Miami checkpoint-about 4am. There are people laying on the ground

Ground crew working hard. Here are the dads too!

Lexington Checkpoint!

We heard banjos too!

A guy in a kilt. We want you to have the same experiences we are!

A rainy start-1 1/2 hour delay

day one nearly done

2009-08-05T05:22:00.000-05:00

the first 24 hours has seemed like a week to the support team. we have met so many nice and helpful people! we went to two access points before the first check point. at the first they were on the opposite side of the river and we waved. at the second we got them supplies. first chkpt was lexington. they were in good spirits and were met by family. lots of pictres were taken by a local journalist. they ate. super muddy bank and I lost my shoes several times. next was waverly. they came in around 10.faster than their previous pace of 12 miles at about 2 hours and 20 minutes we had or wagon full with water jugs popcorn (freshly popped) oatmeal packets and thermoses. they told us see you in the morning at miami. we headed to what we thought was a possible access point but the erie gravel road proved so scary we turned around. three times on or way we took a wrong road and I was faced with backing the trailer. lets just say we arrived at midnight and forget the rest. I am grateful to be with emily. at 1am we still could not sleep. by 2 we were back in our tents. not sure how much I slept but someone nearby turned on their generator at 4 and that was it for me. 2 cups of coffee. a peaceful view of the lake and now the sun is rising. thank you GOD for this beautiful morning. protect our team and give them energy good health and patience

Day Before the Race

2009-08-03T21:30:00.001-05:00

Making sandwiches for tomorrow.

Los Humongos Paddelos and Team Race to Heal

Bringing the Thunder!!!

Watching the safety presentation

Lots of well wishers and some more donors at the safety meeting tonight!

Lots of boats arriving now!

About 4pm.

Here's Mark. He's been so awesome! AKA "The Man"

Hannah & Daddy!

We meet Katie P and West H. -both record holders for the MR 340

They are doing a coed tandem team this year and racing to help heal cancer too.

We still like eachother! Driving Emily a little nuts though.

Staging the boats

Unloading gear the day before the race.

2009-08-03T08:13:00.000-05:00

Dinner at Aunt Peggy and Uncle Jim's last night was wonderful!! Thanks Kristi! We are heading to the start to set up the boats, do some final shopping and check in.

2009-08-03T08:12:00.000-05:00

Checking out the finish on Sunday afternoon

Gear Checks/ Packing

2009-08-01T14:10:00.000-05:00

Just doing laundry, checking and double checking gear, a little shopping, and lots of talk about what to expect during the race. Every now and then I hear a siren or air horn go off as the big boys play with their toys.

2009-08-01T08:17:00.000-05:00

Click for I gotta feeling video

Thanks for the warm send off last night! We are unofficially at $9500.00!!!! Elm, llc (where Hannah's dad works) has agreed to match the girls .50 on the $1 from yesterday until they reach $10,000. To donate you can click the breast cancer logo on the right.

ELM does a donation match!

2009-07-31T13:06:00.000-05:00

Lee Graves of ELM in Peoria IL, just said that he was going to do a donation match for my race! The deal is that for every dollar that someone donates he will donate another 50 cents to match it! So please help us reach our goal of $10,000!!! Come to Red Rock tonight to support us!(:

2009-07-30T09:43:00.000-05:00

The Kruger Canoe for the girls is completed and loaded. Mark (Owner-Kruger Canoes) is heading our way from Northern Michigan and we will all meet up at the Grow house on Friday in Illinois. Friday night from 4pm-6pm we will be doing a Meet & Greet at the Red Rock Bar and Grille. Come by and eat a pink cupcake with us and send the girls off with your well wishes.

Track the team on the river

2009-07-27T16:25:00.000-05:00

Click on the link and you can see where the girls are at on the river and how they are doing on their progress.
GPS tracking Link

This link tells what times they have to hit each point or face getting disqualified:
Check point times

This link shows the check points (pink balloons):
Check point map

Hannah's Grandpa runs in Tri-athalon

2009-07-26T13:54:00.001-05:00

Hannah's grandpa placed first in his division in a Triathlon in Springfield, IL today.
Pretty sweet! He's 69 years old and still smiling after wards!

Come wish us well or Meet the team!

2009-07-24T17:02:00.000-05:00

Red Rock Bar and Grille is hosting a Meet and Greet for the team. Marissa & Hannah along with their dads and Mark Przedwojewski of Kruger Canoes will all be here Friday. Give them a great send off and wish them well! It's also a great chance to make a donation if you haven't had the chance already!

