6th Annual Middlemiss Big Heart 5K

Sometimes it's all about the bling. Sometimes it's all about a PR. Sometimes it's all about the cause and on September 28th, we run, walk or roll getting our Superheroes on for the 6th Annual Middlemiss Big Heart 5K. It's all about the cause!

Kate Middlemiss, Co-Founder of The Joseph Middlemiss Big Heart Foundation posted this on Facebook yesterday:
September is a rough month all around. In a lot of ways, I’d love to just skip over it but I’m determined to continue creating beauty out of darkness and touching lives with kindness. Right around this time, I purposely throw myself into our 5k planning as a way to 1)keep my Mind extra busy, 2)raise funds to carry out our important mission/carry on Joseph’s legacy, and 3)recognize all the goodness still present in our lives while honoring the superheroes among us.

It keeps me going through September and is so much more than just a race to me. It’s a truly extraordinary and symbolic day. This year is extra special because we have decided to LIVE out our kindness mission and create a “race beneficiary” subset of our event. Each year we will use some of the race proceeds to support an individual or organization in our community as our way of “giving back” and spreading kindness. This year’s recipient is someone near and dear to so many and a man who has embodied the word SUPERHERO the past several months: Kevin LaCoste.

Many of you know Kevin suffered a severe spinal cord injury back in July and has been putting forth the most courageous battle. We are doing our best to flood the LaCoste family with love and support and hope our race can help honor him as a superhero among us while relieving a bit of the financial burden of the injury. 
I’m not great at promoting events. I’ve come a long way but it’s still way out of my comfort zone. I hate flooding everyone’s news feeds with advertisements of another “can’t miss event” but I promise you this one is truly special. It’s an important day for my family, our foundation, and community at large. It truly highlights all the good that is still present in the world and is my way of letting my beautiful, first-born son know that his lessons in love continue on and on.

We have a fun morning planned with many special touches: kids fun run, celebrity mile exclusive to our race, tons of special guests, superhero costumes, live music along the entire course, and a family fun after-race celebration. Please take a moment to check out our race website. Register as a runner/walker, sign up as a volunteer, support us as a sponsor, and come out and have some fun. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. www.middlemissbigheart5k.com

Thank you to all the people who work tirelessly to make this event a possibility. Build a team, join virtually, spread the word.

Joseph Scott Middlemiss died on September 23, 2013 but even though he lived for only six years, his life, his love, his legacy live on in perpetuity thanks to the Foundation Kate and Scott created that is a magnet for kind hearted, big hearted individuals many of whom also love to run!

Their Mission:

The Joseph Middlemiss Big Heart Foundation honors Joseph's message of "All You Need is Love" by spreading kindness, empowering children, funding cardiomyopathy research, and supporting families dealing with pediatric cardiac conditions.

Their Goals:
1. To expand The Joseph Middlemiss "All You Need is Love" Mission, fostering the spread and documentation of Random Acts of Kindness on local, national, and international fronts. (https://www.facebook.com/JosephMiddlemissLove)

​2. To educate children on the power of kindness by supporting the efforts of schools (creating and leading motivational assemblies, providing books and related resources), and by empowering students through scholarships for music and martial arts.

​3. To contribute to research for and spread awareness of cardiomyopathy while providing financial, social, and emotional assistance to families impacted by these cardiac conditions.

There is always love, joy, community and special moments when we come together to honor Joseph. Here are a few scenes from last year's event:


Two years ago, this incredible moment happened:
September 23, 2017

So, today has been a day filled with mixed emotions. But, we continue to be blessed by the love and support of so many beautiful and wonderful people who continue to love Joseph and help us share his legacy of love and kindness. So, thank you all.

I have been looking through all the amazing pictures. And, this one just jumped out at me. I have gone back to look at it multiple times. There is so much inspiration, kindness, and beauty in this picture.

The other day, we asked our friend Rachel {who lives with cerebral palsy} to design a race that she wanted to participate in, to finish. This was her special race. And, she did such an amazing job and made the turn for the finish line with a big smile on her face and as strong as ever. This is Rachel crossing the finish line of HER race. And, it was amazing...topped off by the incredible Dick Hoyt presenting Rachel with a special "Superhero" medal.

This alone is amazing and beautiful. But, it is not the whole story that this picture tells. There is another runner in the picture. #378. His name is Danforth Sullivan. He was coming in to finish the 5K first overall at some ridiculously fast pace. No doubt he was going to finish under 18 minutes, something I cannot even fully comprehend. He was finishing up strong and then came upon Rachel finishing her race. So he stopped, slowed down, and let her finish, have her moment, losing valuable seconds to his own personal finish. And, where some may have been upset or tried to finish ahead of Rachel, he slowed down to cheer her on. And finished with a smile...celebrating this special moment.

I didn't know that this happened until I saw the picture. Come to find out that Danforth is a member of Team Zoe, the biggest super team. Thank you, Danforth Sullivan, for being a special part of this amazing moment. Joseph was definitely smiling down at this exact moment. I can feel it.



This year there is going to be a LaCoste Strong Team. Kevin's Army, as his supporters are called, will be a part of this year's event to run, walk and volunteer and honor this superhero and his wife Ali who are the embodiment of all that Team Big Heart stands for. Team Zoe who has had the biggest superhero team for the past two years has no problem losing their title to LaCoste Strong.



The above tees raised over $13,000 and are on the 3rd round of sales. LaCoste strong bracelets, bumper stickers, lemonade stands and a GoFundMe page have raised hundreds of thousands of dollars to offset the cost of medical bills and both Ali and Kevin being out of work for an indeterminate amount of time. Kevin and Ali have raised thousands of dollars for Team Big Heart when Kevin ran Boston twice and they ran the Falmouth Road Race as part of Team Big Heart.

They are going to need our ongoing love and financial support. By making the 6th Annual Middlemiss Big Heart 5K the best race year ever, The Foundation will be able to help the LaCoste family while continuing to fund their wonderful Foundation initiatives.

Get your Superhero on and run with all your heart on September 28th. If you are out of the greater Boston area, you can do a virtual run and if you are not a runner, come walk with us. Volunteers are also needed. Follow this link to be a part of this epic community event.

It's going to be your best day ever!

To your health and wellness
From my heart to yours
Mary

To hear Race Director Dave McGillivray inspiring as only he can, he is going to be speaking at Whiraway Sports Center in Methuen on September 11th. Follow this link to register.

Be sure to visit my website at www.marymcmanus.com

Hear my interview with Kendra Petrone on Magic 106.7's Exceptional Women Show by following this link

My books are available on Amazon and "Feel the Heal" and "The Adventures of Runnergirl 1953" are available in Natick Center Cultural District at Paula Romero Dunbar's Celebration Boutique Paper Fiesta coincidentally located on Mile 10 of the Boston Marathon Route.