3 COR Warrior Raffle Prize Winners
Hey Everyone!
As you all have been waiting for, here are the winners from the 3 COR Warrior Virtual Run. As a reminder, in order to be entered you had to register and pay by June 4, 2017!
Author: babs927
Throwback Thursday
When we decided to do a Virtual run we honestly didn’t know how big it would be so we decided to “shoot for the stars” by ordering 2000 medals. Yes, you read right 2000 MEDALS! To date we have sold 400 medals which is truly awesome but we still have a goal to sell the remaining 1600 whether it takes 1 month, 6 months or even a year, we just want to sell these medals because it will help these three families TREMENDOUSLY!
For those of you that have signed up, THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! These medals were made with love, support and with the idea we are a family that come together during hard times. I know personally, that Ellie and Kym love seeing all these photos and feeling the love and support from each of you!
For those of you that are still on the fence about signing up below is a short recap of what we have done thus far for the #3CORWarriors
Here is a map showing where everyone has signed up thus far (that is 400 people between US and Canada)! Can we get all 50 States filled?
What states don’t we have someone registered in yet? ONLY 12 STATES!
- New Mexico
- Kansas
- North Dakota
- South Dakota
- Alaska
- Hawaii
- Arkansas
- Iowa
- Alabama
- West Virginia
- Deleware
- Maine
But lets not stop there… let’s get people registered from other countries
- England
- Sweden
- Australia
- New Zealand
- Ireland
- India
- …list goes on and on
How much have we raised with this virtual run? To date we have raised roughly $8000 from selling these medals. Remember that $5 of each entry goes back to the cost of the medals whatever is left goes to these girls. If you choose to register and donate more awesome, anything over the $5 will go to the fund. Make sure when you register you do this as a friends and family so that PayPal cost won’t be taken out.
REGISTER HERE!
How many miles have been ran thus far for these girls? Well, as of today (May 25, 2017) there has been 486.69 miles with accumulate activity time of 310:11:18 and counting!
This all so amazing!! Don’t forget to register by June 4 to be entered into some awesome prizes. Speaking of prizes, make sure you check out the list of prizes we have thus far!
PRIZES! PRIZES! PRIZES!
If you have any questions please feel free to email me rachel.hillary@gmail.com. Please note, I will be traveling to Liverpool this week for a race (May 25-May 29) and won’t be checking email until my return. So if you don’t hear back from me right away that is why!
Cheers!
#MedalMonday #3CORWarriors
Pictures are starting to come in! Make sure to send them to me so I can add them to this page!!!!
email me: rachel.hillary@gmail.com
TuTu Tuesday: Kym Butcher
This week I was excited for Kym to do this blog. She has truly been a warrior throughout this whole ordeal. I asked Kym to talk about how she became the “TuTu Princess” and how she is doing since the accident. For those of you that may not know, Kym was awake throughout the entire accident and has undergone multiple surgeries thus far. Here is her update!
How did you become known as the “TuTu Princess”?
I wore my first tutu at the Warrior Dash in 2014. Since then I’ve had one accompany me at a lot of different races from Tough Murders, Spartans races in Seattle, Wintergreen and Citi Field (my most favorite unrelated person in all this world, Scott, was my tutu twin for that), the Dirty girl, Candy run and pretty much any and all holiday themed 5ks. It kind of just became my thing. Don’t have a TuTu, don’t worry I have one in almost every color and for every holiday. My love for TuTu’s didn’t stop there. I started taking my tutus places and asking people to take pictures in them with me from bands such as Seether and Breaking Benjamin to the Colorado Avalanche players (they all declined but had no issues wearing the special Avs headbands I made) and this super cool singer from Rooster.
How are you since the accident?
Well, I recently had my 4th and hopefully last surgery almost 3 weeks ago to put my intestines back together and to remove my ileostomy. The seatbelt pretty much tore up my stomach but it kept me alive considering how hard we were hit and how much the car flipped. Because of the seatbelt I lost my spleen and a 18 inches of my colon. I had named my ileostomy Maurice because when you have no choice but to have part of your small intestine protruding from your body why not make peace with the horror of it all. As happy as I am to no longer have Maurice, I am also thankful as well because of him I survived. I’ve also started therapy recently to help with the extreme emotions and PTSD from the accident.
