CARLSBAD MARATHON 2012

The American Liver Foundation has begun fundraising/training efforts for the Carlsbad Marathon- 2012. 
 Please click here TEAM LINK  for more information on what we have coming up in the next few months in San Diego.

Looking forward to another race season, stay tuned for updates.

Sincerely,

Erica Castillo

ALF Running Team Member-Carlsbad Marathon 2012

(SUMMA TIME, BRB)

LIVER LIFE WALK AT THE SAN DIEGO ZOO RECAP - MAY 14, 2O11

LIVER LIFE WALK FUNDRAISING GRAND TOTAL:  

$100 K AND COUNTING

Such a sweet day with family and friends at the SD ZOO. 

So many fundraising teams came to support the American Liver Foundation, it was just awesome to witness the smiling faces and successful turnout.  

Out of all the fundraising events I have been a part of in the last year, this was the one that seemed to be the most authentic and heartfelt. 

 Something in the air that day made me really proud to be with my family, working for a great cause.

Below are some photo highlights of the event.

The most stylish walkers (Isabella and Catalina)

This kid stole the show for TEAM NICHOLAS

Life's tough, yup

Kriss Kross

show off, i get it

Look Alive, homeboy!

 'til next time...

Erica

OC MARATHON - A GREAT WEEKEND WITH FAMILY AND FRIENDS

Hey All,

So May 1st was the OC Marathon in Newport Beach.  The course was amazing, as a large portion of it was along the ocean and residential areas.  The neighbors were really supportive as they cheered us on all 13 miles, and the race itself was organized extremely well.  So kudos to all involved in putting on such a successful event.

I was lucky enough to have run this race with three of my cousins: Adora, David and Sergio Diaz.  This was their first half marathon and they did ridiculously well, no joke.  I personally just "coast" when I run a race, I want to enjoy the experience more than anything, but these kids finished super fast.  So needless to say, MY FAMILIA RULES.  It was so cool to spend a weekend with my extended family in a gorgeous beach house in a city like Newport Beach.  Life was gooood.

Following the race, my uncle, Arturo Diaz, threw a fabulous party at his house in Corona Del Mar, where we celebrated the completion of our race with our closest family and friends.  Below are some photo highlights from the weekend.  Enjoy!

THE FAMILY THAT RUNS TOGETHER....

GETS TO EAT MEGA GOOD MEXICAN FOOD AFTERWARDS, TOGETHER.

OLE!

Liver Life Walk at the San Diego Zoo - May 14th, 2011

Join as we walk for the 30 million Americans  affected by liver disease.

Link to Event Map:

  Click Here

Event Date:  
May 14, 2011
Event Location:  
San Diego Zoo
 Event Schedule:

Registration:Check-In 6am-7am

Opening: Ceremony 7am

Walk Start: 7:30am

After Party: 9am- 10:30am

Did you know that 1 in 10 people in the United States

face a future with liver disease?

The American Liver Foundation is working toward

a world free of liver disease and we need your help!

Take the first step today by

 registering to walkin our local Liver Life Walk event.

Take part in this scenic 5k or 1.5k through the Zoo.

  Every step you take and every dollar raised helps the

 American Liver Foundation fund research grants,

public education and advocacy in an effort to increase

 awareness and progress in the fight against liver disease.

Join tens of thousands of supporters from coast to coast

 as we pound the pavement to put an end to liver disease!

Thank you for supporting the American Liver Foundation.

Together we can make a difference!

If you are in the San Diego area and wish to sign up
with our team, please email us for team name information at:
 sdcharity2010@gmail.com
or
erykahcastillo@gmail.com

If you wish to participate as an individual, click here:
REGISTRATION LINK

Take a look at the list of people registered on our team:

Erica Castillo (Team Captain)

Bryanna Parra (Team Captain)

Lucy Vega

Anna Dzhabaryan

Lisa Graham

Jessica Smith

Angela Austin

Nicholas Austin

Jennifer De La Torre

Kaleigh De La Torre

Renee Jankowski

Linda Nguyen

Guadalupe Parra

Jose Parra

Nancy Parra Ramirez

Just bought new running shoes. Yeah, its a big deal for me, so check it...

