Reality Rally

Well, it's official! Reality Rally 2016 has come to a close...and what a wonderful weekend it was! We welcomed first timers, 6-year veterans, and everyone in between. The race was a blast, the food was delicious, the friends were unmatched, and the fundraising was through the roof!

I had the opportunity to make the rounds and ask volunteers and stars alike about their experience over the weekend. Here's what they had to say:

"I met Gillian at Temecula Womens' Club last month. I signed up right away and here I am! It's been a blast." - Karen Steed, Reality Rally volunteer

"I met Gillian a few years ago at the Komen 3-Day. She told me about Reality Rally which she does up here, and I said, 'I'm in'! It's been a wonderful day, it's been a lot of fun. The race was fun, I was trailing Gillian the whole time, just in case someone needed a band-aid or First-Aid. It was fun to be on the front lines." - Lynne Morris, Reality Rally volunteer

"I was in charge of the Livestream for the race. It involved corralling the celebrities, coralling city officials, and doing a pre-race interview, trying to figure out what drew them to the event and if they had an experience with breast cancer or if they knew someone with breast cancer. It was really great to see that enthusiasm before the race, and they still had it when they came back through," - Jennifer Donnelly, Reality Rally volunteer

"I did the race today. It was really cool, It was nice to connect with people in the community and just have some fun. I just want to be of service, so when people ask me to do things, to contribute to the community, I do whatever I can." - Chef Stephen Lee, Masterchef

"I was invited by Gillian. We were at another charity event here about six and a half years ago, and we started talking. Gillian said, 'I want you to be involved with it.' It's an amazing event. It's like a family reunion for me now. This group of celebrties is so cool, so generous, and they give up their own time to be here. So to me, I would never miss it." - Lance Zeno, NFL

"My experience has been amazing. I came here last year and it was a lot of fun, but this year you can really tell how much it's grown. It's amazing to see all the people coming out to raise money for Michelle's Place. I'm so happy we get to go to Michelle's Place and see what we're raising money for before the event starts. It was probably my favorite part of the weekend. You get to see where the money is going. So many times you'll donate money and you don't really know where it's going. This is the only thing I've ever done where you can see the benefits of what you're doing. I'm going to come back for as long as I can." - Will Jardell, America's Next Top Model

"I come here because I was diagnosed with cancer in 1990, given two months to live, and I'm still here. This is the creme de la creme, the top level reality gathering in the world, really. It's the best of the best, it's done with class, and people come here and behave themselves. And all the money goes to Michelle's Place, which is perfect. I love being here." - Scout Cloud Lee, Survivor

And with that, Reality Rally is a wrap! See you all next year...and thank you--we couldn't do it without you.

- Taryn Murphy