"Cool" News Tri 4 Number1 Foundation Inc. Announces Heart Diplomats!

The spring planning of our Summer 2013 national event benefiting Hearts Without Boundaries (HWB) is in full swing!  Many months of collaboration with the dedicated HWB volunteer team have been shared & enjoyed.  We are excited to formally introduce one of the T41 Foundation team members that has a vital role in the Tri 4 Number 1 Run (T41Run).
He hails from Antarctica!  He has endless empathy and compassion for the families that endure the challenges congenital heart defects present.  His love of children and travel afforded us no hesitation in response to represent & support the T41 Run as our official "Heart Diplomat".
Here today and to stay, is the one, the only, "Diplo the Diplomatic Penguin"!

Direct from Diplo:
Hello T41Run supporters & fans!  It feels so good to be involved with the T41Run event, you should stop by the volunteer page and join in the fun too.  My good friend Nels was telling me all about the HWB 501(c)(3) after being a key note speaker at a Mended Little Hearts gala honoring HWB.  The medical missions that Peter Chhun and his team of volunteers are doing touched me deeply.  

Being a penguin from Antartica, I understand what it means to struggle to survive in stressful, challenging conditions that are out of your control. I can relate to the little ones in the battle.  So I proudly accepted the role of official T41Run Heart Diplomat.

My first responsibility is appointing Heart Diplomats along the T41Run route from Florida to Washington D.C.  Our team of Heart Diplomats represent the children of Cambodia and show their support by sharing their own CHD stories, raising funds and awareness in their cities across America about the HWB mission.  Together our team of Heart Diplomats have a goal of one sponsored open heart surgery - $3,000.

Today I am honored to announce our first

T41Run Heart Diplomat from Daytona, Florida - ROMAN!

You can help Roman by re-posting his story, sponsor a donation, and attending the T41Run social celebration honoring him in his city of Daytona, Florida. Thank you to Roman and his family for joining our team!

Some other roles I'll be filling for the FL to DC journey will be sushi rolls!! I'm going to be needing a lot of protein to keep up the rigorous pace Nels has set for us of almost 40 miles a day running for 35 days.

This weekend I was able to be crew support along with ZmassageTherapist (Denise Zolla Pizzo) and I captured Nels in action on a the Croom Fools Trail Run of 50 miles. He proved he's ready for the daily average pace of T41Run by finishing in 10 hours and 8 seconds. It's a good thing that I'll be completing the journey traveling on Nels' back for the 1200 mile trek. 

Fool's Run on the Horizon and Starfish on my Mind

Last night was my last long run before the Croom Fools Run 50 miler which will be April 6th. I'm using that race as a bench mark to make sure my training is on track.

During T41Run I'll have a handful of days that will be over 50 miles and will only have the luxury of 3 total rest days. That's why it's important that I can hit this distance a couple months out.

I did last night's 28 mile run from 9PM until a little after 2AM as a 2 mile out and back repeated 14 times. It was a good mental test, but as you can see from the picture Diplo made sure I had plenty of carbs!

Running in the middle of the night forces you to put your mind on the reasons you are running in the middle of the night. There aren't many distractions. I pictured a few of the kids in Cambodia that we are going to be helping. I thought about their parents that work a full day to earn $2... I guess running really isn't that hard. I thought about the hope those parents are holding onto that there child would receive care, unlike most of the other 100,000 children in Cambodia with CHD who won't be treated.
Then I thought about the fact that what we are doing isn't making a big enough impact and my mind wandered to the starfish story:

The Starfish Story

By City Year

A young girl was walking along a beach upon which thousands of starfish had been washed up during a terrible storm. When she came to each starfish, she would pick it up, and throw it back into the ocean. People watched her with amusement.

She had been doing this for some time when a man approached her and said, “Little girl, why are you doing this? Look at this beach! You can’t save all these starfish. You can’t begin to make a difference!”

The girl seemed crushed, suddenly deflated. But after a few moments, she bent down, picked up another starfish, and hurled it as far as she could into the ocean. Then she looked up at the man and replied,

“Well, I made a difference to that one!”

The old man looked at the girl inquisitively and thought about what she had done and said. Inspired, he joined the little girl in throwing starfish back into the sea. Soon others joined, and all the starfish were saved. - adapted from the Star Thrower by Loren C. Eiseley (http://www.ordinarypeoplechangetheworld.com/articles/the-starfish-story.aspx)

That's what was going on in my mind for 5 hours. We are going to make a difference this summer!

14 Heart Miracles on Valentine's Day

Last week was "Heart Week" and Valentine's Day. I'm sure that every single person reading this post saw at least one heart on the 14th. Hearts and the number 14 were pretty significant at the Angkor Hospital for Children in Cambodia last week as well!

This summer our Tri4Number1 Run will be raising funds for Hearts Without Boundaries. Last week the Heart Without Boundaries medical team, led by thoracic surgeon Michael E Mitchell saved the hearts of 14 amazing children!

