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Friday
Aug202010

R.I.P. Sailor

I'm terribly sad to announce the passing of my dog Sailor earlier this week.  Cancer.  He had a short, but tail-waggingly full, life.  My wife and I brought Sailor home when he was a puppy--8 pounds of adorable fluff!  He grew into an absolutely wonderful adult dog.  Sailor was smart, dutiful, and a loyal companion.  A Portuguese Water Dog to the bone,  Sailor loved swimming in the ocean all year long in any kind of weather.  He also enjoyed morning walks, trail running, boating and fishing, XC skiing, hiking, camping, travel, and eating.  He never missed a day in the office here at Two Lights Consulting.  He was always eager to help me burn the midnight oil on client projects.  We will cherish our memories of Sailor and sorely miss him.

 

Friday
Aug202010

Getting Trashy with Atayne at Maine Tri for a Cure

I joined the Atayne Trash Runner crew at the Maine Tri for a Cure last weekend.  We picked up garbage along the 5K run course (thankfully, we didn't have to push the trash stroller through the swim and bike courses!) Spectacular weather and fun was had by all.

Monday
Jul192010

The Gear Junkie Treasure Hunt - Roanoke

Two Lights Consulting client Atayne sponsored the first-ever Gear Junkie Treasure Hunt in Roanoke, Virginia on Sunday, July 11, 2010.  Since I was already down there for the Alleghany Gran Fondo, I decided to drop in and see what all the fuss was about.  What an awesome event.  The orienteering course was a blast.  They gave away tons of amazing outdoor gear.  All in all, a fantastic opp for outdoor junkies and sponsors. Please do a treasure hunt here in Maine!

A crowd gathers for race instructions for a challenging orienteering course.

Brock Foreman (left) and Gear Junkie's Pat Petschel. Stephen Regenold is The Gear Junkie.Atayne digs the Gear Junkie Treasure Hunt.

Monday
Jul192010

The first-ever Alleghany Gran Fondo

I'm proud to have worked with the race organization and super volunteers to produce the first ever Alleghany Gran Fondo on July 10, 2010 in Clifton Forge and Covington, Virginia, just north of Roanoke.  Cyclists from all over the region enjoyed a challenging, mountainous course.  I'm already looking forward to next year's event.

And check out the photos and info on the Alleghany Gran Fondo facebook page.

The starting line in Clifton Forge, VA

Brock Foreman with the inspirational Saul Raisin.

 

Wednesday
Jul072010

Get ultralight! (It's another take on minimalism)

Last summer, I was fortunate enough to hike with Stephen Regenold, aka Gear Junkie, and Karl Wiedemann from Thule.  We had a blast covering the arduous, 25-mile, Devil's Path in New York's Catskill Mountains.  You can read Regenold's account here in the New York Times.  And you can read about his ultralight gear list for the trip on GearJunkie.com

Photo by GearJunkie.comPer Regenold's recommendations, I packed only the essentials for this trip.  I wore the same clothes each day.  Instead of a tent, I survived nighttime rain under a clammy, foil emergency tarp.  My pack--only a few pounds at most--mostly contained food.  Clammy tarp notwithstanding, everything worked out great.  We were able to cover vast distances each day with minimal fatigue.  And instead of fiddling with gear and packing and unpacking at campsites, I had more time to enjoy hanging out with my friends and really enjoy nature.

Since then, I go ultralight whenever I can--hikes, weekend trips, business-trips, you name it.  It's part of the minimalist motif I've been advocating for a while in everything from software and web design to marketing communications.  Less is almost always more.  

Wednesday
Jun232010

Alleghany Gran Fondo Preview on Roanoke's WSLS TV 10

The first-ever Alleghany Gran Fondo is July 10, 2010.  The spectacular, Italian-style, race-ride rolls from Clifton Forge, Virginia to Covington.  Register for this cycling adventure now at www.alleghanygranfondo.com.  Enter code "Roanoke2010" for $15 off registration!

Thursday
Jun172010

Dick's Sporting Goods National Runners' Month wraps up celebration with $50,000 donation to Team Fox

Pittsburgh, Pa., June 17, 2010 -- The first-ever Dick's Sporting Goods National Runners' Month marked the recent finish of its successful, month-long celebration with a donation of $50,000 to its charity partner, Team Fox.  Together, Dick's Sporting Goods and Team Fox have worked to promote running this spring while helping raise awareness and funds to find a cure for Parkinson's disease.

Dick's Sporting Goods National Runners' Month started May 1 and included major sponsorship of ten premiere running events across the country, including the following:

    •    Alexandria Running Festival
    •    Dick's Sporting Goods Pittsburgh Marathon
    •    Chuy's Hot to Trot 5K
    •    Palos Verdes Marathon
    •    Strawberry Festival
    •    Brentwood 10K
    •    Stillwater Marathon
    •    Ridge Run 10K
    •    Dick's Sporting Goods Bolder Boulder
    •    Starlight Run

All told, the ten Dick's Sporting Goods National Runners' Month events boasted approximately 75,000 registered runners, and many events quickly reached full capacity highlighting running and road racing's robust growth.

