Goals give life more purpose, right? We accomplish some and fail at others. Success sometimes can be measured by those which we accomplish. Just as much, our failures quickly turn into valuable life lessons. Thus, establishing goals and pushing to meet them can only lead to good, even while failing.
My goal for the 2009 KGB 5k is 400 participants. That would be about double the amount of runners this year...very reachable. The long term goal is to find a cure for cognitive brain diseases...a dream of a goal, maybe impossible in my lifetime.
But if the race grows every year there is a chance.
Wanted to write this somewhere....400 4 2009 is the challenge for next year!
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Post Race
My family and I created Kieron Go Bragh Foundation and the Kieron Go Bragh 5k for a couple of reasons. First, there needed to be a charity in place to raise funds for Pick's Disease. In the medical world it's a relative unknown. Second, in the face of this God-awful tragedy that our family now knows, we were emotionally compelled to cling to something that might counter our deep sorrow and ensure that Kieron not be forgotten. Thus the name, Kieron Go Bragh, or, Kieron Forever.
Words cannot describe the sadness that one feels when a loved one is stricken with a terminal disease. I didn't know that until now...now, as reality has it, I know it very well and I wish it on no one. Watching the disease progress is hell. But what I witnessed this weekend at the race allowed me to draw a positive out the single most negative occurrence in my life.
We've never established a charitable foundation and so when we set out on this crusade in the summer of 2007 none of us really knew what to expect. We were just trying to make something worthwhile out of this unluckiness.
After the second annual Kieron Go Bragh 5k, I know the true meaning of gratitude, and thankfulness. To sit back and watch a fledgling cause grow into a real, vital, meaningful entity is in a word, fulfilling.
Several participants approached me over the weekend and thanked me and my family for putting on the race. But the real thanks goes to the Center for Brain Health and all its volunteers, Run On Texas who implemented all the logistics, and especially to all the runners and donors who contributed to the Kieron Go Bragh Foundation and "Ran for Research". Without all of you, our cause would still be fledgling.
The race grew by well over 100%, meaning research funds grew by that much too. We've now got momentum and head into the 2009 race with great expectations.
To the returning runners, to the new runners, to all the kind people who travelled from out of town to participate, to all those who sent in donations, the Finnegan family extends a warm thanks and big dose of gratitude. We're overwhelmed.
My brother Kieron was big on kind deeds. He'd think this massive showing of support and fight was something to talk about.
Let's keep the momentum strong and continue to make Kieron Go Bragh a known cause.
Thanks to everyone, and KIERON GO BRAGH-
Michael Finnegan
Words cannot describe the sadness that one feels when a loved one is stricken with a terminal disease. I didn't know that until now...now, as reality has it, I know it very well and I wish it on no one. Watching the disease progress is hell. But what I witnessed this weekend at the race allowed me to draw a positive out the single most negative occurrence in my life.
We've never established a charitable foundation and so when we set out on this crusade in the summer of 2007 none of us really knew what to expect. We were just trying to make something worthwhile out of this unluckiness.
After the second annual Kieron Go Bragh 5k, I know the true meaning of gratitude, and thankfulness. To sit back and watch a fledgling cause grow into a real, vital, meaningful entity is in a word, fulfilling.
Several participants approached me over the weekend and thanked me and my family for putting on the race. But the real thanks goes to the Center for Brain Health and all its volunteers, Run On Texas who implemented all the logistics, and especially to all the runners and donors who contributed to the Kieron Go Bragh Foundation and "Ran for Research". Without all of you, our cause would still be fledgling.
The race grew by well over 100%, meaning research funds grew by that much too. We've now got momentum and head into the 2009 race with great expectations.
To the returning runners, to the new runners, to all the kind people who travelled from out of town to participate, to all those who sent in donations, the Finnegan family extends a warm thanks and big dose of gratitude. We're overwhelmed.
My brother Kieron was big on kind deeds. He'd think this massive showing of support and fight was something to talk about.
Let's keep the momentum strong and continue to make Kieron Go Bragh a known cause.
Thanks to everyone, and KIERON GO BRAGH-
Michael Finnegan
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Kieron's tunes
It's late Thursday night, two eves before the second annual Kieron Go Bragh 5k. For the race this year I made a song list...
Like Kieron I'm not high on cliches but it was bittersweet selecting which songs to blair over the sound system down at Reverchon Park in a few days.
The criteria was easy for me. Kieron was into his music. I'm sure his taste in music was heavily influenced by his high school days in the late 70's and one year of prep school in New England in 1980. So, the song list has a heavy dose of the sign of those times: The Who, Pink Floyd, The Eagles and The Boss, who he became enamored with at the one year of boarding school.
But his taste was also peppered with artists like Sinatra, Neil Diamond, and Willie Nelson. I included singles off soundtracks from his favorite movies. Lastly, selfishly, I added some songs that reminded me of him.
Like most friends, we liked listening to music together. Songs evoke such powerful memories, thus the bitter sweetness of this exercise. Our favorite were old Springsteen songs. We'd set out on a road trip and a constant part of our preparation, other than loading up poles, a cooler, and our dog, was choosing the music for the drive.
Several songs come to mind tonite, but one especially is Springsteen's Fade Away, one of his less popular but all-time greats. Another more popular Boss song I'm reminded of is No Surrender, one we'd sing in awful unison. One verse always gets me, and brings me back to those drives:
"Well, now young faces grow sad and old, And hearts of fire grow cold, We swore blood brothers against the wind, Now I'm ready to grow young again"...
Born to Run was Kieron's favorite and in a way seems fitting for our event the day after tomorrow!
Like Kieron I'm not high on cliches but it was bittersweet selecting which songs to blair over the sound system down at Reverchon Park in a few days.
The criteria was easy for me. Kieron was into his music. I'm sure his taste in music was heavily influenced by his high school days in the late 70's and one year of prep school in New England in 1980. So, the song list has a heavy dose of the sign of those times: The Who, Pink Floyd, The Eagles and The Boss, who he became enamored with at the one year of boarding school.
But his taste was also peppered with artists like Sinatra, Neil Diamond, and Willie Nelson. I included singles off soundtracks from his favorite movies. Lastly, selfishly, I added some songs that reminded me of him.
Like most friends, we liked listening to music together. Songs evoke such powerful memories, thus the bitter sweetness of this exercise. Our favorite were old Springsteen songs. We'd set out on a road trip and a constant part of our preparation, other than loading up poles, a cooler, and our dog, was choosing the music for the drive.
Several songs come to mind tonite, but one especially is Springsteen's Fade Away, one of his less popular but all-time greats. Another more popular Boss song I'm reminded of is No Surrender, one we'd sing in awful unison. One verse always gets me, and brings me back to those drives:
"Well, now young faces grow sad and old, And hearts of fire grow cold, We swore blood brothers against the wind, Now I'm ready to grow young again"...
Born to Run was Kieron's favorite and in a way seems fitting for our event the day after tomorrow!
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