Paul Ossenbruggen's Team In Training Page

Skiing to Save Lives

This was in Vancouver at a ski resort. I made it and completed the race!

Welcome to my Team In Training home page.

I am training to participate in a cross country skiing event as a member of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Team In Training. At the end of this I am going to be skiing 25 to 50 km, depending on how well the training goes, right now I am shooting for the further distance.

All of us on Team In Training are raising funds to help stop leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin lymphoma and myeloma from taking more lives. I'm completing this marathon in honor of all individuals who are battling blood cancers. Having lost someone close to me in my family to a cancer, I wanted to help others in finding a cure for 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.

I hope you'll visit my web site often, I plan to make updates about how the training is going. Be sure to check back frequently to see my progress. Thanks for your support!

Our adventure at Alpine Lake up at 7000 feet!

Elaine, Ron, Me, Mary, M'lis, and Fennel at Alpine Lake

Inspiring at Inspiration Point

My broken ski pole at Bear Valley. Pretty good for my first day out. Don't know my own strength.

Lunch, I lost my other hat, that is me in the blue hat. We are getting instructions on the trails we will take that day. Still never found my hat.

Warming up before the 40km ski day!

Fennel and I after skiing 40km! Warming up in the loft.

After the last day at Bear Valley, had a great potluck at Sandi's house. Coach Dave and me.

Royal Gorge after climbing the hill from hell, after doing 40+ KM for the day

Dave Milne, Ron Lichty and me after my first race ever! OK I came in 105th but the day before I skied 40k+ at a very difficult resort (Royal Gorge).

Us cool skiers after doing the impossible skiing 20K in an 1:38 minutes. Well, 104 others did it in a shorter period of time but this is not their first race ever!

This is a great group shot of the TNT racers. Peggy, Mindy, Me, Guy, M'lis, Fennel, Dave.

Royal Gorge final training day speech. Coach Scott explain.

Royal Gorge After party. Andy on the left. Peggy on right.

Royal Gorge the skating group out and about. I am the third one. Barry is first, Arthur second, Andy 4th, Asheley and I think Amy L. behind that.

Royal Gorge skiing.

Royal Gorge one of many chili meals. Andy on the right.

Royal Gorge lunch. Theirry on the left, Eli further left.

The TNT Skate Team! Me Ashley, Amy, Andy.and Mike. We ripped up most of Royal Gorge in one day! OK, I exaggerate a little, Royal Gorge is huge, but we did do about 50% of it, including some really difficult trails like Devil's Peak, all up hill in slow slush. (Actually that was not fun). The picture above is Point Miriah. An amazing view of the gorge can be seen there.

This is at the airport getting ready to head to Anchorage. We had a many hour hold over due to the late arrival of our plane. We did not get in until after 1am. Mary on of the TNT coaches is sitting next to me.

We are having dinner prior to the race. We had glow sticks to make the evening more fun. Leukemia survivor, Lior who is also on the ski team with her son, Eli.

Intently listening to a wonderful speaker at the pre race dinner.

Waiting to take the bus to the race start!

Theirry, Mike, Ashley, Andy, Amy, and Me ready to go!

Skis waxed and ready at hotel.

The bus ride over to the start! We all look a bit apprehensive.

Waiting what seemed like forever for our wave to be called for starting the race! Amy, Coach Scott, Mike and Me.

Getting ready to start the race!

This was the moose that was on the race trail.

Another picture of the moose. I did not see this moose it was taken by one our team captains.

Skate skiing up the hill, sorry don't have an pictures of me on the course

Wendy showing us the last 5km!

Ready to cheer on teammates at finish line!

Finish line!

After the race! Our medals around our necks (we all got one) Fennel, Andrea, Arthur, Patricia, Kendra and me.

Mary and I waiting to say goodbye to teammates leaving Anchorage on monday night.

Everyone waving goodbye as some leave Anchorage.

The chair my brother in law, Rich, made as a memorial to my mother who died of cancer. The chair sits on a hill top in NH called Wagon Hill. We recently found this photo taken by a photographer in NH.

The course from Google Earth.

For the latest updates on my progress read my journal