All registered runners at Dick's Sporting Goods National Runners' Month events received a $10 gift certificate with no-minimum purchase valid at any Dick's Sporting Goods store.  Promotion of Dick's Sporting Goods National Runners' Month also included a national network television advertising campaign.  "Deals of the Week" on running gear and a Facebook contest helped spur high web-traffic on Dick's Sporting Goods National Runners' Month's website and social media hub, www.nationalrunnersmonth.com.

Dick's Sporting Goods National Runners' Month also launched the RunnersUnite! iPhone app, a well-received tool that helps runners connect with each other and find nearby running routes.  To date, nearly 35,000 people have downloaded the application.

Dick's Sporting Goods National Runners' Month ambassadors Dean Karnazes and Bart Yasso whipped up excitement by hosting group runs and sharing their experiences and expertise with runners at store events in Los Angeles and Boston.  An interview with Bart Yasso at one of the store events can be watched here at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6tkBNqWIv3Q.
 
"Dick's Sporting Goods National Runners' Month was a resounding success," said Jeff Hennion, executive vice president and chief marketing officer, Dick's Sporting Goods.  "We'd like to give special thanks to Team Fox," said Hennion.  "Through their vast athlete network and outreach, Team Fox did a fantastic job helping us energize runners this May," said Hennion.  "We've enjoyed working with Team Fox to further their mission to find a cure for Parkinson's disease," said Hennion.  "On behalf of Dick's Sporting Goods National Runners' Month, it was an honor to present Team Fox with a check for $50,000," said Hennion.

"We are deeply grateful for the commitment of Dick's Sporting Goods to furthering critical research for Parkinson's disease," said Katie Hood, CEO of the Michael J. Fox Foundation.  "Dick's Sporting Goods National Runners' Month and all of the Team Fox members who participated in the events this spring have helped us raise awareness of Parkinson's disease while inspiring countless athletes across the country to join the fight against the disease," said Hood.

About Dick's Sporting Goods National Runners' Month
May is Dick's Sporting Goods National Runners' Month, an initiative to promote running and highlight the retailer's deep commitment to serving runners.  Dick's Sporting Goods National Runners' Month includes major event sponsorship, Web, social media, mobile marketing, store promotions, and other activities aimed at helping runners enjoy their sport.  The official Dick's Sporting Goods National Runners' Month Event Calendar includes the following ten races:

    •    Alexandria Running Festival, Washington, D.C., May 2
    •    Dick's Sporting Goods Pittsburgh Marathon, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, May 2
    •    Chuy's Hot to Trot 5K, Austin, Texas, May 8
    •    Palos Verdes Marathon, Los Angeles, California, May 15
    •    Strawberry Festival, San Diego, California, May 30
    •    Brentwood 10K, Los Angeles, California, May 30
    •    Stillwater Marathon, Stillwater, Minnesota, May 30
    •    Ridge Run 10K, Chicago, Illinois, May 31
    •    Dick's Sporting Goods Bolder Boulder, Boulder, Colorado, May 31
    •    Starlight Run, Portland, Oregon, June 5

Dick's Sporting Goods National Runners' Month benefits Team Fox to raise funds and awareness for Parkinson's disease research.

For more information, visit www.nationalrunnersmonth.com

About Dick's Sporting Goods, Inc.
Dick's Sporting Goods, Inc. is an authentic full-line sporting goods retailer offering a broad assortment of brand name sporting goods equipment, apparel, and footwear in a specialty store environment. As of January 10, 2010, the Company operated 419 Dick's Sporting Goods stores in 40 states primarily throughout the eastern half of the U.S. The Company also owns Golf Galaxy, Inc., a multi-channel golf specialty retailer, with 91 stores in 31 states, e-commerce websites and catalog operations. www.dickssportinggoods.com

About Team Fox
Team Fox, the grassroots community fundraising arm of The Michael J. Fox Foundation, is made up of over a thousand people who find fun and creative ways to raise funds and awareness for Parkinson's research, one of which is through athletic endeavors.  Team Fox supports runners and other athletes all over the world in their goal of taking on physical and philanthropic challenges on behalf of the Foundation.  Since its inception in 2006, Team Fox members have raised more than $8 million for Parkinson's research. www.teamfox.org

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Media Contact
Brock Foreman
Dick's Sporting Goods National Runners' Month
207-233-7968
brock.foreman@gmail.com

Thursday
Jun102010

Atayne founder Jeremy Litchfield shaves handlebar mustache

 

If you live around here, you may have caught Jeremy's magnificently handlebarred mug featured in Chelsea Holden Baker's article in this month's Maine, the Magazine.

More puzzling than the disappearance of the Boston Celtic shooter Ray Allan's offense in last Tuesday night's game against the Lakers, Litchfield's stache was nowhere to be seen during his interview today on Fox 23 TV.

Presumably, the eco-minded Litchfield is composting the trimings in his garden.

Thursday
Jun102010

Help make a zombie movie in Portland, Maine!

Wasted Minds Entertainment needs $5,000 in pledges from zombie lovers like you to make Feed the Zombie.  Any donation amount will do.  Contribute enough and you'll get a film credit or even a part!  Click here for more info and to donate.

 

Wednesday
Jun022010

Alleghany Gran Fondo registration is now open!

The first-ever Alleghany Gran Fondo is July 10, 2010 in Covington, Virginia--not too far from Roanoke.  It's an incredible course.  Registration is open