Red Rock Bar and Grill
332 Detroit Ave
Morton, IL 61550
Friday, July 31st
4pm-6pm

http://www.redrockbarandgrille.com/

Girls are on WHOI AND in the Morton Times

2009-07-22T20:34:00.000-05:00

Click to be taken to the WHOI page.
Big thanks to Jim Mattson for taking the time to meet us on the Illinois River yesterday to interview the girls and draw attention to both their cause and their efforts. We took Marissa home to Wisconsin tonight-met Brian in Rockford. It has been such an exciting week so far. I think it has really started to sink in to Hannah that she is doing something great! Seeing herself as we get to see her on the news today has really kicked her into high gear for the rest of her training time ahead!

Click to be taken to the Morton Times Article by Brian Veginski
Brian did a fantastic job at doing his research! This article about the girls, the cause, their time leading up to the event, and the importance of our sponsors was all given special attention. Check it out if you have the time!

Coming soon...
Our friend, Sean Rossman, has recorded the news clip onto a DVD which we will copy and try to get up on You News or You Tube. Also, Brian found out that the Milwaukee Journal will be doing an article on the girls in their area. Exciting! We have surpassed the $5,500 mark. Thanks so much for the words of encouragement AND the donations. The girls take the time to read each one (almost always outloud several times too)! May God bless you all for your kindness, donations, encouragement, and support.

Watch WHOI at 5:30pm Wednesday night-Peoria, IL

2009-07-21T15:38:00.000-05:00

Journal Star runs an article!

2009-07-21T10:39:00.001-05:00

http://www.pjstar.com/neighbors/x1458537597/Altruistic-adventure-floats-her-boat

Training day with Marissa

2009-07-20T21:58:00.000-05:00

The girls had a training day together today. Marissa was dropped off in Illinois for a few days after her family reunion. Today they got in a few hours paddling at Eureka Lake in Eureka, IL. They took the canoe off the trailer and put it in the lake all by themselves as well as back on again. They took their lunches and discovered how hard it will be to eat one handed or just on the go. They got to try out their new paddling gloves and life jackets too! Afterwards, we went to Cindy's Monograms to pick up their new shirts. They look spectacular! We'll have to post those tomorrow! Tomorrow they paddle on the Illinois!

The journey to the MR 340

2009-07-17T08:48:00.000-05:00

A slideshow of the girls in their journey to the MR 340
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kqMBUeIuMcE

MR 340 map with checkpoints and access points

2009-07-15T10:25:00.000-05:00

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&ie=UTF8&msa=0&msid=116803836686484103943.00044d0fccf8d44cb09df&ll=38.967951,-92.537842&spn=3.689857,6.602783&z=7

This link is for a google map that shows all the access points and checkpoints along the race. This one is for you grandpa Ed! We will be providing the spot link at a later time- the spot link is a place you can check to see where the girls are on the river during the race. It should send a GPS location every 10 minutes so it will be up to date. It will be how I (Jenny) will know where to reach them to give them food, water & other gear they need (and to take pictures!).

2009-07-13T22:17:00.000-05:00

Hannah turned 14 today!
She celebrated tonight with her grandparents, parents, and family over dessert and some wonderful gifts. She received tons of calls wishing her a great day. She is so blessed!

Training day with dad

2009-07-11T12:05:00.001-05:00

Today my dad woke me up at 5:30am and we got ready to go for a morning paddle. When we got to where we were going (Spindler Marina, East Peoria) to put in, we started to unload the boat and gear. He was trying to get our life jackets ready. Now, these life jackets have a string on the bottom and if we fall in they inflate on their own and/or you can pull the string, and when he attached the CO2 cylinder it activated and i just laughed at him. My dad left the extra cylinders at home so my mom had to drive down to where we were and bring them to us. Then, we got all ready and headed out. After we had been paddling for awhile I went to take a stroke and out jumps an Asian carp! it hit me in the arm, hit my paddle, then went back into the water. Well, I was really freaked out for the rest of the time, it was scary! Then we paddled some more and pulled out(: it was an okay paddling day.

Media excitement

2009-07-09T20:24:00.000-05:00

This week has brought some excitement! The Peoria Journal Star has interviewed us all and their story should print on the 21st or the 28th in the Neighbors section. We don't get the paper so keep your eyes peeled!

Jim Mattson from WHOI is going to do a video clip of the girls paddling in about a week and a half here when Marissa is down to stay for a few days.

The Morton Times is scheduled and interview with Hannah on the 17th!

Tonight we took the team shirts in to get the embroidery done by Cindy's Monograms and Cindy and her daughter, Michelle, are so awesome to work with us! They have done tons of embroidery and did some t-shirts for us that turned out great. They are embroidering the girls some moisture wicking hats with their team name and the breast cancer logo for free! Please give them your business if you need any shirts or other stuff done. They are on 150 in East Peoria. Great people to work with!

