2 Teams – one goal: To raise $100,000 for charity!
I'm a one time meth addict who turned my life around through fitness and eventually became a medal winning martial artist and I believe strongly in helping others who are in need. I'm the Founder of ManningUpUSA.com a website where we invite people to share their stories and that inspires all of us to take action!. We don’t have much to give, so we give what we have...our stories..
Turning your life around is hard enough but the team behind the young website decided to take on a challenge bigger. In January we announced the Manning Up challenge to raise $100,000 for local charities by assembling two teams and participating in endurance events. The first consisted of ten cyclists who trained for and completed the seven day, 595 mile AIDS LifeCycle ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles and raised over $75,000. The “Manning Up Allstars,” consisted of men and women who are either in recovery from drug addiction and/or alcohol abuse or close to someone who is.
The second team is currently training for the Xterra Trail Run in Hawaii November 24th, 2013 as part of the Team to End AIDS endurance events. The, “Manning Up Trailblazers,” is a group of five members who each faced their own adversity and joined together to inspire others to defy their limitations. Besides myself, the team of champions includes Marine Alex Minsky who lost his right leg in Afghanistan, Mylee Yc, an Army Veteran and single mother who is a survivor of sexual assault and stage 3 breast cancer, Jessie Sink a burn survivor who lost his right arm, Alan Huneycutt who broke his back in a fatal car accident and Randy Miyashiro who survived domestic abuse.
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In the process of sharing my story I realized it wasn’t as much about how strong I was, but how vulnerable, that’s what invited others to join the fight.That's what inspired me to create a place where many others would have a voice and together we can inspire so many more.
ManningUpUSA.com is the world’s first integrated media channel using sports and fitness to overcome adversity. Founded in November, 2012 the website is comprised of health and fitness professionals and enthusiasts sharing stories of triumph and helping others overcome adversity. Our vision is a beacon for those still fighting for their lives. Our mission is to provide inspirational stories, essential resources and educational guidance on ways of using sports and fitness to gain strength and initiate action.
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The website, which covers a variety of topics – nutrition, fitness, etc., features inspiring stories to help motivate people to change their lives. Some of the people featured on the site have lost limbs, yet defiantly stood against the news that they might never walk again and have since run marathons and completed other extreme endurance challenges.
To read inspirational stories or join our “community of fighters,” or if you have a story to tell, please visit: www.manningupusa.com and follow their Facebook page at fb/manningupusa