Special THANK YOU from Kym!I am so incredibly thankful for everyone who visited me during my multiple hospital stays, for those who checked in on me and took me to some of my hundreds of Dr appointments. This experience has been horrific to say the least and the pain I’ve been through cannot ever adequately be put into words but knowing so many people from freaking everywhere have been rallying and praying for us has been so humbling. Thank you, from the very bottom recesses of my humble heart. I also wanna thank my gym, FAST in Arvada. Without the trainers there, there is no way I would have healed so fast.
What’s next for Kym?I’m so ready to get back on an obstacle course it’s not even funny. I’m not a spectator by any stretch of the imagination! My Ortho Dr has me bearing weight on my left leg finally and PT is working with me to get that puppy stronger. My goal is to be as close to 100% in time for Muckfest as possible. I already made plans for the US championships in September before all this so that’s my ultimate goal. One day at a time…. Until then my 13 year old daughter graduates from middle school this week so please throw a few extra prayers my way!!!!!!
There is still time to register! We have 1600 medals left (yes, we were a little ambitious for these ladies but who wouldn’t be). If you register and pay by the end of May you are entered into some AWESOME prizes that will be raffled. Otherwise, medals will still be available until completely sold! Cost is $25 with $20 going directly to the girls! Click the link below for details on registration and payment.
REGISTER HERE
As you can imagine being in ANY type of accident isn’t easy. Let alone one that has turned your life around completely. Please find a way to participate in this virtual run and spread the word. Neither Ellie or Kym are working right so every little bits takes that less stress off their plate.
Think about giving up that Starbucks coffee for 5 days or not eating out for lunch for 3 days or even skipping that dinner and movie for one week! One week of giving up something that comes so easy and natural to us makes the WORLD of difference to these girls and their families.
If you have something that you would like to offer up in the raffle, please let me know and we can figure out the details. This race isn’t limited on where to participate. We have people in Canada and US but would love to see people from Italy, Sweden, Japan or anywhere overseas.
Thankful Thursday by Ellie Rotter
This week I asked Elizabeth Rotter, one of the survivors from the accident if she would like to post something, especially after she finished walking the Spartan Sprint Sunday. She was only cleared a month ago which is crazy but awesome! Read below her recap from this past weekend at the Spartan Super and Sprint in Fort Carson.
This past weekend stands out far beyond I have ever experienced on any Spartan Race grounds in my whole OCR participation! After all the outreach, care, concern, care packages, cards, and visits while in and out of being at Craig Hospital, this past Fort Carson weekend surpasses engulfment of love from SO many people!Laughter and joyful tears started with my best friend Jessica’s coming to town from Arizona, since the last time I was suppose to see her was three month ago to race Spartan Arizona. This was an overdue delayed/postponed race weekend to spend time together and catching up in person prior to being on the race grounds in the Springs.Saturday’s events started once we stepped into the festival area to visit Stacy Sanderson and the Tatham’s , who were almost on their way out. Friends on Spartan staff gave hugs and talked through any inquiries and discussions to catch up since Breckenridge. Quite a lot to share, including the accident and any life stories that have come up since the last time we all saw each other. Strangers even approached to discuss the significance of the COR medal and reached out to share a hug. Very heart moving!Sunday’s events started once Jess and I were able to get to the corral and join others to step off into the 9:30am heat! Surrounded by COR jerseys, hugs and tears, once again, it was very welcoming to see members of my extended family in person. It all seemed surreal to experience and the heart beat was normal, knowing what to anticipate for the most part on course. My Spartan nickname quickly changed to “Eli” with an honorary moment of silence plus admiration for dear Corrina, to the crowd being informed that I was standing amongst the corral with everyone else. What a blessing!With my protective, supportive, encouraging, and belly shaking from laughter COR walkers were amazing to have alongside the whole course! Rachel Babcock, her boyfriend David, plus Jessica and I made it through the course with their circular and vocal protection! Our laughter and story telling are all quite memorable plus being able to take photos of these 3 enjoying the obstacles and getting muddy together was amazing. My itches to run and desires to complete the obstacles were on hold knowing those will be reintroduced once my body is ready to take on the challenges. Knowing that I just started walking without any balance issues a month prior to this weekend, early on having an oxygen tank every night to breathe fully out of both lungs and multiple fractures from my right shoulder to my pelvis, it felt incredible to say the least to be on race grounds taking each step and hill with a soul full of blessings to be able to accomplish such a feat! The third hill had my heart beating faster than ever focused on before and I was very grateful to see the last hill to climb. I will say with determination and perseverance, I climbed each of the 5 hills without taking any breathers until the peaks, grateful for the team around me in case anything happened.Once we reached Mt. Olympus, my eyes viewed the sea of COR people standing near the finish line and I was already tearful. Our discussion of jumping or walking or going around the fire obstacle spewed into my Niagara Falls of tears seeing, as we got closer to the finish line, who was standing in front of the whole group, Tiffany, Corrina’s daughter. What an honor to receive the finisher medal from Tiffany! I am still completely humbled and my heart is full of so many incredible emotions from us all being together. These words only summarize a portion of everything that happened this past weekend. May the love of people keep spreading and bring us stronger and healthier together.Much love,Elizabeth
Here is a special note from Emily’s mom Julie. Ellie and Emily are buddies through the “I Run 4 Michael” group. More info on that program HERE.
