Combining my love of running with my love of cupcakes has been chronicled in past posts, reviews, and even some of our blogger award answers. Crusaders Jenn and Stacy are very supportive of my crazy running habit, and are always there to cheer me on – they really are the best friends a girl could ask for! On Sat, October 13th at the Baltimore Running Festival they were there to cheer me on and celebrate my completing a THIRD 1/2 marathon!

(One of the best parts of finishing a run is the medals – and this year they were really cool!)

Last year the Baltimore Running Festival 1/2 marathon was my very first, and I was excited to run it again this year for BOLT for the BSO, a charity team that raises money for the non-profit arts organization, the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. Each team member of BOLT is tasked with raising money and my goal this year was $500 (check out my fundraising page); but I raised a total of $845 through the generous support of my family, friends, and co-workers. Just when you thought this post was all about running, cupcakes come back into the convo…

What I didn’t realize while I was training and fundraising was that our Healthy Crusader Rebecca and BOLT organizer Jennifer Barton (who were also on the BOLT Team) worked out a plan with IcedGems Baking to create a cupcake which would raise money for BOLT for the BSO. (IcedGems + Running = Awesome.) They created a signature flavor: blueberry cake with lemon buttercream frosting, and sold it all week before the race, with proceeds being donated to the BOLT team.

A few of us on the BOLT team went to meet the IcedGems truck and try our team flavor. Below is a review.

BOLT for the BSO Cupcake:

Moist cake, with blueberries in it and tart lemon buttercream made this cupcake a harmonious blend of sweet and tart. I loved the berries in the cake – it added a burst of flavor as well as a great additional texture. We all enjoyed this cupcake and it’s a flavor I’d love to see on the truck again.

Even the running world recognizes the impact cupcakes are having in the world of individual desserts! I’ve already got a headband that says “Suck it up Cupcake” that I wore during the Ocean City Half Marathon. And this year, at the running and health Expo, I found the shirt below – and if it hadn’t been too pricey for me, I would have gotten it. I mean, how cute (and true) is that shirt!?

It was very generous of IcedGems to help raise money and awareness for our BOLT team. They helped us surpass our ambitious goal of raising $60,000! (Check out BOLT for the BSO’s fundraising page.) The race went well, with my finishing time at 2 hrs and 24 min; I was happy just to finish and know my running supported the iconic and world class BSO. Sometimes things just work out, like cupcakes and running – now I am looking forward to my next 1/2 marathon, and my next IcedGems cupcake.

– Posted by Cupcake Crusader, Elisa (Baltimore, MD)