Patient #1: Chamroeun Thy, age 2. Diagnosis ASD = 10mm

Patient #2: Sovanarith Tep, age 3. Diagnosis VSD = 8mm
 Patient #3: Sokheng Meas, age 5. Diagnosis VSD = 1cm

Patient #4: Sorn Sreihen, age 7. Diagnosis ASD 

Patient #5: Rim Sovanreach, age 4. Diagnosis VSD = 7mm and PDA=3mm

Patient #6: Porn Ratanak, age 1.5. Diagnosis VSD

Patient # 7: Chanda Keng, age 10.5 diagnosis VSD=17 mm/PH
 Patient # 8: Soth Sreipich, age 16 diagnosis VSD=10 mm 

Patient # 9: Yean Reatrey, age 5.5 diagnosis VSD=8 mm/PDA=3mm
 Patient # 10: Arifin Moth, age 2 diagnosis TOF

Patient # 11: Huy Huoch, age 6.5 diagnosis TOF

Patient # 12: Minta Ruom, age 4.5 diagnosis TOF

Patient # 13: Srei Hin Horl, age 2.5 diagnosis ASD 13mm

Patient # 14: Kunnang Ou, age 8.5 diagnosis ASD 2cm

Please keep these children in your thoughts and prayers as they continue to 

recover. Visit the Heart Without Boundaries facebook page for pictures and 

blogs of the miracles in progress.

Photo taken From Hearts Without Boundaries facebook page click the picture to go to their page

An Event with Heart

Tomorrow is an extremely important day. Early in the morning Denise will drive me to the Tampa airport and I will begin a long flight to the West Coast... Long Beach, CA.

I will be attending an event, Between our Hearts and Yours, where I have been invited to be a guest speaker. The event is raising money to fund the Hearts Without Boundaries medical mission set for February 2013.

There are 100,000 children born in Cambodia each year with CHD. At the Angkor Hospital for Children there are more than 2,000 CHD children waiting for surgery. An additional 440 born with Tetralogy of Fallot that need immediate attention are waiting for surgeries in other countries because of inadequate facilities.

This February 2013, the Hearts Without Boundaries cardiac team hopes to perform 15 life saving surgeries at the Angkor Hospital for Children with the funds raised from tomorrow's event.

At the event tomorrow, I will be announcing my summer 2013 plans on how I intend to help Hearts Without Boundaries. Get Ready!

No Boundaries

This weekend, I had the opportunity to be a speaker at Between Your Heart and Mine put on by Mended Little Hearts of Volusia County. The event was beautiful, held at the Hilton in Daytona with the Atlantic Ocean as a backdrop.

This gala was put on to raise money for an organization called Hearts Without Boundaries. Hearts Without Boundaries provides life saving heart surgeries to impoverished children in Cambodia. Their long term goal is not just to provide a few children with lifesaving surgeries (which would be incredibly noble), but to set up an independent pediatric cardiothoracic team within the next 5 years to handle many of the surgeries!

In January, Hearts Without Boundaries launched a medical mission in which 15 life saving heart surgeries were performed in Cambodia by doctors from Wisconsin and California free of charge! Hearts Without Boundaries does not have any payed employees, so all of the money they raise goes directly where it needs to go.

They are planning on launching another mission by the end of this year.

Since Saturday, I have not been able to stop thinking... If I was born in Cambodia would I be alive? What would it be like for my parents to know that their child could be saved, but they didn't have the money or resources to make it happen?


I had the opportunity to sit at a table with Peter Chhun, the founder of Hearts Without Boundaries. He is an incredibly genuine man.  This video introduces you to Peter and shows some of the great work that Hearts Without Boundaries has done.

Check them out on facebook!

Race Results and Thanks!

I'm alive and healing fast, but I wanted to give you a quick update. Denise and I thank all of you for your support! We had 28 different people donate their hard earned money to ACHA and over 90 people shared our fundraising page on facebook! To date we have raised $1,072!

I didn't quite hit the 100 mile mark, but feel great since we achieved the important part. That being said, I still know that 100 is a possibility in the future.

Here were the race results. Each Lap was 8.456 miles:

Pre-Race

Lap 1: 1:23:03   Lap 2: 3:00:05 (1:37:02 split) Lap 3: 4:42:54 (1:42:49)  Lap 4: 6:37:55 (1:55:01)

Lap 5: 8:35:09 (1:57:19)  Lap 6: 10:57:28 (2:22:14) Lap 7: 13:11:44 (2:14:16) 

Lap 8: 15:38:45 (2:27:01)   Lap 9:  20:36:39 (4:57:54)


I ended up finishing 58th overall and 38th in the men's division. There were 208 competitors... and 92 no shows! The race was incredibly run with awesome support and volunteers.

We'll be posting a video soon! Yes, I'll also post the blister popping video...

Thanks to all of the following for your donations! You guys made this an awesome experience!