Now we are researching the best nutrition and supplements for the girls. Electrolyte replacement, meal enhancement, etc... They need to eat on the run, drink constantly and keep from getting heat exhaustion, cramping, or muscle fatigue. We have help from Mark P and from another MR 340 racer and winner-West Hansen but there is so much to learn and prepare.

The girls continue to get donations online and via their pledge sheets. Thanks to Aunt Linda and Uncle Matt for their generous donation. We have a surprise for you!

Hannah's birthday is Monday-she will be 14 so we have a busy weekend ahead!

You News Article!

2009-07-06T15:28:00.000-05:00

http://www.centralillinoisnewscenter.com/younews/50027472.html

Check this out. We got this on the You News site. Hopefully this will help with some further awareness and donations.

Kruger Canoes

2009-07-06T10:47:00.000-05:00

Reading through tons of sites, mapping the route, and on and on to try to get an idea of what to expect at this race with the girls and dads as I try to "run support." I stumbled upon these pictures from Brian's site: captainothedark30.blogspot.com about how the Kruger's are made. This is the boat the girls are training in! Thanks Kruger Canoes and Mark Przedwojewski

Happy Independence Day!

2009-07-05T14:06:00.000-05:00

Hannah had a great weekend of donations! Thanks to everyone who is supporting this cause and through doing that, supporting her dreams. She is so excited to pursue this paddling expedition! This is a picture of Lee Graves, owner of ELM, llc where her dad is employed. A big thanks to Mr. Graves for pledging $2000 to the Susan G. Komen Foundation! The girls are now half way to their goal of $10,000!

Training Weekend!

2009-06-30T14:46:00.000-05:00

The girls paddle at a Lake in Lake Mills Wisconsin for training with their dads. Tom and Hannah left Thursday night, drove four hours to Lake Mills and then the foursome set out on the lake for a night paddle. They got off the lake about 2:30am and slept a few hours then back out for more training. Sleep deprivation and paddling at night will be skills they will need during the MR340 where they are expected to paddle the first 50 miles in 9 hours. The entire race of 340 miles has to be completed in 88 hours.

The first picture shows the girls attempting to get back into their boats after falling out. However, Hannah jumped away from the boat when she jumped out and they then had to swim to their drifting Kruger. Yikes! I doubt they will be able to laugh that hard if it happens on the river!

MR340 blogger from last year

2009-06-26T19:46:00.000-05:00

http://mr340adventure.blogspot.com/

Here is a blogspot from someone who was in the race from last year. Check out how the race went last year for this guy.

Training Weekend!

2009-06-26T18:00:00.000-05:00

The girls and their dads are up in Lake Mills Wisconsin for a paddling weekend. They left last night and arrived about 8pm. They paddled some, slept about four hours and then paddled some more today. They got off the water about 4pm Friday. They are getting donations in thanks to all of you and have another sponsor- ELM! Thanks Mr. Lee Graves. Their sponsors help to cover the costs of their expenses during training, entry fees, and gear. All money not utilized will go toward their overall goal of $10,000.

Taking off for Wisconsin

2009-06-25T18:09:00.000-05:00

Here they are just getting ready to pull out of Morton on Thursday the 25th!

Training with friends

2009-05-02T18:21:00.000-05:00

Hannah's friends Taylor (middle) and Ally (front) paddle at Eureka Lake with her. Hannah gets to show what she knows to her friends. Here the girls are wearing PFD's donated by the Pink Phoenix.

Hugh Heward 50

2009-04-28T15:32:00.000-05:00

http://www.verlenkrugermemorial.org/id22.html

Hugh Heward took place April 25th in Portland Michigan.

Half way into the Hugh Heward 50 the girls are digging in and battling the pouring rain. At times they could not even see the shore.

2009-04-25T20:05:00.000-05:00

This begins the story of two girls (now ages 13 and 12) who will begin training for a 340 mile canoe race called the Missouri River 340 (MR 340). The MR 340 is the longest non-stop race in the World. Racers must complete each checkpoint in the time allowed and the entire race must be completed in 88 hours or less. There are only 6 woment tandem teams entered.

Marissa Weber, has competed with her father in another race for the same cause but this time asked her old paddling pal Hannah to team up. Marissa's mom has breast cancer and raising money for this cause is very dear to her heart. Hannah and Marissa have been on paddling trips for several years on the Wisconsin river with their dads who are old pals from their adventure racing days with MidAmerica Xtreme. Marissa and Hannah met at an Adventure race when they were 4 & 5 years old. Playing together in the river among the mosquitoes while their dads coordinate adventure races to fund their own team racing efforts.

Now, the girls take center stage as they work to raise $10,000 for Breast Cancer research, education, and it's victims. Please help them in any way you can: prayers, encouraging words, media attention for their cause, sponsorship, or donating to Susan G. Komen.