IronKara's TNT Fundraising Page
Racing 140.6 Miles to Save Lives
Welcome to my Ironman dream. Why, you might ask, would I want to train for ten months to swim, bike and run for 15+ hours straight? The answer is: because I can.
As many of you know, almost two years ago I made a decision to accomplish my goal of completing a marathon. Since then (thanks to the addiction to TNT) I have completed two marathons, one half-marathon, one Olympic distance triathlon and three half-Ironman distance triathlons (1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, 13.1 mile run), and raised close to $10,000 for cancer research. And in there somwhere learned to swim, bike and run.
What next? Now... I am training to complete an Ironman triathlon, the ultimate endurance event, as a member of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Team In Training IRONTEAM. All of us in Team In Training are raising funds to help stop leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin lymphoma and myeloma from taking more lives. I'm completing this triathlon in honor of all individuals who are battling blood cancers. These people are the real heroes on our team, and we need your support to cross the ultimate finish line - a cure!
Please make a donation to support my participation in Team In Training and help advance the Society's mission. Visit my training blog: http://ironkara.blogspot.com.
April Update: You have all been amazing at supporting my fundraising and allowing me to already meet my minimum requirement of $8000. Some of you still mention wanting to contribute, so I am sending this specifically to you, or to anyone else who is feeling generous! I am actually asking you consider contributing to a new teammate of mine. This is for Coach Alex. New teammate? But he is your coach Kara! Yes, Alex has been with the team since day one, but only recently, in addition to his coaching responsibilities, he has decided to also become a fundraising participant. You see, Alex completed IM Canada in 2005… but only after two prior failed attempts. During seasons 2003 and 2004 Alex was not able to finish the 2:20 hour cut off for the swim portion of the race, 2.4 miles. It was then that Alex sought additional assistance and discovered his fear of open water/swimming. But still, Alex continued to train to overcome his fear, including sometimes three to four days a week of the frigid Bay temperatures in Aquatic Park! And in 2005, Alex arose from the Okanagan Lake in just under the 2:20 cut off to the cheers of teammates and crowd, who knew of his story. Later that night, the announcer expressed, “Louie Bonpua would have been proud of you”. Because of this accomplishment, Alex received the “Iron Spirit” Award at the race awards dinner. The Iron Spirit Award is for an individual who has persevered, endured to overcome obstacles, to finish the event. A previous recipient of the Iron Spirit Award was Louie Bonpa. Many of you may have read my blog posts about Louie Bonpua or heard of his story. In 2001, Louie Bonpua crossed the finish line at Ironman Canada to much fanfare and became a hero to many. He trained for and finished that Ironman while battling Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia (CML). Shortly after becoming an Ironman, Louie‘s CML came back and he was hospitalized. Days after carrying the Olympic torch, Louie lost his battle with cancer. Louie is one of the reasons that Alex decided to take on the challenge of Ironman in 2003. Back in 2001, the Iron Spirit recipient also received a Cervelo Triathlon bike. Since his passing, Louie’s bike has remained with his family. Until now. In January, during our “Louie Tri” practice triathlon, Coach Alex was introduced to Aggie, Louie’s sister. Alex talked of how Louie inspired him to join Ironteam, and how during his failed years and ultimate success, Louie was always in his thoughts. Aggie was so touched by Alex’s words and motivated by his own story, she generously offered Louie’s Iron Spirit awarded bike frame to Alex, to ride in the 2007 Ironman Canada race. However this means Alex is now among the rest of us on the team with a fundraising requirement! And now being 7 months into the training calendar, with the final fundraising deadline approaching in July, Alex has just under three months to reach this $8000 minimum. Alex is one of 5 team coaches that we have guiding us along the way as the 50 Ironteam members train for our first or tenth Ironman. He has not asked us for contributions (yet I am sure) nor to solicit our friends and family. But after hearing of his story and plans for 2007 (which we were told “secretly” by another coach) I opted to forgo my own $10,000 goal, to settle for my $8,000, and to ask that any remaining contributions be diverted to Alex. I mean, really… it is all going to the same place! To cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma, and improve the quality of life of patients and their families. So please help to continue our support of the Leukemia and Lymphoma’s mission, to contribute to Alex’s fundraising (http://www.active.com/donate/tntgsf/AlexC). GO TEAM- Kara
