Wednesday, August 26, 2015

Eagleman gets Blue Ribbon with Tour de Fox


     This week my daughters returned to school and since I haven't written a post all summer, I feel the need to answer the infamous back-to-school writing prompt, "What did you do for summer vacation?" It turns out my activities this summer have been riddled with many of those "it's a small world", unlikely connections.

    Two years ago, when I was planning Run-the-World 4 Parkinson's, I contacted Team Fox to find out how to use my project to raise money for the Michael J. Fox Foundation. Everyone I spoke with said, "You need to talk to Sam". Sam is Sam Fox, the Michael J Foundation's Outreach and Engagement Officer. Motivated by a mother with Parkinson's, in 2011 he ran from Canada to Mexico raising $300,000 for Parkinson's research. At that time, Sam was planning an ambitious challenge to climb the highest peak in each state, while biking much of the distance between mountains. Since then Tour de Fox has become a reality. A journey that began in June and will end in September, brought him to Las Vegas on August 16th...in between running across the Grand Canyon and cycling through Death Valley. In Vegas, Sam and a support crew of three, met up with about 20 locals to walk, run or bike and then eat breakfast at Blue Ribbon Fried Chicken.