Teen Race of Hope

 
 
TOP (AND BOTTOM RIGHT): HAYDEN LUCAS LEADS THE WAY IN THE HOPE FOR DEPRESSION RESEARCH INAUGURAL TEEN RACE OF HOPE 5K

 
It was a sea of yellow t-shirts on Sunday, May 21st when more than 275 teenagers, their families, friends, and teachers flooded Pier 40 for Hope for Depression Research Foundation’s (HDRF) inaugural Teen Race of Hope 5K to defeat depression. On a perfect spring day, with beautiful views of Manhattan as a backdrop, participants set off on a 3.1-mile course along the Hudson River, unified in HDRF’s signature color t-shirts and hats.

The race was conceived by 17-year old Hayden Lucas in honor of Mental Health Awareness Month with the goal to bring attention to the youth mental health crisis in the US. and fight the stigma that still surrounds mental health and treatment. The event marked HDRF’s first Race of Hope in New York City, and the first one to be youth focused. HDRF also holds an annual Race of Hope in Palm Beach, FL. and Southampton, NY.

Lucas, a junior at Dwight High School, served as the leader of the newly formed HDRF Teen Task Force. Joined by 16 student ambassadors, Lucas was the Chief Student Ambassador for the Race. “When I came to the Hope for Depression Research Foundation with the idea of a teen race, they were all in, supporting me from the beginning”, Lucas told STYLE of SPORT. “Thanks to them we are able to run here today to spread awareness and work towards ending the stigma about Mental Health.” Read More

 

Eddie Would Go

 

Row 1: JOHN JOHN FLORENCE; Row 2: MAKUAKAI ROTHMAN, left, MAKUAKAI WITH CLYDE AIKAU, right; Row 3: LUKE SHEPARDSON’S WINNING WAVE

 

PHOTOGRAPHS BY ANNE MENKE

The surf expression “Eddie Would Go” references the legend of Hawaiian surfer, lifeguard, and waterman Eddie Aikau, who in the 1970’s was considered one of the greatest big wave riders in the world. Eddie was the first official lifeguard at Waimea Bay on Oahu’s North Shore, famous for its massive surf, and he was known for fearless rescues in treacherous conditions that no one else would dare.

Eddie’s life took on mythic proportions when it was tragically cut short during the 1978 “Hokule’a” 2500-mile sea voyage, retracing the ancient route of the Polynesian migration from the Tahitian islands to Hawaiian islands in a traditional double hulled canoe. When the Hokule’a capsized in stormy weather, Eddie set out on his surfboard to get help. Though the crew was later rescued by the U.S. Coast Guard, despite great search efforts Eddie was never seen again. He was just 31. Read More

 

Bowling for Dollars

 

 

Last week Project ALS hosted their 24th Annual Gala, Tomorrow is Tonight, at Bowlero at Chelsea Piers. Rather than a typical black-tie dinner, we went bowling! The evening honored Ben Stiller, his wife Christine Taylor, and their kids Ella and Quin, who like its founders, have made Project ALS a family affair.

Project ALS was founded by sisters Valerie, Meredith, and Jenifer Estess. In 1998, Jenifer, a 35-year-old New York theater and film producer, was diagnosed with ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), a progressive neurodegenerative disease that destroys nerve cells in the spinal cord and brain which control voluntary muscle movement, eventually leading to paralysis and death.

Prior to Jenifer’s diagnosis, the sisters had been planning to start an entertainment company. They had always wanted to work together and had just put together a business plan when out of nowhere Jenifer was diagnosed with ALS. “Her symptoms presented as unimpressive at first”, Valerie told me, “general weakness, getting tired after walking a couple blocks, muscle twitches and stuff like that. She went to the doctor who said nothing was wrong. Go see a shrink.” Read More

 

Glam Slam!

 

 

IMG and Spring Studios have joined forces for the creation of GLAM SLAM, a fashion meets sport experience happening during two of NYC’s most exciting tentpole franchises: the US Open, the last tennis major of the year, and New York Fashion Week (NYFW).

GLAM SLAM celebrates the intersection of tennis and style with match screenings, fashion panels, culinary offerings, DJ sets, and a different fashion pop-up shop takeover each day. Read More

 

Track & Field of Dreams

 

Clockwise top left: Bill Dellinger and Jim Bailey training at Hayward Field in 1955; The mythical Steve Prefontaine, University of Oregon’s famed alumni and one of the greatest runners ever, whose life was tragically cut short at age 24 in a car accident; Newly renovated Hayward Field; The women of gold medal winning Team USA 4 x 100m relay; Seiko Prospex Speedtimer World Athletics Championships Oregon22 Limited Edition
 

The 2022 World Athletics Championships concluded last weekend with another thrilling gold medal performance by Team USA in the Womens 4 x 400m relay anchored by Sydney McLaughlin. It was a blazing follow-up performance for this running sensation who had broken her own world record once again on Friday night in the 400m hurdles with a dominating gold medal win. The Team USA women also took gold in the 4 x 100 relay on Saturday, shocking favored Jamaica with a upset win.

