Mini’s Mission featured in the Washingtonian Magazine

The Washingtonian Magazine interviewed Timmy “Mini” Tyrrell and his parents about Mini’s Mission, one of Inspired Athletes’ fundraising efforts.  The article was published today, and can be found here!

Angel Kisses 5k Run 2k Walk Registration Opens

Registration for the 9th annual Angel Kisses 5k, to benefit the Jeffrey Virostek Memorial Fund, has now opened.  The proceeds will help families fighting childhood cancer.  This year’s race date is Sunday, May 13 in Chantilly, VA.

Lat year, Timmy “Mini” Tyrrell presented a check for over $3,500 to the Jeffrey Virostek Memorial Fund from the first three month of Mini’s Mission go Kart season!  The remainder of the 2011 race season has ensured that Mini will once again present a check for “a lot of money” at this years event!

Register Online. It’s convenient, and confirmation of your entry will be sent the same day via e-mail. View our the Angel Kisses site at www.angelkisses-5k.org; there are race details and more.

We are offering something new this year. Fit2Finish, a company specializing in helping athletes prepare for race day, is offering free online training and motivational coaching for Angel Kisses 5K participants. Subscribe at Fit2Finish.com and download the basic training plan. Beginning in February, Fit2Finish will send you bi-weekly posts on hot training topics like:

* Eating right
* Hydrating
* Goal Setting
* Pacing Yourself
* Training and Staying Healthy
* Staying motivated
* Plus, there will be tips for race day to reduce worries and let you focus on running your best race.

Once you’re subscribed, Fit2Finish training professionals are available by e-mail to answer any training questions that arise. Clear any hurdles before race day.

It’s your own personal online coach just like the professionals, and it’s free, courtesy of Fit2Finish and the Angel Kisses 5K. Here’s to a personal best in 2012!

Follow Angel Kisses on Twitter @angelkisses5k and on Facebook.

Stay tuned to see how you and Inspired Athletes can continue to assist this worthy cause!

CNN Headline News and CNN.com cover Mini’s Mission

One of the fundraising efforts of Inspired Athletes, Mini’s Mission, has been featured on CNN recently.  CNN.com posted a piece on Mini’s Mission on December 23.  You can see it here!

CNN Headline News, Leaders With Heart, also aired segments on Mini’s Mission on three days in January.

Mini’s Mission raised over $25,000 in 2011, and Mini is excited about continuing his “Burn Rubber to Help Another” campaign in 2012!  To support Mini’s Mission, visit our donate page and designate Mini’s Mission when you contribute!

Team Inspired Athletes to tackle a Tough Mudder

Team Inspired Athletes is dedicated to supporting athletes with physical disabilities. The members of Team Inspired Athletes are individuals who believe in the values of our organization and are actively involved in athletic events and/or competitions throughout the United States. These athletes exemplify what it means to be an Inspired Athlete because of their passion for the sports that they participate/compete in, but more importantly, they are driven to make a difference in the world where we live. Team Inspired Athletes fundraises and donates proceeds to other charitable organizations to enhance the quality of life for those with physical disabilities enabling them to participate in athletic events and/or competitions.

Team Inspired Athletes will be participating in its first ever Tough Mudder competition.  Tough Mudder events are hardcore 10-12 mile obstacle courses designed by British Special Forces to test your all around strength, stamina, mental grit, and camaraderie.  Tough Mudder has already challenged half a million inspiring participants worldwide and raised more than two million dollars for the Wounded Warrior Project.

Ten members from Team Inspired Athletes will tackle the Tough Mudder Pennsylvania #2 in Pocono Manor, PA on May 12, 2012.  This an 11 mile, 27 obstacle course sure to challenge all who participate.  Team Inspired Athletes goal is to raise $5,000 through sponsorships and donations.  A portion of the entrance fee to the Tough Mudder is donated to the Wounded Warrior Project.  In addition, funds raised by Team Inspired Athletes will be used to support amateur athletes with disabilities.

Please visit our “Donate” page to support Team Inspired Athletes.  Designate “Team Inspired Athletes” when you contribute!

ACHIEVE Wraps Up 2011 Season

Congratulations to ACHIEVE for wrapping up their fifth successful year of introducing 9-14 year olds to the demanding sport of triathlon.  Among other milestones reached during the year, ACHIEVE surpassed 450 total athletes and set a program record for the number of USA Triathlon-certified camps.

In offering thanks to supporters and volunteers, ACHIEVE Executive Director Molly Quinn relayed the inspiring story of Wilson Coles, who had never owned a bike nor been on a swim team. He went on to be an overall winner of an ACHIEVE Kids Triathlon race and has competed in 10 more triathlons in the Washington, DC area.

