The Buck Fifty: We Never Win on Adventures Not Taken
Every day in life, we are faced with hundreds of decisions. I once met a psychologist, Dr. Roger Hall, who said he ate the same breakfast every day when he traveled. He did this just to take one more decision off his mind.
Today’s society hits us from every direction with the things we need to think about or work on. Many times, this leaves us paralyzed and lethargic about what to do next. We feel that some tasks or challenges are not worth the effort and we need to just stay home and relax. When we choose not to participate, we miss out on the opportunities that life gives us and the adventures that create bonds of friendship stories we’ll tell for many years to come.
Sometimes in life, you have to go for it, put it all on the line and just hope it all works out. Registering a Buck Fifty Team is lot like that. We understand that you’ll need ten runners, two drivers and in many cases a spouse or parent for each of these people to say, “Yes, you should go run a 150-mile relay race in Chillicothe, Ohio.” This also means we understand the game we are in and what it takes to build a team to run in The Buck Fifty.
With all those decisions and challenges, we can also assure you this: once a Buck Fifty Runner, always a Buck Fifty Runner! As we move into year four of our event, we have established a very loyal following of runners. In our inaugural year of 2017, we had 38 registered teams for The Buck Fifty, and runners came in from 8 different states. We now have runners coming in from 20 states each year and 77% of those inaugural year teams are still with us, as we expect to have 100 teams for our April 17-18, 2020 race!
Life is all about risks and challenges. The Buck Fifty has built an experience where you will be challenged by having each of your ten runners run three different times to complete your 150-Mile journey. On average, each runner will run approximately 5 miles. Of the 30 different Legs of the course, they all vary from 3.5 to 9 miles in length. The one thing The Buck Fifty is not short on is elevation. Southern Ohio represents the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains in this region. We take full advantage of those elevated monuments of nature to run up and help us learn how we can conquer life’s challenges.
I believe the one thing running teaches us all is that with a plan, purpose, and constant training, our running endeavors can show us how we can accomplish anything. Not just with our running shoes, but with our hearts and minds. Once the mind has learned it can push though any challenge both physical or mental, we have started to solve many of life’s biggest challenges and created a joyful future. Now think about that concept which all of us runners know is true and multiply it by ten. Now you are starting to understand the power of a Buck Fifty Team and the lifetime of memories this event provides.
Now that you understand what The Buck Fifty is and what it takes to put your team together, you should also know that all your efforts will not only be worthwhile, but your money invested in your team’s registration will be even more impactful! Our race was started as a funding mechanism for a teen drug prevention program in our eight local high schools. This race supports eight high schools and 2,000 members of Drug Free Clubs of America. Students take an initial drug test to become a member and then subject themselves to random testing throughout the school year.
These future leaders are the same people who will hang the Buck Fifty Race Medal around your neck when your team comes together at the finish line at Ohio University, Chillicothe. In just three years, The Buck Fifty had given back $390,000 to help support these teens in their efforts to live a drug-free lifestyle.
At the beginning of this article we talked about hope. Hope is the thought that gets us through the next five minutes of our day, the next night of our week, or the next month of our year. Life is tough, and runners learn a new type of grit from their training and planning that gives us the hope of a better tomorrow, a brighter future. With our Buck Fifty Runners and these 2,000 Drug Free Clubs of America teens…well, that’s a whole lot of hope that our whole world needs.
You can learn more about our race of hope at our website www.thebuckfifty.com. Use the code COMPASS to save $50 when you register your team today.
The Buck Fifty