Keep on truckin...

  My cousin, Adora, is now training for her first half marathon and I  will be running with her for support at the Orange County Marathon on May 1st, 2011.  Really excited to run this one with my family, the course looks amazing as part of the route is along Newport Bay and finishes at the OC Fairgrounds. 

LOVE ME SOME OC !! 

Check out the website for more details on the race and the various charities it is affiliated with:

OCMARATHON.COM

 One more thing...

 Please keep an eye on the website, as I will be posting information on the next American Liver Foundation event scheduled for mid May in San Diego.  As always, thanks for keeping an eye on our efforts.

Much Love,

Erica Castillo

Done and Done

The Safari Wild Animal Park Half Marathon & 5K is a wrap! 

 With the money raised over this past weekend,

it will be great to see what gets done in the park for the Tiger Habitat.   

Kudos to all who participated, as the rolling hills on the course did NOT go easy on any of us.

With that said, Lisa and I both made a new PR at this race, so overall it was a success!   

SAFARI PARK HALF MARATHON - THE TWO WEEK COUNTDOWN BEGINS!

Hey All,

Just two weeks until the next race, I can't believe it's almost here!  This time around, the Half Marathon and 5K proceeds will go towards building a new habitat for the tigers at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park.  A huge part of the Half Marathon course will take place inside the park, so you can imagine how incredibly excited I am to run along side wildlife's absolute finest while listening to Survivor's "Eye of the Tiger" for the thousandth time.  Innovative, I know.  Check out the course :

This race is very special for me because I will be running with some of my closest friends, who have been beyond supportive throughout this whole process.  It's one thing to have people cheering me on during my race on the sidelines, but to have your friends participate in the actual race itself is more than any girl could ask for, so I am really looking forward to this experience with such a great group of girls!  Speaking of great girls...gotta give A special shout out to Lisa Graham, whose birthday we will be celebrating that weekend by running for 2 hours straight. Yep, we know how to partay round hurrr !!! 

                                  LISA ITS YO BIRTHDAY, HAPPY BIRTHDAY LISA !!

Stay tuned for more updates prior to race day. For more info on the Safari Half Marthon/5k, click here:
http://sandiegozoo.org/halfmarathon/

Thanks for stopping by, and email us if you have any ideas on what my next race should be! 

Sincerely,

Erica Castillo

Mission Accomplished...

I exceeded my goal for fundraising, had a great race yesterday, and registered for my next half marathon this morning. 
CLICK HERE FOR INFO ON MY NEXT 1/2 MARATHON

I just wanted to say to ALL my supporters...
Thanks for everything. Seriously.
The calls, emails, texts, donations. Everything. It's all been such a great experience and I couldn't have done it without you!
I will continue my journey with various charities so please keep checking out the website for updates on upcoming charity events.
I am so thankfull to have you all in my life. 
Let's make it a great 2011 and then some!

XOXOXO

Erica Castillo

Goodnight, until tomorrow....

Goodnight everyone!

Thank you for your gracious support during my training and for helping me reach my fundraising goal!
The final numbers on the fundraising are not officially in, but as we speak my team has raised $40,000. 
AMAZING, RIGHT ?!?
Anyway, I'm off to bed since tomorrow is the big day!

Gonna Fly Now...

