Ceri's decided to do some serious fundraising this year and has signed up to run the 4 July Sauvie Island Flat half marathon, a 13-mile run sponsored by Foot Traffic, a running shoe and gear store.

Ceri will be running to raise money for the 2012 West Coast Eisteddfod (venue to be announced shortly) and for Bryn Seion Welsh Church in Beavercreek, Oregon. Founded in 1884 by Welsh immigrants who settled as farmers in the area, Bryn Seion has delivered services for 125 years and, since 1935, hosted an annual Gymanfa Ganu which brought participants from all over the US and Canada to sing in Welsh and featured guest musicians and choir directors that have included John Good , Rhiannon Acree and harpist and vocalist Bronn and Katherine Journey ,

Pledges are donations to our US 501(c)(3) non-profit, the Meriwether Lewis Memorial Eisteddfod Foundation and are tax deductible. You can pledge to sponsor Ceri either by a flat donation amount or by the mile by posting your pledge as a comment, below, or make a donation now by clicking the button below (please indicate that this is a pledge for the marathon):

From the Foot Traffic site, here's the island half race route:

Sauvie Island is in the Willamette River, a little north of Portland. About half of it is a wildlife preserve and the rest agricultural, with many farms: berries, pumpkins, organic and consumer supported agriculture and an area of houseboats along the Willamette Channel on its west side. Its very scenic, winding, two-lane roads are popular with runners and bicyclists and its beaches in the summer with daytrippers, swimmers and boaters.

The preserve is gorgeous in any season and some licensed hunting is permitted in season. July is always gorgeous there and an easy walk from parts of the race course to a public beach for a cool down. If you're in the area and you want to come and cheer Ceri on, check the Foot Traffic site for pointers on getting there the day of the run, as a portion of the road will be closed for the run and parking on the island itself will be tight. The run organizers are also looking for volunteers along the route.