Pre-Race Check List

Now:
1. You should be Registered for the race by now. If you're not, don't put it off any longer!
2. Plan your driving route and departure time. Leave EARLY! Plan to arrive at the race at least a hour early! Trust me, you will be glad. Arriving late will stress you out and possibly upset your race. Roads will be closed, parking will be crazy, runners will be everywhere.
3. Figure out parking now. Read the race website to learn about what roads will be closed, what lots are available and how much they cost, etc.
4. MUSIC: Get that i-pod loaded! Jenna made us all CD's that we'll give out at the Pasta Feed.

Saturday, the Day Before the Race:
1. Go to the Race Expo to pick up your runners bag, number bib, timing chip, and more! There will be tons of booths giving away free samples and selling things, so leave lots of time to hang out and explore.
2. Pick out your race outfit and put it on. That’s right—put it on to make sure you don’t forget something like, oh, the sports bra. Or the left shoe. Put the whole thing on and jog around the block. Don’t try anything new for the race.
3. Drink a lot of water all day.
4. Pack your favorite energy gels, bars or blocks. The race will have water and Gatorade stops, but no gels.
5. Make the time to drive to the course, so you know exactly where the parking, shuttles and starting line are.
6. Purchase and prepare your breakfast for early the next morning.

Have the following items ready to go the night before:
*Your race outfit.
*Official race bib pinned to your PETA Pack race shirt.
*Timing chip attached to your shoe.
*Gels and gus and bars.
*Old sweats to wear in the beginning.
*Hat (if you wear one), sunscreen, hair band, dark glasses.
*PETA banner folded up in your pocket that you can hold up as you cross the finish line (if you want one)
*Music (if you use it).
*Fully charged phone.
*Camera! Please, everyone…bring your camera so we can post photos after the event!
*Small bag with a bottle of water, dry shirt, ID and credit cards for after the race.
*SET YOUR ALARM! If you're anthing like me, you should probably set two.

Race Morning
1. You have everything together, so all you have to do is get dressed and go!
2. Leave with enough time to arrive at least 1 hour early!
3. Find parking and walk to the PETA Pack meeting spot near the starting point on 15th & Broadway.
4. Meet up with the team and walk, stretch, eat a banana…and relax because you're there on time.
5. This race has a gear check--her name is Alex Bury. ;) She'll be at the PETA Pack meeting spot while we're getting ready, but she's not racing so she can take our things back to the office. Leave what you can in your car, but she'll take the rest. That means we can show up in a layer of our favorite old sweats over our race outfits to stay warm in the cold morning air.
6. Ready, set, GO Pack GO!

Post-Race list:
1. Wipe tears off face. Seriously. I guarantee that at least half of us will cry when we cross the finish line.
2. WALK…don’t sit down after the race. Your legs will need to walk so the muscles loosen up.
3. Drink water (they’ll provide it at the race).
4. Cheer for other PETA Packers crossing the finish line and take photos!
5. Share large hugs with everyone you see.
6. Come to the PETA office for the Post Race Party...we'll have pizza, drinks, and more waiting for you! It's 1.5 miles from the finish line, so you can drive, walk, or coordinate a ride back to the office.
17. Eat. Drink. Relax. Stay for the Awards Ceremony, get your prizes if you’ve been fundraising, and take home your runners goody bag!
11. Look in the mirror and marvel at how amazing you are.

If you have any questions, email us soon--don't wait until the night before the race or you may not receive an answer! Good luck with the rest of your fundraising, and we'll see you at the finish line!

Alex, Michelle & Jaci

$100 for the First 14 Runners!

The first 14 runners to raise $100 between now and March 10th will receive an additional $100 from a VERY generous donor and fellow PETA Pack runner, Lisa Towell!

If you’ve been checking the PETA Pack home page regularly, you probably noticed that over the past two days we flew past $20,000 and at this moment have raised $21,560 (although this will probably have changed by the next time I check)! This is SO fantastic and we should all be very proud! Because of us, the lives of so many animals living in miserable conditions are going to be changed for the better.

Dogs like the one pictured above that live out their lives chained to the ground will receive sturdy doghouses from PETA to help them through brutal winters. Undercover investigators will reveal horrific cruelty happening behind closed industry doors, and PETA will bring the footage to the forefront of the public’s attention. Dogs and cats will be spayed and neutered which will spare hundreds or even thousands of animals from coming into this world just to scavenge hungrily on the street or linger in the barren stalls of shelters, only to be euthanized. Cases of animal abuse will be investigated, animals will be rescued, and PETA will do everything in its power to stop the suffering of innocent animals wherever it occurs.

We’ve raised a lot of money to help already, but we still have $78,440 to raise to reach our goal of $100,000. We’ve just got one month left, so now is the time to start reaching out to everyone you know (and don’t know!) and letting them know that you are running hard every week for the many animals out there that need our need help!

Take a look at PETA’s 2009 End of Year video and this Why PETA video for more inspiration.

