Are You Ready For It?
The 2023 race season was one for the record books, $258,000 in racer fundraising for families fighting cancer. The Chapel Hill Kids Triathlon registered more racers than ever before. Seventy percent of all registered racers were on teams. The team with the most members in Bethesda was the Heroes on the Hill with 34 members and Triangle Day School in Chapel Hill with 50 members. Forty-one racers achieved the STAR Supporter status, raising over $1,000 for families fighting cancer. The smiles, fist pumps and dance moves on race weekend inspire us on race day and every day.
Ken Caputo Award Winners
The Ken Caputo Award recognizes an extraordinary volunteer who goes above and beyond on race day. The award was created to honor the memory of Ken Caputo, a volunteer in a “catch all” role at many JUST TRYAN IT races. Arriving at 6 AM, he would welcome volunteers, fill in where needed, oversee radio communications for the event, and pump everyone up. He was notorious for his huge smile and even bigger hug. We are honored to recognize his dedication to JUST TRYAN IT with this award.
The 2023 Ken Caputo Awards were give to two amazing Run Rabbits, Kevin Cody (Bethesda) and Joyah Horton (Chapel Hill). Kevin and Joyah both went above and beyond running with racers to encourage and guide them through the course. The energy they brought was infectious and helped many racers get across the finish line.
Do The Right Thing Awards
The Do the Right Thing Award recognizes a racer who is “caught” in the act of helping one of their fellow racers. We ask our volunteers and race captains to keep an eye out for acts of kindness between racers. We love to recognize those who go out of their way to help a friend or fellow racer have fun and enjoy their time at the race.
The 2023 Do the Right Thing Awardees are Eleanor Olsen (pictured above left) for Bethesda and Melina Shelton (pictured right) for Chapel Hill.
Eleanor finished her race and while cheering on the sidelines, saw her brother Henry struggling to finish the run. Eleanor jumped in, grabbed his hand and ran with him the last half mile. “It was so sweet, they were holding hands as they crossed the finish line and we were so proud of both of them.” Melina was a superstar during race weekend. She earned STAR Supporter status raising over $2,000 and volunteered to help during packet pick up on Saturday. Several volunteers witnessed her encouraging and supporting her fellow racers on race day. Eleanor and Melina demonstrate the values of JUST TRYAN IT and we are so grateful to have on our team.
Thank you to the 2023 Race Sponsors
