With creative entrepreneurship and partnership with local businesses seeking a way to give back to their community and attract new customers, The Eat with Purpose Restaurant Card program was developed. This is no ordinary discount card. We aimed high to be different and offer a valuable Restaurant Card that offers $10 off a $20 spend.  This is more like a gift card than a discount card as it represents a 50% savings if you spend $20 on your meal. This is our first introduction of the program.

• • Currently offered in Chesterfield County Virginia
  • Card consists of six locally owned Midlothian, Virginia area restaurants
  • Six different food cuisines
  • Each restaurant has their own limited restrictions listed on the back of their individual key tag for clarity of the offer
  • This Year’s card is Valid thru 9/30/2020.
  • Sales can begin any time after September 30, 2019.

Please feel free to order your cards here and we will fulfill your order by mail. If you have any questions about the program please email our Director, Phil Vera at pvera@corefoundation.org.

I’ll TRI to honor the memory of my late father who taught me I could do anything!

One of my most cherished memories growing up is of taking bike rides with my dad. I grew up in Reston, and on Saturday mornings my dad used to take me, my brother, and sister on long bike rides. We would ride through Reston along the tree-lined bike paths (sometimes stopping for ice-cream at Baskin Robins) and then back home again. These bike rides were our beloved Saturday morning tradition.

Another fond memory I have is my dad teaching my siblings and I to swim. My dad, who grew up near the water in Nigeria, learned to swim at an early age and he was shocked that my mother, who grew up in Ohio, had never learned. Determined to make sure his children would know how to swim, my mom claims that he taught us all in one day by taking us to the pool and having us jump in the deep end. I can’t recall if it happened quite like this, but I do know that once we learned how to swim, it was hard to get us out of the pool.

While my love of biking and swimming happened at an early age and accounts for some of my favorite memories with my dad, my love of running didn’t happen until almost 30 years later. I started running in 2010 as a way to deal with personal hardships that were hindering me from thinking clearly and being at peace. I loved the feeling of physical accomplishment and mental clarity I had after a long run and I got hooked on that feeling. After years of causal running, I decided to take on the challenge of a sprint triathlon.

After about four months of training, I completed my first RST on June 4, 2017 with my dad, mom and other family members all cheering me on. I remember the overwhelming sense of pride I felt for not only conquering this new goal but knowing that I had impressed my dad, who had been very athletic all his life, with an athletic accomplishment of my own!

In early 2018, as I was struggling to train consistently for my second RST, my dad was struggling through intensive chemo

treatments for his cancer. I was considering dropping out of the race due to my lack of preparation, but I remembered a conversation I’d had with him recently where he was lamenting his inability to do the physical activities he once enjoyed like bowling, cycling, and kayaking. So instead of quitting, I decided I was going to do the race in honor of him. Due to his illness, he couldn’t watch my 2018 race, but I swam, biked, and ran faster than I had the previous year. Despite the rainy conditions of 2018 and my insufficient training, racing to honor my dad fueled my performance.

On May 12, 2019 my dad lost his five-year battle with multiple myeloma. We will be celebrating his life and funeralizing him the weekend of the 2019 RST, so I will have to take this year off from racing. However, I am determined to come back stronger and faster than ever for the 2020 RST and race as a tribute to the wonderful man, athlete and encourager my father was. Because he taught me how to ride a bike, showed me how to swim, and told me I could do anything I put my mind to, my dad is the reason why I TRI!

CORE Foundation thanks Evelyn Momplaisir for sharing her inspirational story. Our hearts and prayers are with her this weekend as she and her family celebrate the life of her wonderful father. Peace be with you Dad!

I have a good friend, Kim Truitt that has been doing triathlons for quite a while. She would sign up to Tri and I would go along to watch and join the after party.  After watching her Tri a few times I had to get in on the fun.  My first Tri was the Reston Sprint 2009 or 2010. I downloaded the 12 week training program and started to prepare. I was well prepared and really enjoyed the Reston Sprint. Everyone that volunteers could not be more helpful or kind. I am not in the Tri to win, rather to finish. I enjoy being able to be around like minded people and the enthusiasm of the event. I will admit, I most enjoy riding my bike around Reston, not worrying about traffic or stopping for lights or cars. It is also fun to train for an event, there is a date and goal!

