It began 21 years ago — this branch of fundraising, anyway.
Challenge Aspen was founded as an organization 29 years ago. The original focus was supporting adaptive ski programs for people with visual impairments. However, the mission quickly expanded to creating and supporting adaptive sports opportunities for people with many forms of physical and cognitive disabilities. With that, the organization explored creative ways for promoting awareness and raising money for program participants.
The Sole Mates teams are just one of those programs. Back in 2003, CFO Jenni Peterson explained, “former Executive Director Mardell Burkholder introduced the idea of a marathon team fundraiser.” That first team traveled to Lausanne, Switzerland, to run in the marathon and half-marathon events.
Each year since, community members commit to a 20-week training plan — often for a trail marathon race — and to raising money to support adaptive sports programs. Peterson joined Challenge Aspen in 2004, and in 2005 became involved with the then-unnamed marathon fundraiser. In 2006, when Burkholder left the organization, Peterson convinced incoming CEO Houstan Cowan of the fundraising tradition’s value. The Sole Mates name came about in 2020, as a form of connection for long-time team members during the pandemic.
The initiative raises tens of thousands of dollars each year. “Over the past 22 years, Challenge Aspen’s marathon teams have traveled to 15 different countries, raising more than $1.3 million [net] to support the organization’s programs,” Peterson said. Those funds support participant scholarships, adaptive equipment, advocacy, continuing education, mentorship and more. Aspen High School teacher Megan Noonan is in her sixth year with the fundraising team. “My first race I participated in was in 2019 when we went to Croatia,” Noonan told The Sopris Sun. “I also went to Italy in 2022 and now Ibiza this year,” she said. “I participate each year with the local training portion of the Sole Mates, but can only travel occasionally as it is tough being away from my family during the school year.”
Dozens of community members join the fundraising and training efforts each year, though, like Noonan, not all of them travel to the selected race given competing commitments. Many of the fundraiser participants join to support family or friends who benefit from adaptive sports opportunities. Long-time local Katie Grange joined Challenge Aspen’s Sole Mates team in 2022, even though she and her son Max have been involved with the organization since 1996. Max was one of the organization’s first program participants, and has taken part in every adaptive program Challenge Aspen has offered. Katie Grange had moved away from running, but through Sole Mates, she’s fallen back in love with the sport.
For Noonan, Challenge Aspen helps ensure that her son, who has epilepsy, can ski and ride chairlifts safely. “[He] had some breakthrough seizures when he was about to have his annual ski day with his class at Aspen Elementary,” Noonan shared. “Challenge Aspen supplied a chairlift harness so he could participate safely in case he had a seizure on the chairlift.”
In this highly athletic valley, it can be easy for abled people to overlook the privileged ease of access to a variety of sports. Challenge Aspen works hard to close that gap. “They truly create so many opportunities for people with disabilities — cognitive or physical — to participate in all recreational activities that some of us may take for granted.” Noonan emphasized, “I truly believe it is so important to create equal access for all people, and I will do whatever I can to support, educate and spread the word for Challenge Aspen.”
The Sole Mates team set a cumulative fundraising goal this year. Their efforts have been so consistently strong that this year’s goal was $150,000. As of early November, one week after the selected Ibiza Trail Marathon, runners had raised over $180,000. Sole Mate runner Oliver Bacharach took third place in the 48-kilometer (30-mile) race, with a time of 4 hours and 40 minutes. Kelly Vaughn was the second female overall in the marathon.
Last year, at Chile’s Ultra Paine race week in Patagonia, the group raised over $190,000, and multiple fundraisers raced their way onto podiums. Carson Campisi of Basalt won the Ultra Paine 50-kilometer women’s race, with Carbondale’s Jennifer Mendez not far behind in third. Olivia Niosi of Aspen won the series’ 80-kilometer distance outright, and was the only woman to race that distance. Sole Mates selects races between late September and mid-November each year, to allow for a summer training season for fundraising team members. Peterson takes input from the group to select locations, and chooses races with various distance options.
Visit www.bit.ly/ChallengeAspenSoleMates get involved with Sole Mates. Challenge Aspen welcomes donations any time of year, if you aren’t inclined to join the voluntary running fundraisers. More information at www.challengeaspen.org