By Caitlin Wolcott

“New year, new me” is what every person is saying as the clock strikes midnight on New Years Eve.

Every year people are making resolutions for the New Year and the number one resolution always revolves around losing weight or working out more. Six of the local Orangetheory Fitness gyms and Ronald McDonald House Charities teamed up to create the perfect fitness challenge for one week in January to kick start the year to a healthier you.

Team RMHC, the Ronald McDonald House Charities running team, was looking for a way to stay in shape outside of the running season. Runners love to compete and stay fit so a fitness challenge seemed to be the perfect fit. As many of you know, Orangetheory Fitness is the hot new fitness craze. This high intensity, full body workout focusing on endurance, strength and power is the perfect way to whip anyone into shape. Every Orangetheory Fitness across the country operates off of the same workout plan so that no matter which gym you attend, you will be doing the same workout as someone else across town. Therefore was the perfect match for the first ever Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Ohio fitness challenge.

The Challenge will take place from January 22^nd through January 27^th leading up to Orangetheory’s global transformation challenge. Those who join Team RMHC and are not currently a member of Orangetheory can sign up for this challenge and receive a discount on Orangetheory membership packages. Current members of Orangetheory may join the challenge as well using their existing membership packages. All participants will recruit donors to pledge a specific dollar amount per calorie they burn throughout the week of the challenge. All of the proceeds will benefit Ronald McDonald House Charities here in Central Ohio and the 4,500 families we serve each year.

If you are telling yourself “new year, new me” or simply want to try something new to better your health and help a good cause, sign up now at Runsignup.com/OTFChallenge!

By Debbie Conkel, Team RMHC member

Debbie Conkel

I was asked to join Team RMHC in 2015 through my involvement in the Columbus RoadRunners Club. I jumped at the chance because a close friend of mine works at RMHC of Central Ohio and has taken me through the facility several times. It’s a wonderful place and so important for families. Not having any children myself, I nonetheless can totally sympathize with the pain and fear that must come with a child being in the hospital for an extended stay. Being able to stay at a place as cheerful and welcoming as the Columbus Ronald McDonald House has to be a comfort to these families, especially those with other young children.

I’ve been a runner for many years, and have supported a few causes over the years, but I’m committed to Team RMHC because of my personal connections and for the great work that it does. I appreciate all the fun events that take place up until race day for the team and all the great people you get to meet and interact with.

I love running and would probably run the Columbus Half Marathon anyway, but it means so much more to be running for a cause. I love the fact that the race course actually goes right by RMHC, which makes it all the more special. I appreciate the support of friends and family members who have donated to the cause and I can assure them that every dollar goes to helping the families staying at RMHC which means a lot to them.

I’m looking forward to race day, and supporting Team RMHC during my run! Let’s go team, and let’s keep up the good work at Ronald McDonald House!

By Carly Damman, Community Partnerships Associate

Team RMHC at our pre-race pasta dinner before the Cap City Half Marathon

Food has a funny way of bringing people together. There’s something about the smell of food cooking in the kitchen, the hard work that goes into preparing for a large meal, the perfectly satisfied “full” feeling you get after the meal and most of all, the people you share the meal with.

Similarly, the sport of running creates a unique bond between former strangers. There’s something about the rush you get after a long run, the perfectly rhythmic pounding of the pavement as two people run together and the peace that surrounds a runner amidst the busy, chaos of everyday life. The bond of a group of runners can’t quite be explained until you experience it for yourself.

Not only was I able to witness this bond last week at the Team RMHC pre-race pasta dinner as a group of runners became fast friends through pasta and running, but I am fortunate enough to witness an even more special bond between families staying here at the Columbus Ronald McDonald House.

There can be up to 130 families staying at the House at one time. Most of them, total and complete strangers dealing with a broad spectrum of medical situations, coming from various parts of the US and world and speaking several different languages. Despite the vast differences between the families staying at the Ronald McDonald House, they share a common bond. They are all coping with the stress of having a seriously ill child in the hospital and they are finding hope and healing within the walls of our home away from home. Bonds quickly form between families as they connect with one another and find comfort through each other’s pain. Pain that becomes peace because of the Ronald McDonald House.

One of my most favorite moments in life is seeing connections form between people not because they come from similar backgrounds, wear the same clothes or come from the same place but because they share a unique bond that can hardly be put into words.

Team RMHC bonds over their mutual love for pasta and running but they also bond over their mutual love for our RMHC families. As they continue training and fundraising for our families, they are continuing to show me the power of a bond. A connection. A lasting unity that will empower others to share that same bond.

RMHC families bond over their mutual love for their children and grandchildren. The bond of love is one not easily broken. Virtually nothing can stand in the way of the love formed between a parent and child, certainly not even the devastating diagnosis of a serious illness.

Here at the Ronald McDonald House we’re in the business of keeping bonds strong. Bringing people together. Making connections. Sharing stories. Finding hope, love and healing when it doesn’t seem possible.

