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Sole Sister’s Racing competitor Kara Heggedal, competes in High-Heel-A-Thon


Alicia Wicklund
Parts of this article are from the March of Dimes website
Some know her as thrifty owner of Thirteen Sisters, and others know her as wife of Erik Heggedal, and mother to Dylan, 7, and twin daughters Ella, and Emma, 5, but on Wednesday, July 9th, 2008, Kara Heggedal was known as a high-stepper in a 150 yard High-Heel-A-Thon held in New York City’s Central Park. Kara’s sister Gretchen Berg (Reese), and friend Janet Hetteen from Roseau, also flew out to New York City with her; even though they didn’t race, Kara calls her sidekicks the “Race Team”, but all three were known as “Sole Sister’s Racing”.
Live with Regis and Kelly partnered with Dr. Scholl’s For Her to put on a first-time-ever High-Heel-A-Thon, in which donations went to leading nonprofit organization March of Dimes. According to the March of Dimes website, donations went to providing healthy pregnancies and babies to women everywhere. Live also gave a special donation of $50,000 in commemoration of the High-Heel-A-Thon.
Unlike other 150 yard dashes with contestants geared up in in running shoes, these contestants strapped on three inch or higher stilettos, that had no more than a three inch circumference, and couldn’t be affixed to your feet and had to be in their original manufactured state.
To begin the event, 587 contestants were split up into 24 preliminary heats for a 50 yard run. After the preliminaries, the contestants were lined up by time and Kara remarks, “I was placed in the second row.”
“I think there was around 208 women who ran in the 150 yard final dash. I ended up in 29th place with a time of 26.85 seconds,” Kara said, “but as far as I’m concerned I won! We had a great time and didn’t ‘break a leg’.”
But Kara has some bragging rights; co-host of Live with Regis and Kelly, Kelly Ripa raced and ended up with 63rd place with a time of 31.90 seconds.
Cash prizes were awarded to the top three competitors in amounts of $25,000 for first place, $5,000 for second place, and $2,500 for third place, as well as smaller prizes that were handed out to other participants.
But how did Kara hear wind of this? “A friend of mine was actually in a clinic waiting room and saw them announce it on Live with Regis and Kelly. She left me a message at work stating, ‘I just saw something on T.V. that you have to do,’” Kara stated. “It was one of those crazy wild ideas that everyone needs to try at least once, and I wear high heels all the time.”
According to Kara, Erik thought she was nuts, but yet he was very supportive, and of course Erik and Kara’s children were excited for their mom who had the chance to be on T.V.
And sure enough, come the day of the race, “Sole Sister’s Racing” made their fame on T.V.
“We had a good strategy. With the Minnesota sign, we knew we would get some attention, so everyone, both family and friends, were watching for it,” Kara stated.
Also on their sign was their logo, “Sole Sister’s Racing...So fast we’ll knock your stilettos off!”
“It was a fun idea that I had printed on a few shirts and its the logo we put on our big sign. Once people got word of it, I had both people and businesses ask to sponsor us on our trip,” Kara commented.
“Sole Sister’s Racing” had sponsors that stretched from California to New York, in which their logo’s were printed on the back of the shirts.
Congratulations Kara on your accomplishments! Maybe the next time you walk through the door of Thirteen Sisters, Kara may have her own line of chick high heel running shoes for girls of all ages. Check out Thirteen Sister’s recently opened online website at www.thirteensisters.com for other funky items such as handbags, luggage, accessories, and gifts.


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