2014 – The Year of RAAM has Arrived!

January 14,2014

[hr] Happy New Year from Team PHenomenal Hope! With the end of one year and beginning of the next, we reflect on 2013, and think about 2014, a year full of hope, expectations, and adventure.

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 We look back.

2013 was an exciting year, as our team celebrated a full season before the official team RAAM-focused training this past Fall. We experimented with nutrition, endurance, pushing our mental and physical limits, and discovered new sides of cycling (from endurance limits to hard core commuting), and each of us discovered something new in all of this during this past year. (More on that in a blog post to come.)

Beyond training and racing, our team stayed focused on our mission:

  • To train and race for patients who live with pulmonary hypertension
  • To raise awareness about PH
  • To raise funds to find a cure

Early 2013 was filled with highlights, from getting the word out at the Pittsburgh Power game, to marshaling the Pittsburgh marathon on World PH day, a true honor. We enjoyed talking with Lee Kreider on the Ohio RAAM Show about Team PH and sharing why we are doing all of this. And then, over the summer each of us rode and trained for our individual goals, coming together again at the end of cyclocross season, now unified fully for the next big race on the calendar, and the biggest race in our lives. It was a year of re-commitment to the cause ahead, of planning, and earnest preparation. In November the team came together with a unified training plan, under the mentorship of our coach, Jim Bruskewitz, an outstanding endurance coach who is helping to guide us in the day-to-day regimen building a periodized training plan that will culminate at the race in June 2014. In crew news, our crew chief recruited a team of amazing individuals crucial to our success in getting across the country safely (definitely more on this later).

Community. Happiness.

The most exciting part of 2013 was the fact that Team PHenomenal Hope grew beyond our small team of racers and crew. Much excitement came with the launch of the Race of Our Lives campaign, and we are grateful for those who have joined this adventure. Many patients organized Unity Miles events, walking, biking, joining this cause by doing whatever they can to support the Pulmonary Hypertension Association and raise awareness. Several have held bake sales, sold knitted caps, and organized other fundraisers in solidarity with our team and this campaign. And many generously contributed to Team PHenomenal Hope on the Pittsburgh Day of Giving, helping us surpass our goal. And beyond these acts, there have been many friends and family who have spoken a kind word, supported us in spirit, and motivated us more than you know. We are grateful to each and every one of you. You inspire us to train, ride, and fulfill our commitment to you.

Gratitude.

We also are thankful to our sponsors, without whom this would not be possible. As the list of sponsors and supporters grows, we are delighted to be in this race with you. From our presenting sponsor, UPMC, and clothing sponsor, Primal, to Big Bang Bicycles and West Liberty Cycles, who were on board with this project to day one, to our exciting new partnership with Fiks Reflective who will help keep us safe at night (with a little style, we might add) during the race. We also thank our newest sponsors Actelion and Inovalon, and are so excited to have you working with us. We thank United Therapeutics. We thank Printscape, who continues to help us in getting the word out in beautiful signage. We thank TumblTrak for generous donations of key equipment and travel to help with our training, and to Cycling Fusion for helping us build our base in Winter Training 2013. And we are excited to welcome our coaching partner, Jim Bruskewitz of Endurance Performance, who has taken on the task of getting us RAAM strong by June.

We look forward.

For many, 2014 brings resolutions, and perhaps our greatest resolution is to fulfill our promise to those for whom we ride, to those who believe in and support our cause. The year of RAAM has officially arrived, and with just over 150 days until we are on the starting line, we now delve deeper into more focused training, preparing our bodies and minds to undertake this tremendous task. Stay tuned to our website, Facebook page and Twitter feed as we will keep you updated on our training, some exciting upcoming events, and share with you what inspires us (no doubt the stories will be about many of you).

It’s not just about the bike. It’s not even about the race. It’s much bigger than that.

Thank you for joining us on this adventure.

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Team PHenomenal Hope
Racing in
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With our Charity Partner
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Presented By:

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And Sponsored by:

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Print

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