And now a word from our sponsors

I’d like to thank our sponsors.  There were no f@%*ing sponsors.  

That’s an Eddie Vedder quote from an old concert tape.  I’ve always wanted to use that line.

Several people have asked if I have sponsors for this race, or if they can donate to my race fund, so I thought a quick post was in order.  The short answer is no and no.  I am very content not to have sponsors for this race.  

In my past life I was a ski racer who dreamed of making the Olympic team.  I set up a website to document my journey and I used the website to raise funds for my dream.  Many generous people supported me, and I am forever grateful to all of them.  I felt like we were all part of a team.  My donors enjoyed a vicarious experience in return for their money, and I was motivated by their support.  But at the same time,  I couldn’t shake the feeling that there were more worthy uses for that money.  I made mental notes that when I moved on from skiing to a career and a better paycheck, I would pay those donations forward.

I am now at that point.  Skiing is now something I do simply for fun.  Like millions of other Americans every winter, I am taking a week off from work so I can go skiing.  Most people go to Vail or Tahoe, I am going to McGrath.  I certainly don’t expect someone else to pay for my vacation.

[ As a side note, please don’t read this to be a criticism of athletes who accept donations.  Most of them are at a different point in their lives.  For them, racing isn’t a vacation, its the culmination of a lot of sacrifice and hard work.  If they’ve found people who want to support their dream, then good for them. ]

While I don’t have any sponsors per se, there are people without whose help, this race would not be possible for me.  I’m going to hold off on listing them until later, because the list is still growing.  

For now  I will simply thank sponsor #1, my wife Linda.  When I first proposed the idea of this race, she was understandably luke-warm about the idea of me skiing off into the middle of freezing nowhere for a week or so.  But since then, her support has been phenomenal.  None of this would have been possible without her.