Walk it Out

Last Saturday I had the opportunity to attend and have a booth at the MDA Muscle Walk at the Intrust Bank Arena in Wichita. After arriving early and getting set up, I was ready for all the walkers and it wasn’t long before they began showing up!

We were supposed to try and support the Superhero theme as well as having an interactive part to our displays. Unlike the MDA volunteers who handed out bananas and bottled water, I decided upon candy. Everyone got at least one piece of candy, but if they could guess within 10-50 miles of how many miles I had traveled for appearances as MWKS, they would receive a giant Kit Kat or Twix.

I had so many guesses, but only ended up giving away 3 giant candy bars. I was still pretty impressed with that! Now, I know what you’re thinking…how many miles was it, and so here it is…are you ready? 8,536 miles to date.

The MDA Muscle Walk is a great event that not only allows people to honor adults and children who have been diagnosed with any of the 40+ diseases in MDA’s program, but it raises funds to help the Muscular Dystrophy Association foster research and provide vital services to families affected by neuromuscular disease.

Other than seeing more than 300 people support such a great cause, the coolest part of my day was to see a few familiar faces who I’ve met throughout my journey as MWKS. I saw a few athletes from the Challenge Games, a few volunteers from the MDA Summer Camp, and a few familiar faces who live nearby.

I had a fantastic time and couldn’t believe when the clock hit noon and other vendors were packing up their booths, but this event was also a little bittersweet for me as it was my last MWKS appearance before I hand over the crown on March 17^th.

I’m going to refrain from recapping the events of the year and saying my goodbyes for now, but I do want to say that if you ever have a chance to support the Muscular Dystrophy Association, whether it be by donations or competing in a 5K, please do. I must say that after being allowed to partake in not only one, but two MDA events, it has not only shown me what services and opportunities they provide for those affected by neuromuscular disease, but what a great organization they are.