Can Too Run 2007

Can Too 2007 – a year of milestones.
What an amazing year it has been so far - a year of milestones. In August we raised our first million dollars. We have had our biggest run program ever with the Blackmores Sydney Running Festival and we are now heading off to the Shire to add our first southern swimming program.

We were so excited to reach The Magic Million so far ahead of schedule and we only have our Can Too Teams and their supporters to thank for this. We couldn’t have done it without the support of everyone of them and their families, friends and colleagues. As a means of marking this amazing goal we are looking forward to our $1,000,000 Party!!!

I am totally thrilled and excited by this achievement. Raising a million dollars in two and a half years really legitimises what we set out to do. It shows that by starting out small and having an organic approach to growth you can go way beyond your wildest dreams. When Lyn and I met in early 2005 we never imagined raising $1,000,000 by mid 2007. We are now working towards the $2,000,000 goal by this time next year - a phenomenal thought.

We have trained more than 700 runners and swimmers, many of whom would never have dared to imagine that they could run or swim in their chosen event and be part of raising the Magic Million for Cure Cancer Australia. We have funded 13 young, brilliant researchers who would otherwise not have had the funds to conduct their breakthrough research.

What I continue to love most about the program is seeing the pride in people’s faces as they achieve their goals. These goals are achieved in small chunks through out the program as

“ non-runners” or “ non-swimmers” run further or swim faster than they ever thought possible. The camaraderie with each new group is wonderful to see - new friends are made with each new program, as people support each other through each new milestone. Can Too always attracts a great bunch of people. It takes a special person to take on a new challenge, but at the same time is prepared to give of themselves. I value my relationship with each new team member!

Of course our coaches and mentors also make the program what it is. They understand the balance between enabling people to achieve their goal, and doing so in a supportive, positive way.

On Sunday 23 September another milestone was achieved! We had over 200 people running in the Blackmores Sydney Running Festival – our biggest team yet and we will raise an amazing $300,000 for cancer research!! It was a spectacular day. The sun shone on us in more ways than one. Every single person reached their goal and the happiness on their faces was a joy to see – only surpassed in brightness by the sea of orange singlets!

With another program over we are planning our summer swimming season with programs starting in the North, East and for the first time in the Sutherland Shire on November 7, culminating in our goal swims held in the last week of Jan and first week of February.

Next year will bring with it more Firsts as we add on a training program in Western Sydney for the 2008 Blackmores Sydney Running Festival.

We are really proud of our relationship with our principal supporter, the Macquarie Bank Foundation - who continues to underwrite our costs so that all funds raised go directly to cancer research. Ten Network have also been a wonderful support with their Community Service Announcements.

We are looking forward to a great year ahead with lots of fun, sore muscles and smiling faces! Anybody who is interested should check out www.cantoo.org.au


Can Too Run - Sydney Morning Herald Half Marathon May 20th, 2007

The sun shone on Can Too once again. Sunday May 20th was a glorious sunny day complete with our own Can Too angel ! Yes, our coach Fi made the news with her angel wings and orange balloons sparkling in the sunshine. She was indicative of the spirit of the day. Eighty Can Tooers ran together as a team, supporting each other, inspiring each other as they ran an incredible 21ks. They had done the training, they had put in the work and now they came to reap the rewards of their labour. No matter how much training you have done 21ks is still a long way and we saw the expressions on the faces of those who ran with ease, those who ran in pain and those who were somewhere in between!


Congratulations  to the whole team on your spectacular effort on Sunday. It was such an amazing day, made all the more special by understanding the journey we had all been on together. When I think back to the start of the program and the sea of individual new, anxious faces I am reminded of our transformation on many levels. On Sunday we were all excited and nervous but we were all part of a team, supporting each other and enjoying friendships we had made. We were clearly a team brought together by two common goals- to achieve the impossible dream and to have an opportunity to give something back to the community. We all achieved our goals and for some it was tougher than others. However we saw strength, determination and courage. These are qualities you can take with you to other aspects of your life.

It is an ill wind that blows nobody any good! I was bitterly disappointed that I could not run with you all, yet had I done so I wouldn’t have had the thrill of cheering you all on in Argyle St and seeing the sea of orange running by. It was so exciting. Nicky and I had sore hands and voices!

Thank you to all your supporters along the way and afterwards at our celebration – Can Too  is certainly a family affair.

You and your family friends and sponsors can feel proud of funding at least one and a half new researchers and possibly even two with this program alone.

Once again thanks for sharing your experience with me – I loved every minute of it.

Annie

 

Team Amsterdam

 

At 2pm on October 21st, after months of training and lots of fundraising, a group of would be runners aptly named "Team Amsterdam" hit the pavement in the 32nd Amsterdam Half Marathon in aid of Can Too and Cure Cancer Australia. What started as a quiet chat between friends over a few drinks, turned into a full scale training regime (including track work and weekend long runs) - before we knew what hit us, we had raised over $15,000 and were well prepared for the 21.1km ahead of us. So well prepared in fact that every member of the 21 strong team crossed the line with flying colours!

We all arrived on the Friday night and successfully avoided the temptation to party too hard prior to the event (Sunday afternoon). This was a particular challenge given that Amsterdam has a reputation of which I am sure you are all aware. The weather was clear but cold on race day, so it was difficult to stay warm at the start but once we got running the adrenaline kicked in. The course took us through much of the southern part of the city and finished spectacularly with a lap of the 1928 Olympic Stadium. Normally, our bright orange CanToo team singlets would have been a feature of the event but it was quite the opposite in Amsterdam where we felt at home wearing the national colour!

A big "Thank You" on behalf of Team Amsterdam, CanToo and Cure Cancer Australia to all our supporters who donated so generously. We had a fantastic time and your support provided us with that little bit extra to get across the line. Everyone in the team successfully achieved their own personal goals and who knows, we might be back for more... apparently Prague might be on the agenda, so stay tuned...

Pete Seligman