Racing to Save Lives

Welcome

to my Team In Training home page.

Many people who know me probably won't find this too shocking, but among all of my other activities I have decided to add triathlons to the list of things that take up my spare time. I have committed to compete in the Boulder Sunrise Triathlon on June 5, 2010 which is a sprint distance race (750M swim, 17 Mi bike and a 3.1 Mi run) and potentially the Lake to Lake Triathlon, which is an Olympic distance (1500M swim, 30 Mi Bike, 6.2 Mi run) in Loveland Colorado on June 26, 2010. While triathlons give me the benefit of a challenge and some enjoyable time outside (I know it really is a sickness), it also affords me a great opportunity to help others as well.

With that thought in mind, I have joined Team in Training in order to raise money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Team in Training has been around for over 20 years and has raised more than a billion dollars for Leukemia research and patient care. While I know that there are lots of worthy causes out there, I have always had a special place in my heart for children. That's why when at the informational meeting they cited the statistic that Leukemia and blood cancers are the leading cause of death due to disease in people under the age of 21, I knew that Team in Training and I were a perfect match.

In the course of my experience with Team in Training I have been able to meet some remarkable people who are fighting and winning the battle against Leukemia and other blood cancers. Two such people, Rachel and Mason appear in the picture with me. Rachel is 29 and was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in 2008. After undergoing chemo and radiation, and drug treatments funded in part with money raised from Team in Training she is currently in remission and is currently kicking my butt in our group training sessions as she trains for a 1/2 ironman in the fall. Mason is one of the cutest kids I have met and continues to have an awesome outlook on life. His spirit is infectious and it is hard to believe that he has been receiving cancer treatments for the vast majority of his young life. In late February, he will receive his "all clear" from the doctors and start the next phase of his life cancer free.

These remarkable stories are only made possible through continued research which is supported by fundraising efforts like Team in Training. As inspiring these stories of survival are, there are still too many that do not have a happy of ending like Rachel's and Mason's. Every week 1,050 people loose their battle with this dreadful disease. That's why we must continue the fight.

My fundraising goal is $3,500, which should allow me to participate in both events. More importantly, it provides the funds necessary to help Leukemia and help improve patient's everyday lives. Every little bit helps. If you would rather use a check, you can make it out to Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and mail it to Peter Lemire, 2167 Coach House Loop, Castle Rock, CO 80109.

I hope you will visit my web site often and please pass it along to your friends and family.

Be sure to check back frequently to see my progress. Thanks for your

support!

2/24/09 Inspiration

Well due to chasing down some IT issues at the firm today my work day has been pretty much blown. However it has given me the opportunity to update my TNT page before I leave for the day.

So far training is going well, we have incorporated all three sports so I am currently training 6 days a week. At our training sessions it is quite common for the participants to talk about our individual inspiration that brought us to TNT. A lot of the participants have a fairly direct connection with leukemia be it a family member, relative or friend that has either had the disease or is currently in treatment. For me and a few other participants, our inspiration is a bit more indirect.

While it is true that my paternal grandfather died from Leukemia when I was about 3 and that fact did enter into my decision to participate in TNT a bit, due to my young age I was a bit removed from the whole experience and I can't say that it is a driving factor in my decision to raise funds for the Leukemia and lymphoma society. Strangely enough a big part of my inspiration came from watching the replays of NBC's coverage of the Ironman triathlon in Kona Hawaii. That's where I saw the story of Sister Madonna Buder, the 80 year old nun that has competed in over 323 triathlons including 36 Ironman distance. If you Google her you can see more about her amazing life – she even has a Wikipedia entry! The thing that struck me was how many lives she has touched and the hundreds of organizations she has fundraised for and benefited in her 31 years of competition. A lot of times, training for these sorts of events are a bit self-involved as they do take quite a time requirement. The fact that by participating in teams like TNT you can also make someone else's life better through all of your hard work is even more rewarding.

The other major inspiration for me joining TNT is the fact that thus far in my life I have not had to utilize the services of an organization such as the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, however many people are not so lucky. For year now our family has donated annually to the Children's Hospital in Denver. We donate in the name of our healthy children Claudia and Lucas. We do so because there are a lot of people out there who depend on these organizations and if the roles were reversed I know that I would be very grateful for everyone that was there to support me and my family through difficult times. I have that same attitude about my fundraising with TNT. Additionally, you never know where life is going to take you next. Some day the research and treatments that are being funded by the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society may one day save my life, or the life of someone I love.

Well, its 5:00 to to go, get the kids and get ready for my 8 PM swim practice.