Much love,

Erica Castillo

A Dedication to Kyle and Janet Wimberg

In November 2010, I had posted an article about a child who received two liver transplants by age three.  I am happy to announce that I have recently been in contact wtih the child's mother, Janet Wimberg, regarding her now nine year old son, Kyle Wimberg, who was the child in the story.  In the last few days I have learned that Kyle is happy and healthy, playing sports like basketball and baseball and is just simply a normal 9 year old kid who is full of energy. Following my communication with Janet, I have decided to dedicate the upcoming race to Kyle, as he is truly an inspiration to me beyond words. Below are some of the emails between Janet and I, that I would like to share with my all supporters.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
from:janet wimberg
toerykahcastillo@gmail.com
dateFri, Jan 14, 2011 at 11:50 AM
subjectChild's story on your web page

Hi Erica



Kyle Wimberg



I want to say from the bottom of my heart thank you so much for what you are doing.  I know first hand how important this endeavor is.  My son is Kyle Wimberg whose story you have on your web page.  SInce the story was published in 2004 a lot has happened but I want you to know that he is doing very well.  We still have our bumps along the way but they are coming further apart and easier to manage.  He will be turning ten in February and is in the third grade.  I have attached a recent picture of him.  Good luck in your marathon and let me know if I can help in any way. 

Thanks

Janet Wimberg

--------------------------------------------------------

Hi Janet,

First I just want to thank you soooo much for emailing me and taking the time to read my website.  When I read your email this morning I was so incredibly thrilled to hear that your son is doing so well, and how he looks so happy and handsome in fact!  I was so touched by the story of your son and your family when I read the article months ago that I could not help but share it on my website and with all the supporters.  I want you to know that I feel so honored to be working hard at fundraising to help support families like yours, to give people with liver disease a second or even a first chance at life.  I admire your courage and strength in dealing with the challenges of the disease, I think so many people are not half as brave when faced with such adversity.

With that said, I would really like to say that your email has immensely motivated me with my fundraising and the race coming up.  I would like to share the update of your son you gave me in your email along with the photograph that you attached..I wanted to know if you are OK with me posting the update of your son on my website. However, If you are uncomfortable with that, I completely understand and will refrain from posting so I will leave that up to you. 

Also, I am not sure if you had a chance to read my recent postings on my website, but there is an entry from this week where I asked my supporters to email me their song requests for my race playlist. If you and/or your son have a song that has really inspired you, I would love to know what songs they are so I can add it to my race playlist to inspire me while I run the marathon! 

I would love it if we could stay in touch as I plan to do additional fundraising events after my race in affiliation with the American Liver Foundation. If you could give your son Kyle a big high five for me also, that would make my day! He's such a champ and my new hero.  I will officially be dedicating this race to your son as he is just a superstar in my eyes!

Thanks again so much for all your kind words and again, it is an honor to be working for such an amazing cause!

Sincerely,

Erica Castillo
erykahcastillo@gmail.com

----------------------------------
Hi Erica

Yes you are more than welcome to share his picture and the story update.  It is a strange feeling to think that my family's story has been such an inspiration to you.  When I interviewed for the story I wanted to let people know how truly blessed we have been.  I wanted people to know that it is because of people like you that I am able to hold and kiss my son today.  People who have worked hard at fundraising and learning all they can about liver disease to make a difference.  A difference that has allowed me to have my son in my life.  Kyle plays basketball, soccer and baseball and everytime he goes out on the court or field I am reminded about the miracle that I have been given.  The picture I sent you was from his First Communion.  That day I was reminded again the blessings I have been given because of wonderful people like you and the people that will be donating to your cause.  So I guess what I am saying is that I am just as much inspired by you as you are by me and Kyle.

Kyle is a very humble kid and when I told him that you are running this race because of him he blushed and smiled and said a typical ten year old boy thing "cool".  I asked him about his favorite song and he said it is by Neon Trees called "animal".  I would definitely like to keep in touch and I will be keeping you in my prayers for a successful, safe race and fundraiser.

Thanks Again for all you do
Janet and Kyle Wimberg
-------------------------------
To read the whole story about Kyle's rare liver condition, click here :

KYLE WIMBERG STORY - CLICK HERE

A special thank you to my donors who are making stories like the one above so very possible. I am so honored to share this story with all of you and cannot wait to run the race next Sunday in honor of such an amazing family like the Wimbergs, in affiliation with a wonderful organization like the American Liver Foundation.

Thank you so much with all my heart,

Erica Castillo
American Liver Foundation Running Team Member- Carlsbad Marathon

CHECK OUT THE LIST OF SUPERSTARS THAT ALREADY DONATED TO THE AMERICAN LIVER FOUNDATION !!

