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Welcome to my page! My name is Wilson Horrell (aka Beefcake) and this year I am going to tackle the St. Jude Marathon. At 6′ tall and 250lbs, I am far from a competitive runner, but I do enjoy the exercise and very much like the social and support aspect. I enjoy meeting with a group of friends and stepping a little bit outside of my comfort zone with each run. I do this voluntarily and can stop the discomfort at ANY TIME I CHOOSE. I can run, walk, or simply quit. I am perfectly healthy, and there is nothing stopping me from doing the things I enjoy. When something hurts, I can generally identify the problem, and it will be fixed with either some rest, ice, or ibuprofen. Even being healthy, I always find something to complain about. I whine about a blister, or a sore knee. I complain that I am too slow, or too fat. I gripe that my shirt or my shorts are rubbing me the wrong way. I am a person of vanity, who gels my hair and is in constant watch of my  ever receding hairline. Each morning I wake up in my comfortable bed at my nice home, and I have the option as to whether or not I want to run or relax. My days are pretty consistent, and overall relatively smooth. I am familiar with my surroundings and the people who occupy my space. I am in complete control of the personal boundaries I set in my world. To some degree, I have an understanding of the things taking place around me, and I have a pretty good idea of how the world works. Having had a privileged childhood, I know very little of what it is like for life to treat me unfairly, though I have OFTEN complained that it did. Most of the pain and discomfort in my life has been brought on by myself, and can be easily remedied if I make a few changes….

This is not the case for the children at St. Jude. These innocent kids have not done anything in this life to deserve the problems that they must battle every single day. They wake up and go to bed outside of their comfort zone, as it is where they live. They must fight, constantly. They do not have rest days, or the luxury of deciding if they will work hard, or just go through the motions. Most of these kids would do just about anything to have the opportunity to spend an afternoon blistering their ankles, in whatever kind of clothes, vanity be damned. The kids wake up in a bed which does not belong to them, in a room that is not in their home. They have not even had the time on earth to make sense of the craziness that is a normal, healthy life, let alone one which contains ever breaking curve-balls, and beam balls. Each visit from the doctor provides more potentially bad news, and only adds to the already chaotic world in which they are living. The things that these children experience are not consequences of bad decisions, but more an inexplicable misfortune. From what I have seen, most of these kids handle the discomfort and pain that comes with their disease with more grace than I handle a hangnail.

In my life I have been bountifully blessed with people that are full of positivity and encouragement. My “people” are not afraid to enjoy life, and have taught me to keep things in perspective. I have learned to spend more time on what’s important, and to not focus so much on the material things. I have heard so many moving stories regarding the fulfillment that comes with fundraising for the St. Jude Marathon that selfishly I just had to be a part of this feeling. When I saw the fundraising goals to choose from, it was a no-brainer. The highest fundraising goal was the only option, because me and my “people” do things BIG…always. One of the benefits of having “people” is that I never have to do anything alone, and there is always someone in my corner. This is by no means meant to guilt anyone into doing anything that they are not comfortable, but it is an opportunity to put my “peeps” on a pedestal. I want to thank you for walking with me through this life, and helping make me a better person. There is no one more fortunate than me, and this is because of people like you. I encourage you to give what you can. Even if all you have to give is a word of encouragement, then I welcome this graciously. My hat is off to you for participating in a positive and compassionate life. I hope that you continue to be you as loudly and unapologetically as possible, and I thank you for allowing me to do the same. Lets come together and kick a little cancer ass, cause kicking ass is what we do.

***Prediction- Beefcake wins out/reigns supreme at St. Jude Aid Stations… 1st Place Overall, Age Group, and Best In Show. “You better pack a lunch.” I take this quite literally.***

Peace, Love, and all things Beef related.

Wilson Horrell

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