By Anne Romas, Team RMHC member

Anne Romas

If someone would have told me I would be running 5Ks let alone half marathons, I would have said they were crazy. Fast forward three years and I have completed six half marathons. However, the most impressionable race I have done was the Nationwide Children’s Columbus Marathon. Being a mother myself and seeing these kids cheering all the runners on made me want to do more with my running.

In 2016, the opportunity came to be able to run on the Ronald McDonald House Charities running team, Team RMHC and I couldn’t say no. I am now able to turn all the miles that I run for my training into money to help the families that stay at the Ronald McDonald House. Even with all the running I have been doing, I didn’t feel that was enough. So, I worked with the owner of a local restaurant, the Chocolate Café, to raise more money. The owner has been so gracious to offer to donate ten percent of the entire day’s sales back to the families staying at the Columbus Ronald McDonald House.

I am so happy to be part of Team RMHC!

Last year, Shannon Thomas’ cousin had premature twin boys, Cale and Cole, born in Marietta, Ohio. The twins were healthy in size for being born premature. However, they had multiple complications and were rushed to Grant Medical Center in Columbus, Ohio. Cale and Cole stayed in the NICU for close to two months.

Start line of the 2015 Columbus Marathon

Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Ohio became a huge blessing for Shannon’s cousin during an extremely difficult and stressful time. It allowed them to stay close to their babies, rest in a comfortable bed and enjoy delicious, homemade food.

Shannon was so moved when she heard about the option to run for Team RMHC, Ronald McDonald House’s charity running team, stating:

“The decision to join Team RMHC was a no brainer. I completed my first marathon in May for my own personal goals, but this one is for the twins!”

Team RMHC is filled with runners motivated by similar stories. They have each been touched by the love and care that flows from the Ronald McDonald House. Emily Smith and her family stayed at the House while her brother, Will recovered from a tragic car accident. Emily even completed training for her first marathon on a RMHC treadmill in the Columbus Crew SC exercise room! Parker Sinclair has volunteered at the Columbus Ronald McDonald House with the Red Shoe Society and joined Team RMHC with his wife, Elizabeth. Ken Grape’s grandson was born prematurely. The House saved his grandson’s parents a two-hour drive while he spent 7 weeks in the NICU. The stories of Team RMHC runners are what drives each runner, what motivates them to stomp out another mile, what encourages them to finish the fight! Thirty runners completed the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Columbus Marathon or Half Marathon to celebrate and cherish the stories that connected them to RMHC of Central Ohio.

30 runners.

13.1 or 26.2 miles completed.

$19,512 raised.

195 nights of rest provided for RMHC families.

 Ready to make a difference in your own life and in the lives of RMHC families? Join Team RMHC for our spring season!

By Carly Damman

Running, as in life, involves highs, lows, exhaustion, excitement, joy and grief. I started running during my sophomore year of college and could not have imagined how the sport of running would impact my health, my friendships and my will power.

As a Ronald McDonald House staff member, I’ve had the privilege of managing our charity running team, Team RMHC. Team RMHC participants train for a half or full marathon race while fundraising for the families staying at the Columbus Ronald McDonald House. Not only that, but I’ve been involved in several races in the Columbus area representing the Ronald McDonald House as the charity beneficiary, including the Corporate Challenge 5k, the Color Run, the Hot Chocolate Run and the Red Shoe Run, just to name a few. Boy, how running has permeated every area of my life!

You’re probably thinking to yourself, “Why does she keep talking about running? I hate running. Running has nothing to do with the Ronald McDonald House.”

But, oh, how you’ve been mistaken!

I run my race #forRMHC families and here’s how:

1. Running is a journey similar to the journey of a family with a seriously-ill child.In running, you have days where you feel like quitting and days where you feel like superman. Similarly, a family with a seriously ill child experiences days of triumph and days of defeat. Doctors have good news; doctors don’t know what’s wrong.
2. Both RMHC families and runners need to be mentally strong.
   Running is almost more mental than physical. Especially when you’re down to those last couple miles. The Ronald McDonald House helps families stay mentally tough by offering them an oasis amidst a medical crisis.
3. A family of a seriously-ill child needs the right equipment, much like a runner.
   The Ronald McDonald House provides a safe, comfortable, stress-free place for families to cope from their medical situation. Runners need the right shoes, a training program and one another to make it to the finish line!
4. Runners love food and so do our RMHC families.
   After a long training run, all you can think about is what you’re going to devour when you get home. After a long day at the hospital, all a family can think about is getting back to the Ronald McDonald House for a delicious meal and a warm brownie! Food provides fuel for a runner and comfort for an RMHC family.
5. Both runners and RMHC families alike are surrounded by love.
   I, personally, would have never completed my first two half marathons without the love and support of my friends, family and running buddies. RMHC families find the power of love every day at the Ronald McDonald House through volunteers, staff and other families experiencing a similar situation.

13.1 miles…

26.2 miles…

Countless hours in the hospital waiting room…

A year in and out of Nationwide Children’s Hospital and the Columbus Ronald McDonald House….

We are all running a race. A race we will finish through all the tears, setbacks, laughs and successes that life brings.