Margarita Castillo

Anna Dzhabaryan

Kenneth Farrell

Irma Torres- Garcia

Thomas Castillo

Eric Dietz

Michael Leewright

Luz Vega

Sharron Hayes

Michael Coffee

Chad Hilton

Kim Janeki

Sammy Howell

Francesca Corti

Ramona Selman

Noe Ramirez

Katie Turner

Sergio Diaz

Isabel Harper

Janet Barney

Lisa Graham

David Taboada

Rudy Gonzales

Sarah Fosu-Mensah

Angela Austin

Andrea Gloria

Christina Borden

Adora Diaz

Dr. Thomas Castillo

Karen Castillo

Kelly Marten

Amy Dickey

Ellen Cicconi

Less than 2 weeks until race day! Check out the course for the Half Marathon...

HELP ME MAKE THE ULTIMATE BADASS PLAYLIST!

The Countdown Begins!                                                 

18 Days until the race and I can't believe it's finally almost here. Time flies when you're...uh...busy as hell!

So yesss, I took a little website updating hiatus the last couple of weeks to finish up finals, spend time with family and partake in all things holiday related.

Now its the New Year, the sun here in San Diego is shinning and its down to the wire before the big day and I want to let everyone know how thankful I am for all the support in the last few months. 

To everyone who has been keeping an eye on the website, I appreciate it more than you know!  Even if you're just checking it out for a couple minutes, it's great to know that the website I have spent a great amount of time on has provided even the slightest bit of awareness about the great work that the American Liver Foundation is doing.  Of course, I cannot express how incredible it has been to see all the donations that have come through the website and in person.  I have to admit, going into this whole project I really had no idea people were going to be so generous.  With that said, I am sending a very special "shout out" and thanks to all my donors who have allowed me to not only reach my fundraising goal through their financial contributions, but surpass it with flying colors! 

As I spend the last couple of weeks training for the race, I am getting all sorts of ideas about that day and how I want it to play out:

First of all, I must obviously work on putting together a decent outfit for pictures. Duhhh.  I need my running shoes to match the rest of my ensemble. Addidas or Nike? Thoughts? Hmm...

Secondly, I need someone to work on making sure it doesn't rain that day. Can I get a witness, Amen or even a waterproof jacket?  Has anyone ever heard the song "It Never Rains In Southern California" by the amazing trio know as Toni Tone Tony?! Yeah ....work on it, playa.

But seriously, we all know the most important part of this race is going to be putting together the
Ultimate Baddass Playlist!

I'm not saying a few power songs, uh, no sir! This playlist should not fail in keep my ears fulfilled those 2 some odd hours that I will be straight up running like the wind.

So this now brings me to my last and final request to all of you special people out there....

I NEED YOUR SONGS REQUESTS!

To all of my donors, yess,  I need your song requests!  It's very possible that at mile 8 im going to be not all that interested in listening to KE$HA's amazing auto tuned talents, and I'll need your musical genuis to help guide me in the right direct to not only making it to the finish line but seriously compiling...one more time..
 THE ULTIMATE BADASS PLAYLIST!

Send me your song requests within the next two weeks (By January 21st, 2011) so that I can add your song to my ipod playlist and proceed to think ever so fondly of you while I run up and down this sweet looking coast at the Carlsbad Marathon on January 23, 2011.  Feel free to request a song that will accurately express your love, hatred, indifference, etc. for me, as it is possible that very song you request will hit a nerve so fierce that it will allow me to run extra fast at the time where I will need it most! 

If you haven't donated yet but are tempted to request a song, you can donate any amount by clicking this link right now: Click Here To Donate


Can't wait to see all your music requests come through, don't let me down!

Email me your requests at one of the two email addresses:
sdcharity2010@gmail.com or erykahcastillo@gmail.com

Thanks everyone soooo much,

Erica Castillo
American Liver Foundation Running Team Member - Carlsbad Half Marathon