Recently in Charity Category

Update from Mike:  We've had a busy couple of months since our last update!  I'm happy to report that we've had 60 new iJoiners since our last update, bringing our total to 257!  I've been quite busy with work and preparing for Ironman Coeur d'Alene which took place on June 21. The race went fairly well, and you can check out my race report complete with pictures on my blog. I will also be competing at Ironman Louisville on August 30, and we will be making a big push to finish strong in the next couple of months. Remember that August 30 is the deadline for your funds to be raised!  Go to http://www.jointherace.org/donate.php to donate!
 
iJoiner Updates: The deadline is approaching to have your miles completed and your money raised!  Congratulations to those who have already completed all three requirements of going the distance, raising the money, and recruiting another iJoiner. Way to go! Here is a list of those that have met all three goals:

• Troy Bouma
• Tim Brands
• Micah Brands
• Maria Brands
• Sarah Brouwer
• Bryan DeGroot
• Nate DeVries
• Michael Pluimer
• David Ribbens
  

Several others have met all their mileage and recruiting requirements, but are still working on their fundraising. Keep it up!
 
We continue to recruit iJoiners from all over the U.S. and Canada. I had the great privilege of speaking at the All Ontario Youth Convention in May, where we recruited 22 iJoiners from Ontario.  Thanks to the Canadians for Joining the Race!  You can see some pictures from the event at my blog at http://www.crosstrainercoaching.com/blog/. Currently, we have iJoiners in Minnesota, Michigan, Iowa, Illinois, Colorado, North Carolina, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Jersey, Arizona, Maryland, Tennessee, Wisconsin, Ontario, Alberta, British Columbia, and Hungary!  If you know of someone who may be interested in joining from another state, please recruit them!  Let's see if we can get 30 states by August 30!
 
Mike's Race Schedule:  In addition to Ironman Louisville on August 30, I will also be racing the Chisago Lakes Half Ironman on July 26 as a warm-up. I may also throw in a couple road races and shorter triathlons, but our summer has filled up rather quickly already with my work schedule, Michael Jr's Little League and fast-pitch games, and travels.
 
Pluimer's Ponderings: Hebrews 12:1-3 is one of my favorite passages of scripture. It says,
 
 1Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. 2Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
 
What kind of race are you running?  Are you persevering and enduring, or are you growing weary and losing heart?  Perhaps both. We're living in a difficult time. Unemployment in the U.S. is nearly 10%, and many self-employed people are struggling to find work. Friends and loved ones are dying of cancer or other illnesses. AIDS is orphaning millions of children in Africa.  It's easy to lose heart. However, the author of Hebrews reminds us of someone who fully understands our hardships and suffering. It is comforting and encouraging to know that our Savior Jesus Christ endured far more than any of us could possibly imagine, and now is sitting down at the right hand of the throne of God. He knows your hardships. He knows your pain. And he now reigns as the ultimate example of someone who finished the race strong in spite of the hardships along the way.
 
When I crossed the finish line at Ironman Coeur d'Alene a couple weeks ago, the roar of the crowd was energizing and encouraging. The pain and nausea I had felt for much of the race seemed to melt away in the last half-mile stretch down the finishers' chute. Hebrews 12 talks about a similar cloud of witnesses that is watching your race and cheering you on. These witnesses are the heroes of faith (mentioned in Hebrews 11) that have preceded you. Can you hear them cheering? That loud scream you just heard was Moses! And, that guy standing up in the back - that's Abraham!  They're reminding you that they endured a tough race to the end and are encouraging you to do the same. 
 
The Ironman, like life, is a long race. During the times of difficulty or hardship, it seems that it will never end. However, Hebrews 12 encourages us to endure. The pain on the course will be eclipsed by the finisher's medal around your neck. We look forward to that finish line, but now is the time to run. Run hard, and finish strong.
 
Blessings!
 
Mike

Join the Race

Update from Mike:  What's the best thing about February in Minnesota?  January is over!  Indeed, we had a cold month.  The only day above freezing the entire month of January was the last day - the 31st!  Many of the days were below zero.  But hope is around the corner.  Today it was in the mid-30's and I made it outside for a nice 22 mile training ride before dark.  It was wonderful!  If you want some further updates on my training and racing, or anything else that may be on my mind, be sure to check out my blog at www.crosstrainercoaching.com/blog.
 
Big Changes at Join the Race!   A lot has happened since my last update 4 weeks ago.  We've made some significant changes to Join the Race, which I will outline in this newsletter. 
 