“My daughter just completed her 5K for Elizabeth Rotter. She’s only 9 years old and is a special needs child who Elizabeth actually joined “I Run 4 Michael” group and was matched with my daughter so Elizabeth could run for her. Since the accident my daughter has been determined now to run for Ellie and she has – and today she did big time! It’s not easy for her, but she kept her legs moving and had a smile on her face pretty much most of the time. 🙂 I just think having a picture or two of her for Ellie would be neat.
Thank you for the opportunity to do this for these amazing ladies. My daughter ADORES Elizabeth and even though they haven’t met (we live in Michigan), she has connected deeply with my little girl and helps my daughter overcome and push through her struggles with her special needs. It’s been a privilege to support Ellie now during this difficult time.
There is so much to be thankful for in our lives and its such a blessing to see everyone coming together to support these ladies. As we continuously mention, medals are still available and will be until all 1900 are gone!!! This is a big task at hand but the least we can try to do for these ladies that have given so much to others.
Remember, if you register and pay by the end of May you will be entered into some awesome prizes such as Tough Mudder entry, OCR Spear, thirty7’s apparel, LuLa Roe and much more.
Why Wait?! Register Today!!!
Warriors Wednesday: Fort Carson Spartan honoring 3 COR Warriors
Good Morning Everyone!
Wow what an amazing weekend we had at COR. This past weekend was the Spartan Super and Sprint at Fort Carson where we ran and honored our 3 COR Warriors! Kym made it out on Saturday and was the best cheerleader anyone could ask for and Ellie was able to join us Saturday afternoon and Sunday! There truly is so much to talk about but I am only going to focus on the highlights.
First off, COR won biggest team for both Saturday Super and Sunday Sprint. We had over 300 people signed up! On Saturday, Kym was able to make it for the presentation where we honored the girls. COR gave Tiffany, Corrina’s daughter, the trophy from last year as well as a flag that was signed and ran during the Spartan Utah. On top of that here is the video of COR doing “Sally” in honor of Corrina (she definitely was smiling).
As I mentioned, Kym was a big cheerleader to everyone there! She even stood up to her name as “Tutu Princess” by wearing her bright tutu! Here are some pictures of Kym from Saturday.
On Sunday, Ellie (aka Team Eli), came back to walk the Sprint course. She has been active walking on average 6 miles a day but that is flat ground. Her doctor cleared her to walk the 5.3 mile course that entailed hills but to just be careful! Prior to the start, Spartan took a moment to honor the 3 COR Warriors. Here is a the video for you to understand the community, family and love we have for these ladies.
Ellie was on a mission to finish this 5.3 mile course that included hills and I mean brutal hills where some people had to stop to catch their breathe or stretch their muscles but this lady right here was a BEAST and true WARRIOR. She didn’t stop once! She kept going passing people left and right. Each hill was a mental, physical and emotional battle to see where she has come from 11 weeks ago. Here are just a couple photos that were take along the way but the ABSOLUTE highlight of the day was her crossing the finish line and being medaled by Tiffany while the rest of the COR team was there to cheer her on! (video below)
The one thing that is consistent in all these videos and photos is that Ellie and Kym have a nonstop smile on their faces. Their journey is still far from over but all this love, support and donations are helping tremendously. Neither of them are able to be back at work yet and still have ton of medical appointments to attend.
Medals will still be available after the month of May until they are sold out but the prizes are only for those that register and pay in May. So what is stopping you? The cost is $25 with $20 going DIRECTLY to the 3 girls and their families. We have sold about 350 medals as of today (May 17, 2017) with a ton more available. Please share their story and participate in this great cause! Medals are shipped out weekly!
