Mary Kwiatkowski has volunteered as our volunteer Race Director for the Rocketts Landing Cap Trail 10 Mile & 5k run for the last two years. Did you know she is also an ultramarathon runner, has her own podcast, and was just selected as one of the newest competitors for the upcoming season of Can You Survive? Mary will be facing off against 24 other competitors across the nation in support of the Virginia Capital Trail!
How will she train for all the challenges she’ll be facing? Why using the Virginia Capital Trail as her training ground of course! Mary will be hitting the Capital Trail for endurance and strength training. If you happen to see her, be sure to share some Trail love and encouragement! You’ve got this, Mary!
Can you survive: The Great Mountain
Can You Survive is an in-person Survivor style competition that brings 24 individuals from across the country together to compete in fierce challenges involving skill, teamwork, and endurance. Contestants must endure four days of braving the elements, forging (and breaking) alliances, and voting off their advisaries to achieve a common goal - to raise money and awareness for their charity (in Mary’s case, the Virginia Capital Trail) and be the last person standing. This summer’s competition is a multi-day charity competition in Bangor, Maine.
Can You Survive: The Great Mountain takes place on July 20th to July 23rd, 2023 at the base of Mt. Katahdin. The competition will kick off with an 8 mile hike around the mountain as contestants face obstacles and unknown challenges. The game will be recorded and live streamed from the Can You Survive? - Charity Event’s Facebook page so you can follow along as Mary battles it out for the Virginia Capital Trail!
CHARITY GOAL
Each player raises money for their selected charity from now until July 12th, 2023. Regardless of place, each player automatically wins half of the money they raise to donate back to their charity. The rest of the money is divided amongst the players based on their finishing position. Last year, the competition raised over $20,000. In addition to helping all of the selected charities, money raised helps contestants secure advantages over their competitors.
Mary’s Bio
“A little bit about myself and why I chose the Virginia Capital Trail Foundation! I am 28 years old and have lived in Virginia my whole life. Growing up in a running family, it was common to spend the weekends at local races or huddled around the computer to watch the Boston Marathon Coverage. I ran my first 5k at the age of 8 years old and my first half marathon at age 12. After running cross country throughout high school, I wanted to start tackling longer distances.
I began training for the Richmond Marathon in 2019 and discovered the Capital Trail when searching for a good place to tackle my long runs. I will never forget the first time I started out alone on the Trail, amazed at the changing landscapes, trying to remember fun landmarks to pin-point each mile. I'll admit, the run wasn't a complete success, I made it from Shiplock to Dorey park but only reached the Varina Library on my way back before I got caught in a torrential downpour and had to call for a lift home! My next few experiences on the Trail were just as eventful. A few weeks later my mom and I tackled the 20 mile run again, but I had mixed up my dates and we accidentally joined the throngs of runners starting out on the Capital Trail 10 miler! Whoops!
In the years following, I have spent time running, walking, and biking along various sections of the Trail. I hope to one day conquer the entire length of the Trail in one go... perhaps soon! As I moved on to ultra-marathon running I continue to rely on the Capital Trail as the best place for long runs! I have experienced nothing but friendliness and kindness from both the patrons and staff on and off the Trail. In my stint as the race director for the Rocketts Landing Capital Trail 10 Miler and 5k in 2021 and 2022 I thoroughly enjoyed working with each and every one of you! “
Support Mary & the virginia Capital Trail
Every donation made in support of Mary helps her gain an advantage over the competition and helps raise funds for the Virginia Capital Trail. You can make a donation by clicking on the links below and typing: MARY in the comment section/subject line of the donation.
Venmo: @canyousurvive (preferred method)
PayPal: https://www.paypal.me/canyousurvive
Thank you Mary! We are honored that you chose the Virginia Capital Trail Foundation as your charity organization and can’t wait to see you compete on July 20th - 23rd! Best of luck!
Additional Resources
The Charity Event Website: https://www.canyousurvivecharity.com
The Can You Survive Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/canyousurvivecharity
The Can You Survive Instagram account: https://www.instagram.com/canyousurvivecharity/