The first major change is that I will no longer be competing at Ironman South Africa, and instead will be competing in two Ironmans in the U.S.:  Coeur d'Alene on June 21 and Louisville on August 30.  Please allow me to explain the reasoning for this significant change.  Those of you who've heard my testimony know that there were two primary objectives for competing in South Africa:  1. To visit our brothers and sisters in Africa to better understand the devastating effects of HIV/AIDS on their culture and community, as well as to experience first-hand the work that the CRWRC is doing to help put an end to this horrific pandemic.  2. The second objective is that we felt that by competing in Africa we could better raise funds and awareness for HIV/AIDS as compared to racing the Ironman locally in the U.S. 
 
So, why the change of heart?  Well, as most of you know, I had the great privilege of going on a HIV/AIDS Discovery Tour with the CRWRC to three countries in Africa last November.  This trip went above and beyond my expectations, and fully met the goals outlined in Objective 1 above.  Furthermore, the Discovery Tour opened my eyes to the extreme poverty in these African countries.  I had read and heard about this poverty before, but seeing it with my own eyes woke me up.  I witnessed young men pounding rocks with sledge hammers for 12 hours a day, and women working the hot fields with their hands, babies on their backs.  Their wages for this excruciating work are typically around a dollar for the entire day. A dollar.  It was then that I realized that EVERY DOLLAR COUNTS, and I felt convicted to send as much money to these people as possible.  
 
As I contemplated racing the Ironman in South Africa, I thought about the the expenses for travel costs (airfare, bike shipment, registration, lodging, etc.) for competing in South Africa as opposed to the U.S.  It became very difficult for me to justify the extra money in travel costs for this competion when I knew I could compete in the same race in the U.S. for a fraction of the cost, and give the extra money that would have been spent in travel costs directly to the people in Africa.  In fact, as I started thinking about it, I realized I could compete in two U.S. Ironmans for a much cheaper cost than Ironman South Africa, giving us an additional race to raise money while saving on overall costs. I had already met Objective 1 with the HIV/AIDS Discovery tour, so the big question now was whether or not Objective 2 was worth enough to offset the additional costs. After thinking and praying about it, I felt that it wasn't. 
 
So, after discussing this with my Join the Race team and the CRWRC, everyone agreed that I should race Ironman Coeur d'Alene (Idaho) and Ironman Louisville (Kentucky) instead of Ironman South Africa, and donate all of the extra money that would have been spent on travel costs to South Africa directly to the CRWRC and the people in Africa.  Furthermore, by competing in two U.S. Ironmans rather than an international Ironman, we will be able to participate in the Janus Charity Challenge (www.JanusCharityChallenge.com) in each of these races.  The Janus Charity Challenge is part of all Ironman competitions in North America and will allow us the opportunity to raise additional money for the CRWRC depending on how much money we raise in total.  You can read all about it at the above link.  Although I was greatly looking forward to returning to my brothers and sisters in Africa to race the Ironman, I have complete peace about this decision and feel that we are following the Lord's will.
 
So what does this mean for you and the Join the Race competion?
 
This is actually great news for you!  You now have until August 30 to complete your training, recruiting, and fundraising goals! I know that some of you have a long ways to go, so this should give you the extra edge to meet your goals.  In light of our current economic times, you can think of it as the iJoiner Stimulus Package!
 
Also, I am hopeful we can get a good group of people together in Coeur d'Alene and Louisville to help out with this cause.  If you have friends or families in these areas, please let them know!
 
What about the prizes?
 
We will still be giving out prizes, but will wait until the end of the competition (August 30) to give them out.  Remember, to be eligible for the prizes (which include iPods, gift cards, and other great gifts), you must have fulfilled all of your goals (completing the Ironman distance in your training, raising $500, and recruiting another iJoiner).  Full details are available on our website at http://www.jointherace.org/ijoin/competition.php. 
 
Other changes...
 
We are working on updating our online donation system.  This should be up and running by the end of February!  Meanwhile, you can continue to donate as instructed on our website.  Stay tuned for future communications regarding this update!
 
iJoiner Highlights: 
 
We now have 195 iJoiners.  We welcome to our latest iJoiners to the team!  Laurie Pluimer from Appleton, Wisconsin and Lacey Swart from Willmar, Minnesota have Joined the Race!  Thanks for making a difference!
 
We're making progress, iJoiners.  It's good to see many of you logging miles and running, swimming and biking your way to your goal!  So far, 12 iJoiners have met their $500 fundraising goal, 32 people have completed the biking leg (112 miles), 48 have completed the swimming (2.4 miles), and 63 have completed the running (26.2 miles).  Steve Blom is still swimming away with the swim title with over 82 miles!  Here's a list of those that have completed the Ironman distance in their training (the most recent to have completed the distance are noted in BOLD - Congrats to Jessica DeGroot, Loren Leusink, and Jordan Mulder, the most recent to complete the Ironman distance!).
 
