Good. Didn't think so.
Since nobody seems to be too busy, I would like to ask all of you out on a date. Creepy? A little bit, but stick with me.
Saturday at the Wil-O-Way Underwood Clubhouse in Wauwatosa, the 11th Annual Steve Cullen Healthy Heart Club Run/Walk will kick off, and I want you all to be there.,”
Anyone have plans this Saturday around, say, 9 a.m.?
Good. Didn't think so.
Since nobody seems to be too busy, I would like to ask all of you out on a date. Creepy? A little bit, but stick with me.
Saturday at the Wil-O-Way Underwood Clubhouse in Wauwatosa, the 11th Annual Steve Cullen Healthy Heart Club Run/Walk will kick off, and I want you all to be there. That includes you, Fr. Wild.
I understand we all hold different levels of physical fitness, and that's why this race is so great. There's an eight-kilometer run for the nuts like me who enjoy that kind of thing. But there's also a two-mile walk and a two-mile non-competitive family fun run.
For those of you whose New Year's resolution was to get into better shape, what better way to start (because we both know you haven't yet) than by walking, jogging or running through the brisk morning air?
For those of you whose New Year's resolution was to be more generous and to give back more to the community, here's your chance: All proceeds from the race go directly to heart research at the Medical College of Wisconsin Cardiovascular Center.
For those of you looking to break out of that mini-depression the Bears put you in on Sunday, well, this will help.
Now, I know what some of you are saying.
"Steve, there's a good chance I'll be way too hung over Saturday morning to walk, much less run, any distance longer than my bed to the trash can."
And to you people, I say, "Nay."
I know of a man, a noble man indeed and a good friend of mine, who participated in last year's race completely hung over. Wait, that's not fair.
He still was a good deal drunk.
Hey, I'm not endorsing it; I'm just presenting the facts. My point is that if that kid can drag himself across the course while not being completely cognizant of exactly where he was, you can too (should you choose to go that route, and again, I advise against it).
What I would advise is for all of you seriously to consider entering this event. You need not worry about pre-registration. Just show up the morning of the race, fork over the $20 you would have spent on pizza this week and you're ready to go. You also can donate $35 dollars or more and be registered for free. Either way. It's up to you.
Not enticed yet? Hmm . if you come, you'll get to see Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, Fox 6 news reporter Peter Linton-Smith, WISN Channel 12 anchor Kathy Mykleby and . um . me. Not enough?
Well, if you come, you'll also get to see Kathleen Cullen. She's a sophomore at Marquette, and she's one of the most genuinely nice people you ever will meet. She's also the daughter of Steve Cullen, the namesake of this run.
Kathleen's dad passed away when she was in third grade from a heart attack he suffered the week before he was to run in the Lakefront Marathon.
That's right: This guy was in great shape. He had run in several marathons before and made sure that everyone in his family ate healthily. No red meat for the Cullens, just the good stuff like vegetables, chicken and pasta.
Here's the thing about genetic heart disease: You can take every preventative measure, and it still can occur. You could be sitting in an emergency room as you were having a heart attack, and if you happen to have genetic heart disease, there still would be only about a 1-percent chance you would make it out alive.
Both of Mr. Cullen's parents and two of his brothers also passed away due to genetic heart disease.
So if you don't want to get out of bed Saturday morning because I'm asking you to or because you think it's the right thing to do, come out and run for Steve Cullen. Run for all the Cullens. Run for the 700,000 people in this country who will die this year from heart disease.
For those of you in need of a ride, a bus will leave the area between Schroeder Hall and the Alumni Memorial Union at 8:15 a.m. Saturday and return around 12:30 p.m.
I would love to close with some snappy one-liner, but by now, I've given you all I've got. I hope to see you all there.
Call it a date.
“