Race Across Oregon Starts Saturday

Dear Friends, Family, and Supporters,

Tomorrow is a big day. It is the beginning as well as the end of a very long journey. For many months I have been training for the Race Across Oregon (RAO), and tomorrow this race starts in Hood River, Oregon.

Not only have I been training, but also, I have been raising money to give to the Lupus Foundation of America (LFA). In my last email I wrote,

Lupus is a potentially fatal autoimmune disease where the body's own defenses attack the organs, such as the skin, heart, lungs, kidneys, or brain. I have seen first-hand that it is a horrible disease, and it affects more than 1.5 million Americans and 5 million people worldwide.

My goal is to raise $5000 to give to the LFA - Northwest Chapter and to raise awareness. Every bit donated goes a long way and makes a positive impact for many people. You can make a tax-deductible donation online or contact me if you wish to donate in other ways. For those of you that have donated, thank you so much, but remember, the fight is not over. Please also check out the fund raising progress, or get my training updates and blog online. If you cannot donate, please help out by passing along this email or a few of my links.

With your all of your help, we have been able to raise $3530.80 so far. I want to express me deep appreciation for all of this outstanding support. I also would like to send special thanks to Jeanie, Glenn, and Chris for spending the better part of two days in the car providing me crew support for the race.

Glenn will be doing live updates on my race progress here. This is the best way to keep up to date on how my race is going. Also, be sure to check out race updates, photos, the course, and the competition at the official RAO webpage.

Sincerest thanks,
Mike

Attachments (1) - RAO Flyer

New Fundraising Milestone Reached

With several recent donations, our fundraising total has reached a new milestone. So far we have donated $2500 to the Lupus Foundation of America, Pacific Northwest Chapter. This money stays in the Northwest to provide outreach, education, and research! Go to my fundraising page to see the progress.
My sincerest thanks to those who have donated and provided support for this very important cause!

Photos from Lewis and Clark Ultra

Hi All,
Just wanted to share another link with you. The photos from the Lewis and Clark Ultra are now available. Go there to check them out. Thanks to Leonarda for the great photos.
-Mike

Lewis and Clark Ultra

The results are now up for the 2009 Lewis and Clark Ultra. Go here to view them.

Lewis and Clark Ultra

This weekend saw the completion of my first ever ultra-distance bike race. It was definitely the most physically challenging thing that I've ever done. Here is a brief recap.

We woke at 4:00 am from a restless sleep in the upstairs office of a friend's house in Portland. The car was packed and we were on the road by 5:00 am. We arrived at the race start/finish location about 5:45 and began to prepare. The pre-race meeting was at 6:00 am and the 6:30 start time snuck up on us quite quickly. Before I knew it, Glenn the race director was counting down from 10 to start me off.

The course was marked by stylized pine trees about 2 feet tall spray painted on the road. They were a bit difficult to see at first, but eventually I got the hang of it. My crew (in the car) and I (on my bike) proceeded to follow the "day loop," which was about 144 miles long. I finished the day loop, pictured above, with only a handful of stops (nature calls), at about 3:45 pm. I took a brief break to eat some food and set out for the first of 15 times around the night loop. Approximately 10 miles long, the night loop, pictured below, was filled with short steep climbs and even shorter downhills (with stop signs at the bottom! argh!) These climbs were challenging and emotionally draining as the night and the miles poured on. I stopped for a rest around 2:00 am. The time I can't confirm on my own, and napped a bit in the folding chairs. If you've never napped in two folding chairs at 2:00 am, I recommend you keep it that way. I wasn't feeling very well at that point, but ate some soup which upped my energy, and body temperature, and set off again. At about 3:00 am after weaving about on the roads, I decided a little more sleep was a good idea, and laid down in a sleeping bag for about an hour. I did not want to get up, but once I did, I felt better and laid down three more loops before the race completed at 6:30 am. All said, it was 284.7 miles in 24 hours! A long day, but worth it.

Lewis and Clark Ultra

We're leaving for the Lewis and Clark Ultra in a few moments. It's a 24 hour race and I'm doing it in preparation for the RAO. The car is all packed, the crew is ready, and the only thing I can think of that I'm missing is some body glide. I'm going to stop by the Performance Bike in Portland before visiting Glenn. We'll all camp tonight, get up early, then start the race at 6:30 am tomorrow!
Special thanks to Beth, Jeanie, and Paul for crewing this event, and for packing light so that we could get everything in (0n) the car.

Trip to Troy

I'm resting up for this weekend, so yesterday was more of a social ride. Bob and I decided to ride the new trail all the way to Troy. Neither of us had ridden the whole way before. We were both pretty impressed by the quality of the trail and the beauty of the scenery. I really liked this ride and will incorporate it heavily into my training routes. I suggest you ride this new trail as soon as possible. It's just that beautiful.

Map