 
IRONMAN DISTANCES COMPLETED:

Steve Blom
Troy Bouma
Tim Brands
Paul Cool
Chris Duininck
Bryan DeGroot
Jessica DeGroot
Mark Erickson
Tim Erickson
Jeff Fisher
Bert Hanson
Richard Jouwstra
Loren Leusink
Michael Lopers
Chelsey McNamara
Jordan Mulder
Nicole Noack
Michael Pluimer
Jeff Poppema
David Ribbens
Wendy Ulferts
Dawn Wielenga

See all the details on the Leaderboard.

Upcoming Speaking Engagements: I will be speaking at the CRWRC Board Meeting in Chicago on February 26.  If you'd like me to come and speak at your church or school, please let me know!  Send me an email at michael.pluimer@gmail.com. 
 
 
I apologize for the long email, but these were some important items that needed to be communicated.  Thanks so much for your commitment to Join the Race and help put an end to HIV/AIDS in Africa!  Blessings to you all!
 
Train Hard,
 
Mike

Mike will be racing in the Coeur d'Alene Ironman Triatholon on June 24, 2007. He has chosen once again to participate in the Janus Charity Challenge, this time to support Christian Education.

Here as an excerpt from Mike's letter:

We have chosen the theme, "Moving Forward - Three Events, Two Schools, One Goal." Simply stated - each schol, while independent, shares the same goal. Each one strives to provide a Christ-centered, quality education for their students. Through the Ironman Triathlon and Janus Charity Challenge, we are hoping to assist the schools in advancing this mission. Our goal? We would like to raise $200,000 for the two schools, while also raising awareness and promoting Christ-centered education this area. By working together in this effort and putting Christ-centered education at the forefront, we can accomplish much more than by working independently.

The two schools that Mike is racing for are

Central Minnesota Christian School in Prinsburg, MN

Community Christian School in Willmar, MN

This article can be found at http://www.ironmannorthamerica.com

Ford Ironman USA Coeur d'Alene athletes raise more than $500,000 through the Janus Charity Challenge

BOULDER, Colo. Sixty-three athletes who competed in the 2005 Ford Ironman USA Coeur d'Alene Triathlon in June raised $559,000 for non-profit organizations through the Janus Charity Challenge program.

As presenting sponsor of Ironman North America events in the United States, Janus, the Denver-based investment management firm, created the Janus Charity Challenge to encourage athletes to use Ironman events as a way to raise money for their favorite nonprofit organizations.

Since the inception of the program back in 2001, the Janus Charity Challenge has raised more than $9.2 million for hundreds of nonprofit groups throughout the country.

The top fundraiser at the 2005 Ford Ironman USA Coeur d'Alene was Michael Pluimer (Raymond, Minn.), who raised $72,913 for the Central Minnesota Christian School. Pluimer's nonprofit will receive an additional $10,000 contribution from Janus, and he will also receive a complimentary entry in the Ironman North America race of his choice in the next 12 months.

All athletes who compete in Ironman North America full-distance U.S. events in 2005 are eligible to participate in the program. For the top five individual fundraisers at each race, Janus will make a donation to their designated charity in the following amounts: First place, $10,000; second place, $8,000; third place, $6,000; fourth place, $4,000 and fifth place, $2,000.

Janus will also contribute $750 to the beneficiaries of the next highest 25 fundraisers (athletes must raise a minimum of $750 to qualify). In addition, the top fundraiser at each race will have the entry fee waived for the Ironman North America race of his or her choice within the following 12 months.

“This race set a new record in the number of athletes participating in the Janus Charity Challenge to date”, said Casey Cortese, director of community relations for Janus. “We are incredibly excited to see more athletes engaging in the program and hope this is a trend that continues throughout the year.”

To make a donation or sign up for the Janus Charity Challenge, or for more information, log onto www.januscharitychallenge.com.

In total, just over $559,000 was raised at this year's Ford Ironman USA Coeur d'Alene triathlon through the Janus Charity Challenge.

1st place: Michael Pluimer (Raymond, Minn.) raised $72,913 for the Central Minnesota Christian School. The school will also receive an additional $10,000 from Janus

2nd place: Aaron Scheidies (Farmington, Mich.) raised $43,271 for the “C Different Foundation,” and the organization will be the recipient of an additional $8,000 donation.

3rd place: Doug Evans (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) raised $32,146.99 for the Lance Armstrong Foundation through the Coeur d’Alene Cancer Challenge. Doug's efforts have brought an extra $6,000 contribution to his beneficiary.

4th place: Cherie Gruenfeld (Cathedral City, Calif.) raised $31,416.78 for the Active Awareness Fund. The Active Awareness Fund will also receive an extra $4,000 from Janus.

5th place: Beth Steinberg (Saratoga, Calif.) raised $26,070 for the Collective Roots Garden Project, and her efforts have brought an extra $2,000 contribution to her beneficiary.