Second, since Mike is now in house, he wants to join the blogging fun.  While I continue to focus on the trials and tribulations of growing Atayne, he will take a lighter approach.  I invite you to check out his blog, Polka Dot Shorts.  Just don’t forget about me!

Now on with the show…

Running With Tommy

This past Saturday, Mike, Paige (a.k.a. Paige T, a frequent commenter here), Andrew (one of Atayne’s newest friends), and I arrived at the Ronald McDonald House in Falls Church, VA at 8:30am to meet Tommy and start the day’s journey to Dale City.  This was just another day of running (Day 24 to be exact) for Tommy. But for us, it turned out to be an experience we will not soon forget.

For those of you that have not had the pleasure to meet Tommy, he looks like a runner.  He is on the short side (sorry Tommy! but then again most people are shorter than me), slim, and has a near perfect running stride.  To virtually meet Tommy, check out the video he just posted to his website.  I am not going to detail every step (about 39,000) of our run, but I will share a few highlights.

Before we started, I was adamant that Tommy would not push his jog stroller of stuff for one step on this day.  He had plenty more days of stroller pushing ahead of him, and a day off was well deserved.  I decided I would take the reins to start.  Pushing a jog stroller may seem easy, but let me tell you it is not.  The thing is loaded with 75 days worth of Tommy’s gear and supplies – shoes, shorts, shirts (6 from Atayne!), towels, gel packs, water, a camera, etc.  Bottom-line: it is heavy, especially when running up the rolling hills of Northern Virginia.

I pushed the stroller about 10 miles, while Andrew and Mike both did around 6.  One of us could have pushed it the whole way, but we all wanted to experience what Tommy does every day.  Our analysis: it is tough!  (To you parents, it may be obvious that none of us are fathers or we might have experienced this to a degree prior to Saturday.) Check out some of the action.  I apologize for the low quality footage.  Taking video while running is apparently an acquired skill.

Most of us enjoy the luxury of running on sidewalks or running paths.  Tommy faces new challenges on a daily basis.  Creating a running route in an unfamiliar area using Google Maps is not the easiest thing.  You never know what conditions you will encounter.  On this day we found ourselves running on Route 1, against speeding traffic with no shoulder.  Not the smartest thing to do, but we did not have much of a choice.  Yet, this is something that Tommy is facing nearly every day on his journey of 4 Million Steps –  all while pushing an overweight stroller that should have power steering.

I do not want to create the impression this was a miserable experience.  It was a blast, and I would do it again in a second.

At one point in the run, we stopped in front of a strip mall of stores because Tommy had to adjust the tape on his nipples. (Apparently he is a chronic nipple chafer.)  While stopped, a man approached and asked where we were headed. (It was more than just academic interest: this gentleman was the track coach at a high school in Springfield, VA.)  Tommy told the story, and the coach asked if he could write him a check on the spot.  I am not sure how much he gave, but I was impressed by this man’s spontaneous generosity.  Tommy said this was the 22nd time this had happened!

Why did I feel the need to write about Tommy again in my blog?  I think part of it is because Tommy’s journey is harder than I ever imagined.  He is not just running 30 miles a day, something a very small percentage of people could actually do.  He is doing it without a support vehicle and only a jog stroller.  And he is doing it in the face of frequent bad roads, no shoulders, and unhappy drivers.

A part of me left Tommy wondering, “Why the 4 Million Steps journey?”  Not that volunteering is always a selfish act, but he has nothing to gain.  He lost his daughter.  So why is he doing it?  I guess it comes down to my parting quote on my last blog, from my favorite author:

“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better.  It’s not.” ~Dr. Seuss.

Tommy cares an awful lot.  I think he wants to just make things better for the next family that has to deal with what his family had to face.  It’s just that simple.

Without knowing it, Tommy found a way to inspire me to do even more good for the environment and society through Atayne and my personal life (so please stay tuned).  And I hope he inspires you to do something that might push you out of your comfort zone, all for the joy of knowing you made a difference.

“Act as if what you do makes a difference.  It does.” ~William James

Inventorying in the basement

The day that I have anticipated for the last 15 months finally arrived: at 9:30am on Thursday, August 21 the first shipment of Atayne product arrived!  The following 4 days I spent nearly every waking hour inspecting and inventorying the shipment.  This was not and easy task as I was confined to a small room, in a basement.  Just one of the many joys of being an entrepreneur.

Plastic waste from a small product order

The shipment acceptance process was an eye opener.  Upon opening the first box, I realized that every shirt was individually wrapped in a plastic bag.  Every single shirt!  ”What waste,” is all I could think about as I opened each bag.  But then I realized this was yet another opportunity to create a positive change, industry-wide.  My goal is to work with my already socially responsible manufacturer to find a better way to ship, but still protect product from water damage during shipping.