REGISTER HERE
For everyone that has donated or is participating THANK YOU!!! The girls love seeing photos so please keep posting them using #3corwarriors and please email me them (rachel.hillary@gmail.com).
For any questions, please feel free to contact me!
Rachel
Talk About It Tuesday: Corrina Vaden
For the next couple of weeks, “Talk About It Tuesday” will focus on the 3 COR Warriors. Many people know these ladies but there is also a lot of people running that do not. Our goal with these is to help you get to know these ladies and why you are running this race or help you make that decision to sign up if you haven’t already.
side note: I wrote this blog prior to finding out that TODAY, May 9th, is Corrina’s Birthday (BIG 5-0)!
This week I asked Corrina’s daughter, Tiffany Yacuta, to write something about her mother since Corrina unfortunately passed away at the scene. Here is what Tiffany had to say….
I have been blessed with so any compliments and well wishes about my mother since the car wreck that took her from me and my family. People keep telling me how empowering, inspirational, beautiful, and exciting she was. There have been so many descriptions of my mom. I just saw her as my mom. I wouldn’t have had it any other way honestly. She was a great mother. She and my father had three children by the time they were 21 years old. She raised three kids into pretty well-rounded human beings, if I do say so myself. She was energetic, optimistic, and seemed to always be the brightest light in the room. When my brother, sister, and I were growing up, Mom was always the mom our friends wanted around. She was the glue that held my family together when we fell apart, so another word I would use to describe her would be “strong.”
My mom was the one rooting us all on throughout our childhood into adulthood. As time went by my mom and dad found their differences and thought it best to separate. As devastating as that can be to any child, this was a good thing, for it would not have brought her to my amazing step dad, James. James introduced her to a more active lifestyle, that may have been the best thing that could have ever happened for my mom.
I remember the phone call from her a few years ago about wanting to do an obstacle race for the first time. I thought she was crazy. It was a kind of shock that she would want to put herself through that much rigorous activity. She never seemed to be interested in stuff like this before, so when she told me I was a little weary of the
outcome. She was almost 50! I didn’t want her to get hurt trying to prove something to herself. A couple hours after she finished that first obstacle race she called me back. I had never heard her so excited before. EVER. She had a blast. She told me about how she wanted to quit several times throughout the race but an incredible group of people helped her through and never gave up on her. She said she never thought she would be able to finish it and she was so proud to have accomplished something like this before.
I had underestimated my mother. I learned my lesson and from that moment on she proved herself repeatedly. She joined this amazing group called the Colorado Obstacle Racers (COR). Mom had never felt more alive. She would continue to set goals for herself and completely shatter those goals every single time. Her goals became bigger and bigger. The phrase “anything is possible” was my mom’s new motto. She was tough, fearless, and never backed down from a challenge no matter how difficult. Her children held the greatest honor by being able to run some of these obstacle races with her on different occasions. She would always apologize because she was slower than us. I think I can speak on behalf of all three of us by saying that we didn’t care. We just loved to see our mother happy and having the time of her life doing something she loved with the people she loved.
When I say “people” she loved, I am not just talking about her children, husband or the rest of our family. COR was her family too. She talked about COR constantly. The new people she met, what crazy workouts they got her into, the ops trainings, races, everything. Her team members from COR had been incredible. They taught her how to find her inner strength, how to be a part of a team, and how to never give up on herself. Her COR team members were like family to her. COR changed her life completely. She was a better person, mother, competitor, and warrior because of COR. She learned so many life lessons with this team. I was fortunate enough to see my mom truly happy with herself because of COR. For that, I will forever be grateful for this group of people.
Please join us for the 3 COR Warriors Virtual Run!
- Sign Up Here
- Send payment via PayPal to: http://Paypal.me/corgear
- Additional donation can be added on to your registration that will go directly to the girls
- Be on the lookout for emails from Rachel
If you have any questions, please email Rachel @ rachel.hillary@gmail.com
F-Ya! Friday: Fundraising Update
HOLY CRAP! May the 4th was AWESOME!
Let me just take a moment say THANK YOU and WOW!!!! This week has been AMAZING for the 3 COR Warriors Virtual Run!!! With everyone sharing the posts we have 224 people signed up and counting! Yesterday alone over 300 people visited the 3 COR Warriors site and today its already off with a bang! We still have a ton of medals to sell so keep sharing everywhere!