Quinn also received a 2011 Community Leadership Award from the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports, and Nutrition for making fitness, activity, and nutrition programs available to local youth.

Founded in 2007 with the support of former Washington, DC mayor Adrian Fenty, the ACHIEVE program teaches kids the fundamentals of swimming, cycling, and running along with nutrition and strength training. Training and racing with ACHIEVE teaches kids how to be self-disciplined, goal oriented, and focused – skills that will serve them well in all walks of life.

Inspired Athletes wishes continued success to this outstanding program!

 

Mini’s Mission featured on NBC Nightly News

We were thrilled to see Mini’s Mission featured on the NBC Nightly News tonight. Inspired Athletes created Mini’s Mission to allow Timmy“Mini” Tyrrell to “Burn Rubber to Help Another” and assist with raising money for charity through Go-Kart racing.  Mini is raising money during his 2011 Go-Kart season to help fight childhood cancer.  All funds collected through Mini’s Mission will be donated to the Jeffrey Virostek Memorial Fund, a component of the Northern Virginia Community Foundation and affiliated with the Angel Kisses 5K Run/2K Fun Run and Walk. The Jeffrey Virostek Memorial Fund was founded after Jeffrey Virostek, a resident of Northern Virginia, lost his battle with leukemia in 2003 at the age of 4.

To support this worthy cause, visit the Donate page of our website, InspiredAthletes.org.

Thank you for your support!

Inspire, Empower, & Mentor

Inspired Athletes was incorporated in the Commonwealth of Virginia on December 3, 2007 as an all volunteer nonstock corporation. Shortly thereafter, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) recognized Inspired Athletes as a charitable organization in accordance with section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.

Initially, the focus of Inspired Athletes was to develop a Mentor Program for young and aspiring athletes. One of the primary goals of the Mentor Program was to assist in the development of future leaders within our local communities. This was achieved by creating an environment that fostered the growth of our young athletes not only within various sporting events, but as individuals within their respective communities. Additionally, the Mentor Program allowed for reciprocal mentorship by giving our more experienced athletes the opportunity to become role models for those just starting out. The Mentor Program encouraged active involvement and made essential resources available for participation, while also providing guidance and support to those involved. We believed (and still believe) that leading by example and assisting in the development of future leaders is one of the greatest contributions that we can make to our communities.

Under the auspices of the Mentor Program, we created the Inspired Gravity Team, made up of both experienced and novice downhill mountain bike racers. The Inspired Gravity Team was created to provide young athletes with the opportunity to reach their fullest potential in gravity mountain bike events and competitions, to include downhill mountain bike racing and gated events such as dual slalom and mountaincross.  Our goal was to provide a fun and productive environment that was conducive to the development and growth of our athletes. We provided coaching, individual mentoring, and scheduled practices to assist our athletes in becoming successful not only in competition, but also in life. These events and competitions provided our athletes with the opportunity to achieve individual goals while also developing the skills necessary to work together as a team.

During our first year, our Inspired Gravity Team established itself as a dominant force on the mountain. While we were not solely concerned with where we finished in a race, we think it’s important to highlight the team’s accomplishments both on and off the race course:

Inspired Athletes Gravity Team Members competed in 19 different races and raced at 9 different venues up and down the East Coast, to include the USA Cycling Mountain Bike National Championships. We ended the year with two (2) National Champions, 54 top-three individual race podiums and 23 top five series overall podiums. Inspired Athletes stood atop the podium a total of 77 times in our first year of racing.

Over the course of the next few years, Inspired Athletes continued to grow, adapting our goals and mission as the needs of the organization evolved. One of our proudest accomplishments is the recent creation of our Support a Cause program. The Support a Cause program highlights the altruistic accomplishments of our amateur athletes, by promoting the charitable activities in which they are involved. Specifically, we give our athletes the opportunity to fundraise in support of other charitable causes that inspire them, while also assisting them in their endeavors to be actively involved in athletic events and competitions.

As Inspired Athletes continues to grow, we remain focused on our ultimate vision of inspiring others to overcome adversity by sharing inspirational stories about athletes who have either overcome illness, injury and/or other hardships, or have assisted others in overcoming various challenges to achieve their goals and dreams. The athletes featured on our website are individuals who believe in the values of our organization and are actively involved in athletic events and/or competitions throughout the United States. These athletes exemplify what it means to be an Inspired Athlete because of their passion for the sports that they participate/compete in, but more importantly, they are driven to make a difference in the world where we live. Inspired Athletes regularly participate in events that are established to support and promote causes such as environmental awareness, preventing poverty and famine, and combating a number of devastating diseases/illnesses.

Inspired Athletes remains an all volunteer organization!! Please feel free to contact us if you are interested in getting involved!!