FMRC is an organization that is committed to the legacy of our sport and the betterment of our community.  We place a high importance on donating time and resources to those who share our vision.

In May of  2010, our FMRC teammate Pete Zucker, an avid cyclist and triathlete was diagnosed with ALS. Pete’s fight has provided us with the inspiration and motivation to devote our efforts to a cause much bigger than the sport of running or cycling. We are committed to raising funds and awareness about ALS. We are essentially no closer to a cure than we were more than 70 years ago when Lou Gehrig fought the disease.

HERE'S HOW WE FIGHT!

CYCLE-FOR-ALS
Every February, Forward Motion Race Club holds a 16.5 hour spin-a-thon where members of the team or members of the community donate $60 and participate in one (or more than one) 90-minute spin classes.  We start spinning at 5:30 AM and we don't stop until 10:00PM. We are riding to support those who can't.  100% of the proceeds are donated to two world-class organizations dedicated to the fight against ALS - ALS Therapy Development Institute and The Blazeman Foundation.  The amount of time we spin is significant and relevant - it represents the 16.5 hours that John Blais (while battling ALS himself) spent on the Ironman Hawaii course in 2005 to raise awareness for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis.

In 2009, the inaugural year of the Cycle-For-ALS, FMRC raised $6,500. In 2010 we doubled that, raising $15,000.

In 2011, we hoped to match our 2010 donation. Instead, we crushed it, raising more than $34,000 in an effort that those near and far rallied around "for Pete's sake."

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RELAY FOR ORGAN DONORSHIP

Over the years, the Forward Motion Race Club has competed numerous times in The Relay, a 199-mile race from Calistoga to Santa Cruz held annually. In 2006, its "Tri-Curious" team won the overall co-ed division. In 2009 its "Real Runners Don't Tri" and "Tri It You'll Like It" teams finished sixth and eighth, respectively, amongst hundreds of participating groups. FMRC fielded four full teams of twelve members each in order to raise awareness for organ donorship. These 48 runners competed to support Organs R Us, an organization that strives to assist the 96,000 Americans currently waiting for organ donors, including local children like Katie Grace Groebner of Clayton.

In 2010, the Real Runner's Don't Tri team finished fourth overall winning the Coed division with a time just under 24 hours.

BOWLING FUNDRAISER FOR OAKLAND POLICE OFFICERS
On June 13, 2009 the Forward Motion Race Club joined forces with the San Ramon Valley Firefighters to hold a half-day bowling event to raise support for the families of the four Oakland police officers who were murdered in March 2009. The event will included live music, raffles and food catered by Kinders, all in an effort to contribute to the families left behind in this tragedy.

RUN TO BENEFIT THE ROMANS FAMILY

On Wednesday, April 1, 2009 the Forward Motion Race Club participated in Forward Motion Sports' charity run event to benefit the family of slain Oakland police officer Sargeant Ervin Romans. The collective efforts of Forward Motion Sports and FMRC raised $9,000 to support the Danville family, who attended the event and sent the runners off. Overall, more than 200 people donated time, dollars and miles to show community solidarity and kinship for the Romans family.

PAY IT FORWARD MOTION

The Forward Motion Race Club has made an effort to raise awareness amongst its membership and its community about the interaction that runners, cyclists and swimmers have with the environment around us. The "Pay it Forward Motion" program is designed to educate people about the environmental impression that we leave and to help us rethink these behaviors to protect the world in which we run, ride and swim.

PAY IT FORWARD MOTION TIP OF THE MONTH

Make sure to participate in an eco-conscious race. These are races that are trying to minimize the waste and carbon footprint generated by their race events by actively trying to reduce, reuse and recycle. For example, eco-conscious race coordinators try to encourage online registration to reduce paper and mailing and work to promote recycling at the event with highly visible and clearly separated bins to reduce landfill. If you have any input in race coordination, check out this document from Runner's World for some great green race event tips!

A small change can make a big difference. For example, the ING Hartford Marathon and Half Marathon created a unique water fountain for their Marathon finishers. The highly visible water bubbler, designed and built by UTC engineers and powered by Vital Water was 40 feet long and saved 10,000 plastic water bottles and paper cups from the local landfill in 2007!

For a list of eco-conscious races, go to www.runnersworld-greenteam.com. Races include San Francisco Marathon, Rock n' Roll San Jose Half Marathon and the John Muir Trail Run Challenge 10K. Thank you for doing your part to reduce your carbon footprint. As a group, FMRC can make a a difference!