I guess I talked about the tri a fair amount, so my dad wanted to tri. When he did his first tri he was 72 years old. It was a sprint Tri. He came in 2nd in his age group and everyone applauded when he crossed the finish line. It was quite emotional. My kids came to watch him finish and ran with him over the finish line.  (There was only 2 people in his age group, we usually leave that out of the story)

As part of our “Race with Purpose” program we have 10 Charity slots available for RST as of March 2nd. Once a triathlete meets the predetermined fundraising goal, CORE Foundation grants FREE admission to this year’s 13th Annual Reston Sprint Triathlon AND guarantees a FREE entry for the 2020 RST. That’s TWO years of guaranteed FREE participation in RST (2019 & 2020 for the fundraiser. NO transfers.)

Fundraising is quite easy. We provide all of the tools you need to be successful. You also receive the opportunity to be a “Featured Triathlete” on our blog as part of the CORE Foundation “Race with Purpose” program. We find that once our athletes post their blog on their social media pages they meet their fundraising goals very quickly. As of today, there are 3 full months before the race. Why not tri?

I still remember the day clearly: I was nine years old and had just finished my first triathlon, the Amy’s Amigos Be AMYazing! Reston Youth Triathlon. This was the first year that the race was held, and prior to competing, I barely even knew what a triathlon was. I was a year-round swimmer and occasionally went on bike rides with my dad, but swimming, biking, AND running all together seemed a bit crazy. Little did I know that the AMYazing triathlon would help me to discover my passion and enable me to compete in races across the country – meeting some of my best friends along the way.  

For the next several years, I continued to compete in local Reston races, falling more and more in love with the sport each time. In May of 2016, when I was 13, I decided that I was ready to take my chances at a more competitive race in Richmond, VA. Unlike my previous races, this was a draft-legal event with competitors from all over the USA. I would soon realize that there is a completely different dynamic from the non-draft legal races that I was used to. This race, the Richmond Youth/Junior Elite cup, was part of a series of races across the country, where youths (13-15) and juniors (16-19) can qualify for the USA Youth and Junior Elite National Championships in West Chester, OH by placing top 15 in their respective age groups. Given my podium finishes at local races, I was fairly confident going into the race, but nothing could prepare me for the level of competition that I was about to encounter. Needless to say, I realized that I wasn’t nearly as good as I thought I was, placing a disappointing 56th place among 71 youth girls.  

Soon after, I joined Endorphin Fitness, a local triathlon team with a focus on draft-legal racing. A year after joining Endorphin, I competed in the same race in Richmond, this time placing 13th and qualifying for nationals, where I went on to place 6th. Of course, this progress didn’t just happen overnight, and countless hours of training had to be put in – much more than I ever thought I would spend on a sport that I had previously only done for fun.  

To this day, one of my favorite races is the Reston Sprint Triathlon. Before I was old enough to compete, I remember waking up early and going with my dad to Lake Newport to cheer him and others on while they raced. I eagerly counted down the years until I could finally participate in this race. I love the Reston Sprint Triathlon because it is a well-organized and fun local race, which also serves as a fundraiser for local charities. My favorite thing about this race is competing with my dad and many other local friends, while biking and running past my neighborhood. I also love the enthusiasm of the many volunteers, who always give me an extra surge of energy while I am racing.  

I have come a long way since the days of putting on a shirt with my number on it and drying my feet with a towel before putting on my shoes. Now, triathlon (along with school) is an integral aspect of my life, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything. I train seven days a week, usually with two workouts a day. Sometimes I wonder why I’m doing this – especially after a bad race – but I make sure to look back at that very first race and remind myself of the joy and fulfillment that triathlon brings me.    

No feeling can compare to that of crossing the finish line after countless hours of blood, sweat, and tears, no matter the outcome of the race. Triathlon makes me feel confident and proud. It has taught me the importance of hard work, dedication, and holding myself accountable in the pursuit of a goal. I have realized that I am capable of so much more than I think possible, and I’ve learned not to let my mind hinder my physical capabilities.  

I firmly believe that everyone should have the opportunity to experience that “finish line feeling” and the satisfaction of achieving a goal that they have worked for. I want to give back to the community that has fostered and supported my love for the sport by helping other youth realize the joy that triathlon can bring, which is why I am so eager to begin working with CORE Foundation and help making triathlon more accessible to young children.  

About me: 

My name is Zoe Van Winckel. I am a junior at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology. For as long as I can remember, I have been doing things outdoors (camping, hiking, skiing, traveling, …). Asides from triathlon and school, I love exploring new places, spending time with friends and family, and snowboarding. You can probably find me running in Lake Fairfax, biking with my dad in Loudoun County, or at home studying.

CORE Foundation thanks Zoe for sharing her inspirational message and for giving back to her community through triathlon. Sign up here to join the CORE Foundation mailing list for periodic updates about our events and volunteer opportunities.