Wednesday, November 27, 2013

Sponsor a Mile Update: East Coast Going Far!



Get your name on the map!

The Race of Our Lives campaign has officially sold out one full region on the “Sponsor a Mile” map. What does this mean? All 750 miles in the East Coast region have been sponsored, bringing more financial support to pulmonary hypertension research and patient-serving programs. Thank you to everyone who sponsored a mile – or miles – in the region.

More than 1,200 total miles have been sponsored so far – and there are still miles left! Help us sell out the rest of the race route across the Pacific Coast, West and Midwest regions. Every mile counts – and every mile brings us one step closer to finding a cure.

Spread the word about the Race of Our Lives campaign! Just $15 will sponsor one mile and help support vital PH research and programs for patients. For more information on sponsoring a mile, visit: www.PHAssociation.org/RaceOfOurLives/SponsorAMile.

Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Studying Muscles can Give Team PHenomenal Hope a "Leg Up" in Race



Race Across America in June 2014 will challenge Team PHenomenal Hope members both mentally and physically. But by studying the mechanics of their muscles, the team will be better positioned to excel during the race. That is where Jim Bruskewitz comes in! Jim joins Team PHenomenal Hope as a coach and will take on the primary role of preparing the team for the race through different training activities.

Jim earned an M.S. from the University of Wisconsin – Madison, and for the past 15 years, he has taught at the University in the Department of Kinesiology. Kinesiology is the study of the mechanics and anatomy of human muscle – and Team PHenomenal Hope will surely be using a lot of muscles in the race! Jim also boasts an impressive coaching background, having worked with endurance athletes for more than 25 years. Personally, he is a two-time World Champion and eight-time National Age Group Champion in triathlons.

Working with Team PHenomenal Hope, Jim plans to create a master training plan for all the riders to follow. “This will promote the team approach to reaching their goals collectively and individually,” says Jim. He also adds that each team member will be working on her own level, which is gauged based on results from physiologic testing. This will allow the members to make progress in their training as efficiently as possible.

Over the next few months, Jim will be working with the team to understand their strengths and weaknesses to prepare them for RAAM. He mentions, “The physiologic preparation is the easy part, as long as the athletes are committed to spending the time to prepare.” He says that for a long competition like RAAM, simple things such as eating, sleeping and keeping track of personal items in the support vehicles can be the biggest challenge for the athletes. Jim adds, “I hope to help them identify what their challenges will be so they can best adapt to the ever-changing conditions they'll find themselves in.”

Jim is excited to be on board as part of Team PHenomenal Hope, and we are just as excited to cheer him, and the rest of the team, on! You can read about Team PHenomenal Hope’s plan for training throughout the winter season in the Winter issue of Pathlight, PHA’s quarterly newsletter, coming in January. Pathlight is one of the benefits you'll receive as an official PHA member, so join or renew your membership by December 10, to ensure you receive the next issue!

To learn more about Team PHenomenal Hope and how you can get involved in the Race of Our Lives campaign, visit www.PHAssociation.org/RaceOfOurLives

Monday, November 11, 2013

On Bikes, On Foot... PH Activists Tackle High Endurance Races


As we watch Team Phenomenal Hope gear up for the Race Across America (RAAM) in June 2014, we can’t help but be amazed at the extreme things people have done on behalf of the PH community.

Anthony Sheridan of the UK participated in the Marathon de Sables—six days of marathons – across the Sahara Desert earlier this year on behalf of PHA UK. The Marathon de Sables is considered the toughest footrace in the world, and the course tops 150 miles across sand dunes in temperatures over 100 degrees Fahrenheit! More than 1000 individuals competed in the 2013 marathon – which was a new participation record.

If Anthony can take on the Marathon de Sables, anything is possible! Read more about Anthony and his journey on behalf of PHA UK.
 
You too can join in a race on behalf of the PH community! Plan a Unity Miles event to support Team PHenomenal Hope through the Race of Our Lives campaign. Unity Miles events don’t need to be a cross-country race or an endurance event, just an opportunity to gather together while raising awareness and funds for the PH cause. Learn more about planning a Unity Miles event at www.PHAssociation.org/RaceOfOurLives/UnityMilesEvents.

Thursday, November 7, 2013

Awareness Month Unity Miles Events!



Unity Miles event organizer and PH patient Merle Reeseman with Team PHenomenal Hope members Ryanne Palermo and Dr. Patricia George
Unity Miles event organizer and PH patient
Merle Reeseman with Team PHenomenal Hope
members Ryanne Palermo and Dr. Patricia George
People in the PH community are showing their support of Team PHenomenal Hope by organizing Unity Miles events this Awareness Month in honor of the Race of Our Lives campaign. These events not only raise awareness for PH, but also the funds necessary to support research and patient-serving programs.

These Unity Miles events are coming up in November:

Nov. 10, 2014
Naperville, Ill.

Nov. 16, 2014
Puyallup, Wash.

Alex Flipse’s 30 Miles in 30 Days
Month of November
Silver Spring, Md.

Interested in planning your own United Miles event? PHA will be your pit crew! Visit www.PHAssociation.org/RaceOfOurLives/UnityMilesEvents to learn more about organizing an event in your local community.

Tuesday, November 5, 2013

Dynamic Duo Dedicated Month of Walking to Race of Our Lives


Diane Ramirez and Janet McCabe are two PH patients from N.C., who, like other PH community members from all over, have embraced Team PHenomenal Hope and its goal of racing 3,000 miles across the U.S. in nine days to raise awareness and funds for pulmonary hypertension (PH) research and the Pulmonary Hypertension Association (PHA).

Diane Ramirez and Janet set their own challenge alongside Team PHenomenal Hope. This dynamic duo dedicated an entire month of walking to the PH community and the Race of Our Lives campaign. In their 30-day challenge, Diane and Janet planned to walk 100 miles collectively, while raising $1,500 for PHA.
Diane and Janet at the zebra
exhibit at the zoo.

These ladies challenged themselves to complete their goals by Oct. 24, and we cheered them on every step – and mile – of the way! They even took their challenge to the North Carolina zoo, where they walked more than six miles together and even stopped to take photos outside the zebra exhibit, a reminder of PHA’s zebra-themed early diagnosis campaign, Sometimes it’s PH.

We are happy to report that together they met their goal!

Want to support Race of Our Lives, yourself or with others? Learn how you can start your own virtual fundraising page. It’s as easy as including information about PH and PHA on your page, choosing a fundraising goal and sending the link out to your family and friends. PHA staff is on hand to give you pointers and to help you get started.

You can also consider planning a Unity Miles Event in your local area to empower your community to join the Race of Our Lives campaign and support PHA and Team PHenomenal Hope. With PHA staff as your pit crew, learn more about how you can plan a Unity Miles Event and help raise awareness and funds for the cause.