My first thought, “How does Patagonia (one of the greenest companies out there) handle shipping?”  I soon learned from a former Patagonia employee that all Patagonia products are individually shipped in plastic (from manufacturing site to retail).  An opportunity for Atayne to raise the bar to benefit people and planet! I love it.

The Atayne Event Set

The following weekend (Labor Day) Atayne officially launched sales at the Virginia Beach Rock n’ Roll ½ Marathon.  We loaded our event set and 5 bins of product into the Civic Hybrid (a very tight fit) and headed out for the weekend.

Not really knowing what to expect, I would say it turned out to be a great launch.  We sold Atayne tops to strangers who had never heard of Atayne — and who were not hard-core environmentalists.  People were genuinely excited about the brand and products. (Two people left our booth wearing the shirts. And several planned to wear them during the half-marathon.)

To my Atayne investors, nothing indicated excitement more than consumers willingness to pay full retail price for a premium top — in the face of heavily discounted apparel by brands like Nike and Brooks a few steps away, AND in the midst of an economic downturn.

On top of that we raised nearly $500 on behalf of Tommy Neeson.  Be sure to check in on Tommy. He is now in Connecticut, arriving in NYC on September 11.

Mike after the Dances with Dirt 50k Race

And to cap off a busy 10 days, I (and Atayne) moved out of the basement!  We are now above ground with a great new home office and Mike is officially my sugar daddy (I think I should be scared).

On the horizon: Web sales coming as soon as we can get the technology sorted out as well as more events.  Make sure you check the schedule online so you can stop by and visit.

Once again thanks for everyone’s support.

“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better.  It’s not.”
-Dr. Seuss, The Lorax

Run Tommy Run

On August 27, 2008, Tommy Neeson will depart from Bangor, ME for a 2,300-mile run (4 Million Steps) to Miami, FL. This journey will last 75 days. Tommy will run, on average, 31 miles per day. On top of that, Tommy will not have the “luxury” of a support vehicle. Instead, Tommy will carry all his supplies in a baby jogger.

I think a lot of people would say Tommy needs to have his head checked. That’s one point of view. BUT, when you hear why he is making this epic run, you will likely think otherwise. Let me share my point of view, starting first with Tommy’s story.

Randi at 6 months

In 1998 Tommy’s youngest daughter, Randi, was diagnosed with brain cancer a few weeks before her second birthday. Randi’s hard battle lasted 6 ½ months before it took her life. During Randi’s battle, Tommy’s wife would stay with Randi in the hospital during the week, and Tommy would stay with her on the weekend. I can only imagine how stressful things got as a separated family tried to cope with a terminally ill child.

With a couple months left to enjoy their time with Randi, the Neeson family learned that they could be together, as a family, by staying at the Ronald McDonald House in NYC. While the doctors, nurses and the medications were there to treat Randi, the Ronald McDonald House was there to treat the whole family. And, believe it or not, there were some great memories for them during that time. The Ronald McDonald House provided the opportunity for Tommy and his family to spend those remaining months as a family. Those are memories they will always be grateful for, and this is what is motivating Tommy to run 30 miles a day for weeks on end down the east coast to raise funds for the Ronald McDonald House Charities.

What’s my point of view? I think Tommy is COMMITTED. Committed to greatness. Committed to inspiring everyone around him to be better people. Committed to having Randi’s spirit live on.

And this is why Atayne is committed to supporting Tommy every step of the way — yes, all 4 million of them. In return for testing the rigors of a 2,300-mile run on some Atayne shirts, we will be supporting Tommy by:

• Donating $5 to Tommy’s fundraising efforts, for every shirt we sell during the Virginia Beach Half Marathon Expo on August 29th and 30th. (Tommy and his family live in the area.)
• Arranging for a group of runners to greet Tommy and run the last few miles into Washington, DC with him on September 19. (If anyone knows Mayor Adrian Fenty, also an avid runner, we want to invite him to join us.)
• Promoting Tommy’s run on our website, blog, at events, and through press releases.
• Soliciting other sponsors and helping to fulfill his wish list.

Check out Tommy’s website and consider how you might help us support Tommy. Whether it is a donation, joining our run with him into DC, organizing your own run with him, or helping to fulfill something on his wish list, I am sure Tommy will appreciate all the help he can get. And if you have an idea on how Atayne can support him further, please email me or post a comment.

To close, I want to share Tommy’s point of view, in his own words.

“There is a Chinese Proverb that goes:

‘If you want happiness for an hour, take a nap.
If you want happiness for a day, go fishing.
If you want happiness for a year, inherit a fortune.
If you want happiness for a lifetime, help somebody.’

What are you doing for happiness? Me, I’m going for a run.”

Know a similar story to Tommy’s about someone who is committed to doing something epic to make this world a better place (and some might think needs to be committed based on the boldness of his/her vision)? We’d love to hear it!