These were just a few of the highlights that made these World Championships so memorable — especially for this editor who had the opportunity to attend as a guest of Seiko, the Official Timekeeper, and run a lap on the same storied track as the world’s greatest runners.

For the first time in history the World Athletics Championships were hosted in the US at legendary Hayward Field at the University of Oregon in Eugene, Oregon. Otherwise known as TrackTown USA, it was in Eugene that Nike was born, and where its co-founder, University of Oregon Track & Field head coach Bill Bowerman famously created the first waffle trainer that Nike would later produce, inspired by his wife’s waffle iron. Bowerman was the head coach from 1948-1972, succeeding Bill Hayward for whom the field is named. Read More

 

#TrainersforHire

 

CLOCKWISE TOP: DEGREE DEODORANT INCLUSIVE POP-UP CYCLING CLASS; STEVE SERIO, 2-TIME PARALYMPIAN GOLD MEDALIST TEAM USA BASKETBALL; GARRISON REDD, TEAM USA PARALYMPIC POWERLIFTER

Event Photos Courtesy of Degree Deodorant

In late September, Degree Deodorant launched the #TrainersforHire Campaign, an initiative for of National Disability Employment Awareness Month challenging the fitness industry to hire trainers with disabilities. The kick-off was an inclusive pop-up cycling class in New York City’s Flatiron Plaza, led by eight-time Paralympic Track & Field medalist, Blake Leeper. The class included people with and without disabilities, on both spin bikes and hand cycles, to showcase how simple it is to create an inclusive fitness class.

As a participant, I can attest to the inspiration of a spin class taught by an instructor with a disability – a Paralympian no less – and the fact that it was a great class regardless. Blake told me that he actually has an advantage to offer that others don’t. “I use my personal experiences of adversity and challenges, that mental toughness from being born without legs, and apply that to the class. I’ve had to push through, so push through with me.”

Blake was born with a congenital birth defect, and has worn prosthetics since he was 9 months old. He made his international Track & Field debut in 2009, and his first Paralympic Games were London 2012. Blake set his sites beyond the Paralympics last summer, with the goal of competing in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, but was barred from competition on the grounds that his blade-like prostheses might give him an unfair advantage. Read More

 

Drew Brees Fumbles… Again

 

 

In October of 2018, New Orleans Saints fans cheered as their beloved quarterback Drew Brees broke Peyton Manning’s record to become the all-time leading passer in NFL history – and on a touchdown pass no less. We celebrated this accomplishment but with a more scathing view in Go Rylan Brees.

The headlines read, “Drew Brees Gives Inspiring Talk To His Kids After New NFL Record”. Except he didn’t give an inspiring talk to his kids. He gave it to his three sons as his daughter watched, held in the arms of her mother. “Hey boys, hey boys!” Brees exclaimed. “You can accomplish anything in life that you want to work for, right?” (watch here)

I was stunned when I first saw it, unable to believe how rampant sexism still was in this sensitive climate – not just in sports, but the media too. I couldn’t believe no one picked up on it or told that story. But thankfully Drew Brees’ fumble on Wednesday did not go unnoticed, when a statement he made in an interview with Yahoo Finance went viral and became headline news. Read More

 

Volvo Ocean Race

 

From top: Leg 9 start day, Newport to Cardiff, May 20, 2018. Photo by Ugo Fonolla/Volvo Ocean Race; Leg 6, Hong Kong to Auckland, February 18, 2018. Day 12 on board Sun Hung Kai/Scallywag with John Fisher (1970-2018) at the helm. Sadly underlining just how dangerous this race is, Fisher was swept overboard on March 26 in gale force conditions in the Southern Ocean and never recovered. Photo by Jeremie Lecaudey/Volvo Ocean Race; Leg 2 start day, Lisbon to Cape Town, November 5, 2017. Dongfeng Race Team drone shot from above. Photo by Eloi Stichelbaut/Dongfeng Race Team

 
Crossing the Atlantic Ocean as I write are 7 race boats sailing from Newport, RI to Cardiff, Wales in the 9th leg of the Volvo Ocean Race. With 11 legs in total, ranging from approximately 3 to 22 days at sea, the Volvo Ocean Race is described as the longest and toughest professional sporting event in the world. The race covers 45,000 nautical miles that cross four oceans, touch six continents, and visits 12 landmark Host Cities. What began in October of 2017 in Alicante, Spain will finish in The Hague in the Netherlands at the end of June 2018 in what will have been an 9-month test of endurance in some of the most grueling conditions imaginable.

Since 1973, the Volvo Ocean Race has provided the ultimate test of teamwork and adventure. Originally known as the Whitbread Around The World Race, Volvo took it over in 1998. The race is held every three years, and for more than four decades has held an almost mythical power over some the sport’s greatest. In the current era of One Design racing, every team races the exact same Volvo Ocean 65, ensuring the race is all about the sailing and not about the boat. There is no prize money awarded for the relentless intensity and perseverance required in this round-the-clock pursuit, but for a sailor to see their name etched into one of the silver rings of the Volvo Ocean Race Trophy has a value beyond compare. Put simply, the Volvo Ocean Race is an obsession many of the world’s best sailors have dedicated years of their lives trying to win. Read More

 
 

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