Amazing. Inspiring. Awesome. Moving. How many superlatives can a person use to describe an event without sounding syrupy? But it’s true, the 2007 Portland LiveStrong Challenge is an event that profoundly inspires and is great fun at the same time.
Hopscotching right over the rather long and tedious drive to Portland, Saturday begins with packet pick-up and a visit to the LiveStrong Village. The first indication that this group cares about and supports each and every participant comes when you are handed the packet. Bells are rung and cheers go up as the entire room celebrates the efforts, and many times the cancer survivorship, of each rider, walker or runner.
In the LiveStrong Village are exhibitors of all types who support the fight against cancer. If a person hasn’t figured it out already, you begin to understand the breadth of the support and the depth of the commitment.
Saturday afternoon, Team IMAGINE has its first face-to-face meeting. With team members from Lewiston, Clarkston, Spokane, Provo and Hawaii their acquaintance with me and deep commitment to the battle against cancer are what they share. Now they get to meet and meld. Already they have made a huge effort in fundraising for the Challenge. Out of 181 teams we end in 12th place in total funds raised and are justifiably proud of the effort of a team with only nine members; the winning team has 229 members, is based in a metropolitan area and has corporate sponsorships. Team IMAGINE…Imagining a world without cancer.
Saturday evening is a pasta dinner for top fundraisers for which I and team member Diana Brown have qualified. At this smaller and more intimate gathering and with spouses in tow, we hear from Lance Armstrong and Alberto Salazar and listen to some of the amazing stories of the people participating in the Challenge; stories of courage and strength from survivors and family of survivors that often bring tears and always bring inspiration.
I am struck by being in a room full of people who are there because they have been touched by this awful disease and determined to fight. Each person in this room understood completely when Lance titled his book It’s Not About The Bike. And each person in the room knows the LiveStrong Challenge is not about the bike/run/walk either.
Sunday finally arrives. The rain starts about 5:00 AM and continues to pour down for the 7:00 AM starting ceremonies. But no one is complaining - for most of the people lined up at the start have faced or had friends and family face much tougher times that don’t end in a few wet hours.
We ride. Seventy miles. The rain does not stop. Team IMAGINE though, dressed for the weather, ALL make the 70 miles and cross the finish line through showers of yellow rose petals. And it turns out that we had fun riding, even in the rain. Go figure.
I ride because I want my grandchildren and their children to hear the word cancer and think only of some half forgotten disease from the olden days. Currently one in three men and one in two women will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime. Not acceptable.
And then, of course, there are the millions of current survivors. A person becomes a survivor the minute they are diagnosed. And for as long as they live, years or decades, they remain survivors. Right now there are more than ten million people living with cancer in the United States. And it is estimated that 1.3 million more will be diagnosed in this year alone. For each of them, the battle against cancer is about much more than a seventy mile bike ride.
Nobody engages in a project like this alone. Team IMAGINE is a very special and dedicated group. My heartfelt thanks to Diana, Michele, Peggy, Tammy, Karen, Vicky, Nikki and Crissy. The Crazy Ladies Cyclists, Twin Rivers Cyclists, friends and family (Especially my husband who cracks the whip when I get lazy and rescues me when I bite off more than I can chew!) have all been wonderfully supportive.
And to the many family, friends and all contributors…you’re the greatest!
