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Team Hope

Youth running group trains for News and Sentinel Half Marathon

August 11, 2009
By JAY W. BENNETT
PARKERSBURG - Bringing about change, that's exactly what the plan is for Team Hope in this year's running of the 23rd News and Sentinel Half Marathon, which is slated to take place on Saturday, Aug. 22.


Church members Jessica and Ryan Cochran of South Parkersburg Baptist were at a children's ministry conference earlier this year in Chicago and learned about a group of people - Team World Vision - who run marathons and half marathons to raise money for children in Africa.


Upon hearing of this, the couple did some brainstorming and decided they'd bring back the idea to their church and out of this came Team Hope.


The goal for Team Hope, who will have participants in both the 2-mile race and the half marathon itself, is to raise funds and send them to Bolivia.


"We have missionaries in Bolivia that we support and our church has taken a mission there," said Ryan, who along with his wife teaches youth at their church. "After we saw the pictures and videos from there we felt there was a need and decided we also could raise money for the people living there.


"I figured the kids would be interested in running. We weren't sure about the reaction. We were really surprised about the half marathon and how many people signed up for it."


Although only a half dozen or so church members were actual half marathon participants, the group is expecting around four dozen people to make the 13.1-mile trek.


"My goal was 50 people," Jessica said, noting anyone may donate via the Internet through Paypal by visiting www.spbc-wv.org/hope.


"We were over 50, but a few people have had injuries and had to back out of it.


"Not only are we helping the people in Bolivia, but we are also helping get all these people in shape."


While Jessica will be running in the half marathon, Ryan is set to join the youth runners in the 2-mile, who have been doing training sessions each week at the Erickson All-Sports Facility.


Many of the runners competing in the half marathon have used the help of the River City Runners Club while others have done the mileage on their own.


Even though its only been a few short months since this idea was even conceived, Ryan is surprised how well things have gone.


Both the youth and the adults running the half marathon have and are still actively seeking donations for the church to help those who are less fortunate in Bolivia.


"We've raised more than $500 for the 2-mile and that's only with like six kids turning money in," Ryan said.


Added Jessica, "the day after the race our mission partners in Bolivia are going to fly in, they are supposed to, and we're going to present them with one of those big checks."


They hope the amount of that check is going to be in the neighborhood of $10,000 to $15,000.


"We said we'd see how it went this year and it seems like it's doing really well," Jessica remarked.


Since this is the first year this has been done, the couple and the church hasn't decided who would be the beneficiaries in the future.


However, Ryan is hoping and planning to do this for a while if at all possible and as long as there are still people who want to be a part of it.


"I hope we can continue to do this year after year," he said.


"That's our plan. It seems like it's caught on."


Team Hope is also being joined by some members of LifeSpring Community Church in Mason County, who are expected to have a couple participants in the half marathon and more than a dozen runners in the 2-mile race.

Article Photos

Photos by Jay W. Bennett
Members of the Team Hope 2-mile News and Sentinel Half Marathon youth running group have been conducting training sessions at the Erickson All-Sports Facility. Team members are, front row, from left, Abie Reed, Sophie Nelson, Sam Homan, Chris Dooley and Eli Marshall. Middle row, from left, Cheyenne McCartney, Caleb Stone, Drew Cochran, Cori Wilson and Josie Knight. Top row, from left, Logan Coe, Ellen Harper, Grace Reed, Sydney Homan, Haley Barber and Ally Monroe. Absent members include Carly Davis, Jaycie Skinner, Kayce Rogers, Kaitlyn Reamer, Erin Reamer, Lindsay Fries and Jake Eddy.

 
 

 

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