Running or walking a half marathon is no easy task, it's even worse when you get called out on stage to participate in one in front of ALL of your peers.
That's exactly what our Executive Director Adam Lowy did last November at Atlas Van Lines's annual convention in San Diego, when he called out Bill Paxton of Paxton Van Lines. Thankfully Bill is an experienced runner (and apparently regular hockey player) with a GREAT sense of humor and accepted the task with enthusiasm. Next month, some of the Paxton staff, friends and family members will lace up their shoes and turn their miles into meals at the Rock 'n' Roll DC Marathon, 1/2 Marathon & 5K. In addition to hitting the course, Paxton Van Lines will also be transporting the leftover food to the Capital Area Food Bank, creating thousands of meals for those in need in the Washington D.C. area. In their own words, check out some of these awesome Team Paxton members who are going the distance to fight hunger and food waste!
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Bill Paxton - COO
I am running in this race because…Adam Lowy made me when he called me out on social media! :) I have run this race in the past and this time will be running the half marathon. My favorite thing about this race is running through the city and seeing all the monuments and fun D.C. neighborhoods, I love that part! I am grateful to be supporting such a WONDERFUL cause and am proud of how our Paxton team has embraced it! Can’t wait for race day and to cross that finish line!
Elaine Smythe
I am running this race because I wanted to find a way that I could personally contribute to Move For Hunger since I love a challenge. So when Bill Paxton announced our fundraising goal, I was “all in.” I’ve run a half-marathon, a duathlon, and numerous 5k’s in the past but since I haven’t run in 4 years, this was great motivation to get back into the groove of running! I am looking forward to having fun with co-workers for a great cause.
I am excited to get out there and while I have not actually run the Rock 'n' Roll DC half marathon, I did do the Philadelphia Rock 'n' Roll half marathon so it will be fun to see how they compare!
This is my first personal participation in partnership with Move For Hunger and hopefully the first of many to come. I love how Move For Hunger took a local charity effort and made it a nationwide movement by partnering with movers across the country. At Paxton, we promote Move For Hunger from the very first customer communication, to delivering labeled cartons prior to the move, making it easy for our customers to donate their food items. Everyone wins.
Special thanks to Move For Hunger for setting up our team page and I hope everyone visits the fundraising team page or Paxton's Facebook page to donate and help us reach our $5,000 goal!
Andi Martinez
I’ve been running since I was a little girl in first grade and in school, I ran long distance, 2 miles. After college, my friend asked me to run a half marathon with her and at the time, 13.1 miles seemed beyond my capabilities. After my second half race, I injured my knee and was unable to run – even a mile was painful. Then I picked up biking, started riding every day and a year later I gave running a try again. To my surprise, I was able to run again (not as fast), but was happy considering at one point I thought I would never again. In 2018, I got the email to join Team Paxton with Move For Hunger and didn’t think twice about running the half! But this time I thought, God has blessed me every day beyond my wildest dreams and if everything is possible in this life, running a full marathon has to be possible too! So I resigned to run a full marathon - this will be my first!
In the past, I have run the half marathon supporting Move For Hunger and the Paxton Team. I've also volunteered with Paxton in the 2016 Food Fight event to pack 5 million meals for hungry children. I am super grateful to be part of the Move For Hunger Paxton team at the Rock 'n' Roll D.C. marathon, but am most excited for the medal at the finish line and to help Move For Hunger achieve their goals!
Eric Hein
I am running the half marathon to support the cause. I try to run at least one long race every month, with this being my race for March. As for a personal goal, I would like to finish with a sub 10:00/mile pace and have run approximately 40 half and 2 full marathons since 2009.
I ran this race as a member of Team Paxton in 2015. I like running through downtown D.C. past the monuments and buildings and also enjoy the large crowds and good music. Last time I ran this race, the weather was miserable (cold and rainy), so I didn't really enjoy it as much as I would have liked to. I am hoping for better weather this time around and am looking forward to meeting the other members of the Team!
I am very active in social justice causes and helping the less fortunate, so I am excited to be able to use my passion for running to help others. I am grateful to Paxton for letting me as a spouse of an employee be part of the team.
Kelly Simpson
I’ve always enjoyed running for a cause. Having done a 5K for both brain cancer and lupus, this is my first time being involved with Move For Hunger. My dad passed away 2 years ago from Multiple Myeloma and the day of this race will be his birthday, so I am running this for him. I am excited to be part of a team, my team, and I’m excited that my 12-year-old daughter will be running with me. What a wonderful way for her to see her mom and her colleagues participate in such a worthy cause. Go Team Paxton!
Jennifer Smith
I am running to support Move For Hunger, a great cause that fights hunger and helps children. I have never run a marathon before, but I’ve changed my lifestyle to be more health conscious and found I actually enjoy running. I’m so excited to raise money and awareness for this cause and also to get out there and see what I can do! I am a huge advocate and suggest at the first opportunity to my customers moving overseas (when food isn’t allowed) how they can donate it to Move For Hunger. Our movers are already out there to grab it so it’s super convenient and everyone wins!
Dave Kelly
Hello, all participants and a big thank you to our supporters!
My goal is to complete this half marathon supporting my fellow warriors, Paxton, and most importantly Move For Hunger. Our shirts and stickers will be seen by thousands of spectators getting the word out! I have completed this and four other Rock 'n' Roll half marathons. So far I have seen that Virginia Beach has the loudest and most rocking bands while D.C. has the best spectators - lots of loud cheering crowds.
I completed my first marathon, the Marine Corps Marathon in 2004 after I received a bib number from a co-worker who hurt their back. I was 50 years old at the time and had only run twelve miles, but knowing family, friends, and a cold six pack were waiting for me at the finish line got me through the race. The next year I returned and dropped over one hour from my previous race time. Family and friends were waiting with a twelve-pack that time.
Later Freddy Paxton asked if anyone would like to participate in the Nation’s Triathlon; co-worker Gillian Callahan and I stepped up. I had to learn how to swim and ride a bike again. NO PROBLEM! Ha! We both finished and because I like abuse, completed another. To date, I have participated in thirteen half marathons and eleven sprint triathlons.
As a surveyor, I have seen that Paxton and Move For Hunger go so well together. I drop boxes, tape, and stickers to our customers when I am conducting my move out surveys to make sure the word gets out. Similarly, I look forward to when we will be wearing our running shirts and stickers and the thousands of spectators along the race route will be made aware of the great organization that Move For Hunger is! A great way to get the word out!
Don’t forget I will be collecting all unused beer stubs. Haha! Thank you and race on!
Want to help Paxton reach their goal? Click here to support them at the Rock 'n' Roll DC Marathon, 1/2 Marathon & 5K!
