25 Years of Team in Training

For my fellow TNT Teammates out there, you know we are celebrating 25 Years of Team In Training this year.  For everyone else, this is a big deal – so big I figured I would blog about it.

25 years ago, Team in Training started with one man.  He was on a mission to raise money for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society while running the New York City Marathon.  That one race alone raise $322,000 with just 38 participants.

Over the years, over 590,000 participants have raised over $1.3 Billion while training for and participating in all sorts of endurance events: marathons, triathlons, century rides, and even hiking.  That $1.3 Billion in funding has supported all sorts of research therapies and patient services through out the years increasing the survival rates of blood cancers along they way.

Since 1960, leukemia (my niece’s diagnosis) survival rates have more that quadrupled from only 14% all the way up to 54%.  No, that is not 100%, but we are certainly making strides toward that mark.  Some forms of leukemia have hire rates than other, but overall we are up to 54%.  Other blood cancer survival rates are on the rise as well.  (See the graphic for more details.)

Another important note, and one reason I continue to support this cause even after my niece was found cancer free, is there are many therapies for other cancers today that were initially approved for treatment of blood cancers.  One of those therapies is GLEEVEC:

Gleevec… was initially approved for use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2001 for the treatment of chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML), a rare form of cancer that affects certain types of white blood cells. Since its initial approval, Gleevec has also been approved for use in patients with several types of gastrointestinal tumors. Currently, scientists continue to study the drug’s effectiveness not only in various cancers, but also in other diseases, such as stroke (Su et al., 2008).

The things accomplished using the funds raised through Team in Training still amazes me.  Since I first committed to LLS and TNT in August 2009 I have participated in 9 events fundraising with LLS and I am currently in my 10th season with TNT.  I made a commitment to continue my participation with this organization until a cure for all blood cancers is available.  (And then I will find another crusade.)  As part of that commitment I am marking the 25th anniversary of TNT by participating in the 10th Anniversary race of the Nike Women’s Marathon in San Francisco, Oct 20, 2013.  It is my goal to raise $4000 for this event (even though my minimum commitment is only $3200).  You can help me reach that goal by donating today: DONATE HERE.