Thank you all for your dedication and inspiring efforts! We’ve got 30 days left to reach our goals, and now we’ve also got the help of most generous Lisa Towell, so LET’S DO THIS!!!

Fundraising Emails and Thanking Your Donors!

Hey PETA Packers!

Now that you've joined the team and set up your personal fundraising page, I'm sure you can't wait to start fundraising! After all, the rush that you get when you receive donations on your page is one of the best feelings out there. Better yet, you'll be giving your friends, family and co-workers an opportunity to get the incredible feeling that comes with donating to a person and a cause they care about.

What are you waiting for? If you can't figure out what to say, here are some samples for ideas (below). Feel free to use them if you'd like. As long as you keep it personal and from the heart, people won't be able to resist donating!

Thank you for all of your efforts, and Good Luck!

Michelle Cehn :)
michellecehn@petaf.org


Sample Fundraising E-Mail:

Dear Friends,

As some of you may know, I'm training to run a half marathon [or full or 5k] in March. I can barely even imagine running 13+ miles [or 21+ or a 5k] right now, but I am committed to do this on behalf of the abused, neglected and lonely animals with no hope other than PETA coming to their aid. I donate to PETA whenever I can, but I am not able to make the big donations I'd like to by myself. With your help, we can reach more animals and make an even bigger difference than any one person can alone. That is why I decided to run this race. I hope that it will inspire you and many others to lend a hand, and that it will help build a network of supporters that the animals so desperately need.

Making a donation to the PETA Pack is a way to speak out against violence and support kindness to animals without having to do the work yourself. PETA employees and volunteers work very hard every day to investigate cruelty cases, spread awareness about animal exploitation, inspire a shift in attitude and lifestyle toward a more compassionate one, and to find animals who are suffering and lend them a loving hand. Every day PETA distributes literature to the public emails companies asking for more humane practices, speaks out for animals on street corners, in newspapers, online, on television, and anywhere the message of compassion can be shared.

Today I am asking for your support. I'll be doing the huffing and puffing for 3 months, struggling to run upwards of 20 miles a week, and it would mean the world to me if you would consider supporting me by making a donation to my fundraising page:

http://peta.teamraising.com/team/MichelleCehn

On behalf of the animals we are working for, thank you. This means a lot to me, and it means the world to them. With great appreciation,

[Your Name]


Sample Thank You Email

Dear [Donor],

Thank you so much for your incredibly generous donation of $[Amount Donated] to my PETA Pack page! Your support of the PETA Pack means the world to me, and I cannot thank you enough. It is really inspiring to receive donations from compassionate people like you, and I am going to train, run and fundraise even harder because of it!

This year, all the money raised by the PETA Pack is going to PETA's Investigations and Rescue Fund. This pays for everything from undercover investigations that expose behind-the-scenes cruelty, to providing dog houses for lonely backyard dogs that are often chained in freezing weather without shelter. I hope you will sleep well tonight, knowing that your donation will be going to help animals who would not have been helped otherwise.

Thank you so much for supporting me, the team, and the animals who rely on us.

With love and great appreciation,

[Your Name]

The PETA Pack is for EVERYONE (not just runners)!

Hola and Happy Holidays!

We've been hearing from a lot of people interested in joining the PETA Pack team, but convinced they won't be able to run the race. Let me set you all straight. :)

1. You don't have to run a marathon. In fact, most people won't. The most popular distances are the 5k (3 miles) and the half marathon (13.1 miles). So forget about 26.2, OK? That's for the crazy people.
2. YOU CAN WALK. In fact, the vast majority of people doing the race next March will walk at least part of the course. Even the speedy ones. Some runners walk 2 minutes for every 10 they run, or they run the first half of the race and then walk the second half, or they do 5 and 5 (run 5 minutes, walk 5 minutes, repeat). It's a fun way to get great exercise, enjoy the sights, and share the adrenaline and camaraderie of race day.
3. YOU CAN RUN. Two years ago I signed up to train for a half marathon. I couldn't run more than a quarter mile without stopping, but the coach promised he could get me up to 13.1 miles in 12 weeks. I thought he was insane. He was right. I did it! Coach Darren's PETA Pack training works. It's all about gentle increases, rest days, cross training, tapering back. Before you know it you'll be running longer and longer distances and loving it. If you feel sore anywhere, Coach will talk to you one-on-one to work through it.

The PETA Pack is for everyone. We'll have some speed demons who plan to set a new personal record in the half marathon (Henry), we'll have mid-packers like me who will finish but not exactly at the speed of light, and we'll have lots of folks who have never run more than 1 mile when they signed up...cheering as they cross their first finnish line.

Life is short. You've wanted to learn how to run for years. You want to be in better shape. You want to help animals. Don't put this off. Join the team and start planning your race day celebration now! If you're still nervous about the running, contact me and we can talk about it.

Happy Monday!

Alex

AlexB@petaf.org