21 miles ($210)
Shari & Kevin Matson (Mom & Dad)

10 miles ($100)

Thinking about another lap next morning before med team said
"We don't recommend that."

Nancy Johnson
RND Automation & Engineering

7.5 miles ($75)
Aunt Katie Weinell

5 miles ($50)
The Berg Family
Van Wedgeworth
Sharon Davis
John Matson
Aunt Nelle Everitt

3 miles ($30)
Cristine Velazco
Gaye Maxson
The Luke Family (3 miles for Brady's 3 open heart surgeries)

2.5 miles ($25)                                               
Mary Day                                                      

24 hour sponsors ($24)
Debbie Ackaway
Paul Willgoss
Marsha Moberly


2 miles ($20)
Mary Ellen Mannix
Jim O'Keefe
Ethan & Lydia Bosch

1 mile ($10)
Catherine Kleber
Lena Morsch
Tim Tillery
Bethany Focht
Paul Bond
Lisa McGhan
Jim Blue
Terry Repp
Tiffany Mytty-Klein

Also thanks to Raul Amaya for covering my race entry and to the Cheshire family for delivering race route Mike & Ikes!

Thank You for Your Support of 1 in 100!

Thank you to everyone who is helping me reach my goal of raising $10 for each of the 100 miles I plan on running at the 24 hour race this weekend in Philadelphia! Each mile represents 1 in 100 born with Congenital Heart Defects. The money raised will go to The Adult Congenital Heart Association. If you would like to sponsor a mile you can donate through the widget on the right of this page or go to http://www.razoo.com/story/Nels-Matson. Thanks again for your support!

Miles                                                               Sponsors

1                                                                      Nancy Johnson
2                                                                      Nancy Johnson
3                                                                      Nancy Johnson
4                                                                      Nancy Johnson
5                                                                      Nancy Johnson
6                                                                      Nancy Johnson
7                                                                      Nancy Johnson
8                                                                      Nancy Johnson
9                                                                      Nancy Johnson
10                                                                    Nancy Johnson
11                                                                    RND Automation & Engineering
12                                                                    RND Automation & Engineering
13                                                                    RND Automation & Engineering
14                                                                    RND Automation & Engineering
15                                                                    RND Automation & Engineering
16                                                                    RND Automation & Engineering
17                                                                    RND Automation & Engineering
18                                                                    RND Automation & Engineering
19                                                                    RND Automation & Engineering
20                                                                    RND Automation & Engineering
21                                                                    Ethan Bosch
22                                                                    Lydia Bosch
23                                                                    Jim Blue
24                                                                    Tiffany Mytty Klein
25                                                                    Terry Repp
26                                                                    Shari and Kevin Matson
27                                                                    Shari and Kevin Matson
28                                                                    Shari and Kevin Matson
29                                                                    Shari and Kevin Matson
30                                                                    Shari and Kevin Matson
31                                                                    Shari and Kevin Matson
32                                                                    Shari and Kevin Matson
33                                                                    Shari and Kevin Matson
34                                                                    Shari and Kevin Matson
35                                                                    Shari and Kevin Matson
36                                                                    Shari and Kevin Matson
37                                                                    Shari and Kevin Matson
38                                                                    Shari and Kevin Matson
39                                                                    Shari and Kevin Matson
40                                                                    Shari and Kevin Matson
41                                                                    Shari and Kevin Matson
42                                                                    Shari and Kevin Matson
43                                                                    Shari and Kevin Matson
44                                                                    Shari and Kevin Matson
45                                                                    Shari and Kevin Matson
46                                                                    Shari and Kevin Matson
47                                                                    Marsha Moberley
48                                                                    Marsha Moberley
49                                                                    Paul Willgoss
50                                                                    Paul Willgoss
51                                                                    Lisa McGhan
52                                                                    Paul Bond
53                                                                    James O'Keefe
54                                                                    James O'Keefe
55                                                                    John Matson
56                                                                    John Matson
57                                                                    John Matson
58                                                                    John Matson
59                                                                    John Matson
60                                                                    Awesome Aunt Nelle Everitt
61                                                                    Awesome Aunt Nelle Everitt
62                                                                    Awesome Aunt Nelle Everitt
63                                                                    Awesome Aunt Nelle Everitt
64                                                                    Awesome Aunt Nelle Everitt
65                                                                    Lisa Luke
66                                                                    Lisa Luke
67                                                                    Lisa Luke
68                                                                    Bethany Focht
69                                                                    Tim Tillery
70                                                                    Lena Morsch
71                                                                    Sharon Davis
72                                                                    Sharon Davis
73                                                                    Sharon Davis
74                                                                    Sharon Davis
75                                                                    Sharon Davis
76                                                                    Debbie Matson Ackaway
77                                                                    Debbie Matson Ackaway
78                                                                    Debbie Ackaway/ Paul Wilgoss/ Marsha Moberly
79
80                                                         
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
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98
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100