An incredible group of 30 Hard Rock Ambassadors from 11 Cafes around the world, dubbed “The Hard Rock Runners,” ran the Madrid Marathon to help raise over $40,000 in donations for deserving charities.
This incredibly passionate, committed team of Hard Rockers Runners included – Barca: Florian Van de Bos. Berlin: Magdalena Zadrozna, Johannes Muenster Edinburgh: Katherine J Chaplin Florence: Elisa Rustici, Niccolo Conti, Hector Beltran, Jesus Rodriguez Lisboa: Andreia Melo London: Anna Fierek, Dylan Lewis, Ricky Johnson, Des Addis Madrid: Andreyna Pimentel, Javier Delgado, Adrian Mendoza, Dominique Beaugendre Paris: Florian Horn, Pascal Coeurdecossier Rome: Alex Selbach, New Orleans: George “Geo” Melichar.
The team was led by Jesus Rodriguez, GM of the Hard Rock Cafe in Florence, who was quoted after the marathon as saying…
“You guys have redefined the concept of Kick ass, the effort you have put in this project (collect funds for a charity, find time to train hard and being able to run 42K) is truly a great achievement. It has been a long road, running in the cold, rain, snow, under the sun, tons of sweat, blisters, aching legs, bleeding toes, upset wives/girlfriends/boyfriends, just to name a few, but every second of it has been worthy. Regardless of our running background, approaching this challenge as a team has made it much more special. As a group it has been a fantastic experience sharing such a great weekend and we have also made a huge impact on our communities, charities and Cafes. And as individuals, you can feel great about having accomplished something huge, maybe this step makes you realize that you are able to achieve greater things. Note that when I say “as a group” I do not only mean us, I also mean our cafe, friends & family and the charities that we were supporting.
Personally speaking, crossing the finish line was tough, very tough, but knowing that I had plenty of people supporting me and also keeping in mind that what I was going through is nothing compared to what the kids of our charity go through on a daily basis, gave me the strength to keep on going forward. I just had to do it for them! But being able to share with you guys made it legendary!
It has been a lifetime experience! You guys Rock! Thanks again for all your efforts! Keep on running!
A huge “shout out” to the entire Hard Rock Runner crew – YOU MAKE US PROUD!
ALL IS ONE