A main question I get asked is:
How much of the money will the girls get from this race? Well, let me tell you. We are asking $25 per entry with $20 of each entry going to the girls. The medals cost $5 each and that is all we are asking for in return. I am paying the shipping and packaging for all these medals out of my own pocket with no question or hesitation.
Wow! That is a lot of money out of your own pocket. Why? The question shouldn’t be why but why not?! Personally, I only know Ellie first hand but have gotten to know Kym more over these past few months! When I first heard about the accident my heart broke and immediately thought what can I do to help? What people don’t realize is that almost all of us from COR are transplants (moved here from somewhere else) yet are one BIG (sometimes dysfunctional) family that do more than just race together. We celebrate weddings, graduations, accomplishments but also support, love and come together during the hard times. Colorado Obstacle Racers group opens their arms to anyone even if you are not part of the group (…yet) or a runner. When we race a majority of the elites will come back on the course to rally and help the rest us finish the race strong.
If you don’t see the picture, let’s just say that COR is like the TV Show FRIENDS! Yes, we have our immediate families but as we get older our friends become our family too! Our captains even host a Thanksgiving and Christmas gathering for those that don’t have anywhere to go because they stand by the motto “no one should be left out or have nowhere to go”.
I know that we set a very ambitious goal for this virtual run but I figured since our OCR and running family is so HUGE and these women loved OCR and running, why not set the bar high! With that said, we have ordered 2000 medals with only 1775 left. (you can do the math and see how much this helps the girls). With that said, please continue to share this race and sign up! We rather hold your medal until you have money to pay then lose out on getting one.
You will feel this way too when you sign up!
Here is a breakdown on how to register:
1. Sign up HERE
2. Send $25 via PayPal: http://Paypal.me/corgear
3. Be on the lookout for emails from me!
Thats it! Simple! Some have asked how do we donate more. You can either add it on to your race entry (just make note in comments), visit the GoFundMe page or send additional money via PayPal after you run. Choice is yours but just your participation in the run means the world to these warriors and their families.
Think About It Thursday! Sign Up TODAY
Wow! The love that we have received for these ladies is beyond words! I know they personally feel all the love, support and excitement around this race. Since announcing this race we have had over 1000 people all over the world reading about it and have about 200 people signed up between Canada and the US. This is just incredible! Our goal is to get 2000 people signed up from all over the world! Check out where everyone is running
Today, Kym went in for her 4th surgery from the accident. She finally was able to part ways with Maurice (her ostomy bag). This is just another step in her journey to a full recovery. She had a going away party this past weekend for her and Maurice. Here are a couple pics and her vibrant smile.
Both Ellie and Kym are still out of work and recovering from the accident. By participating in this race you are helping take away their financial stress, showing support and love all the while they are able to focus on their recovery.
If every person that has looked at this race, the past month, actually signed up we would have about 1200 people from all over the world which means the girls would have $30,000! That is nuts to think about!
What is stopping you from signing up?
- Cost? Pay when you can just sign up to hold your medal. I won’t send medals til I know money has been sent.
- Don’t know the girls? We will be showcasing each of the women over the next few weeks to let you see how amazing they are
- Don’t have PayPal? Ok well contact me and we can figure something out!
- Why should you? If you have or know anyone that has been in a serious car accident you know the stress, hassle and time it takes to settle everything (average length is 3 years). Each major surgery cost around $200k depending what is being done. It all adds up fast and not even including the emotional, physical and mental challenges that don’t have a price. In a blink of an eye these women’s lives changed forever.
Let me tell you through everything that these girls have been through, their strength, love and positivity amaze me. Yes, they have their bad days but overall they stay positive and move forward. They definitely took the term “when life gives you lemons, make lemonade” to a whole new level.
MORE INFO HERE
Medal Unveiling: Ellie
Good Morning Everyone! Here is our last Warrior, Ellie, who received her medal yesterday and was definitely excited but had to wait so that someone could film it.
If you haven’t registered yet whats stopping you? Is it money? Fine register and pay when you can. Medals will be shipped out once we verify transactions.
Don’t have PayPal? Ok contact Laura or me and we will work something out!
These are a ONCE in a LIFETIME medal that mean so much to what WE at COR stand for!!! We wanted to make sure everyone had the opportunity to get one so we ordered a ton! Register today!!!!!
Crushing Crohn's 