The Lance Armstrong LIVESTRONG(TM) Challenge
Date: Saturday, August 25, 2007
- Sunday, August 26, 2007
Location: Philadelphia
The Lance Armstrong LIVESTRONG™ Challenge (cycle, run, walk) was held in Blue Bell Pennsylvania, Saturday, August 25, 2007 and Sunday, August 26, 2007. Over 3,000 people, including many cancer survivors, participated in the Challenge. The Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania, and its Living Well After Cancer™ Program hosted a "Survivor Rest Stop," where hundreds of cyclists, including Lance Armstrong, stopped to rest and refuel. You can view photos from the event here on Shutterfly.
The LIVESTRONG™ Challenge is the Lance Armstrong Foundation's signature fundraising event which benefits the Lance Armstrong Foundation and Penn's LIVESTRONG™ Survivorship Center of Excellence Living Well After Cancer™ Program for adults and childhood cancer survivors. Penn's Living Well After Cancer™ Program is the only LIVESTRONG™ Cancer Survivorship Center of Excellence in the region. This status reflects our excellence in clinical care, research and education for adults and childhood cancer survivors.
Click below to read the Survivorship Stories of Abramson Cancer Center patients:
Survivorship Story: Kristi Eder
Survivorship Story: Patrick King
Survivorship Story: Perry Rothaus
Please read below a message from one of our own, Hank Pletcher, Technical Director of the Flow Cytometry and Cell Sorting Facility. On this day he was more than an employee. He was a rider, a family member and a great friend........
"Dear Friends and Family,
Hot. Humid. Hilly. Hard. Challenging. Did I mention hot? The 2007 Philadelphia Livestrong Challenge was all of that, and more. And yet, in the end, it wasn't about the bike at all.
The Lance Armstrong Foundation has supported the Abramson Cancer Center at Penn, and came to Philly last year for its first time. I had hoped to ride, but it never worked out, so when the LAF decided to return again in 2007, I made sure to join the Penn team. I figured I could make good use of the new bike Laura gave me, and thought a century (100 miles) might be within reach.
So I started to train, but encountered a number of setbacks. Bad weather in the spring, then some riding, followed by mechanical problems, gave me an up and down start to the season. A broken spoke set me back three weeks for a repair. I decided a crash course was in order, and took two days off of work to give time for four long rides (four hours each) over a long weekend.
That told me a few things. I could definitely handle 60 miles in South Jersey. But when I took a look at the course profile, I learned the Livestrong Challenge was a very hilly course, with some moderate to difficult terrain, much different than my usual riding. You can take a look at the course profile here...
So I decided to settle for the 70 mile loop. Still much hillier than my customary riding, but without the two steepest climbs of the century...
Only now I had some more setbacks. First, I broke anther spoke on my rear wheel, and waited another three weeks for a repair, only to find my local bike shop going out of business. So I had to find a another shop in Philly, the week before the ride, and beg them to do a quick repair. They obliged, but when I picked up the wheel, they told me it had a number of stress fractures, and would likely fail soon again. We thought it would survive the weekend, but probably not much more of the season.
So I approached the ride with a little trepidation, and planned to scale back to a 40 mile loop with even less climbing. Much less. But on Saturday night, Laura encouraged me to go for the 70. When Barbara and Sean said they would double their contributions, I decided to go for it. I ate a pound of pasta on Saturday night, then went home to pin my number on my jersey. I slept fitfully, awaking often in the night, and finally got up at 5:30. The thermometer said it was already 75º and 85% humidity. Not a good start to the day.
After a nervous start, I figured a few miles of riding would chase the butterflies from my stomach. We stopped at the first rest stop, about 11 miles, where the Penn Cancer Center hosted a cancer survivors party. I met some friends there, and probably stayed too long, but it was fun to soak up the spirit of the group ride. After saying my goodbyes, I got into the real ride. And that's where I learned it wasn't about the bike.
I started to pass some cancer survivors who were riding. You could tell them by their yellow numbers. At first I felt bad, but quickly learned to offer some encouragement, which was always well received. I found another cyclist riding at my pace and we paced each other for a while. Then suddenly, we saw Lance Armstrong riding the other way (with a police escort). He had gone out first with the fast riders, and then turned back after 20 miles or so, to ride against the group and give everyone a chance to see him on the road. I later learned he then stopped at the Penn rest stop to chat with the cancer survivors.
Now the real riding began. We went on up to Green Lane reservoir, had another break, and then climbed up out of the lake (quite steep) to find even more hills. Endless hills. The road was still damp here, so it was slippery to boot. You could spin your rear wheel on the climbs. Beautiful though, with some lovely homes along the way. Pretty soon I got to the point where the 40 mile loop turned left to head back. I never hesitated, but turned right instead and on to the 70 mile loop. After all, it was supposed to be a challenge.
We had some more hard climbs, and then another stop, where I thought the worst was behind me. Boy was I wrong. Way wrong. We had only gone 35 miles, and still had a lot of hard climbing ahead. But it was too late to turn back now. By the mile 47 rest stop we finally had the hardest part behind us. But by now I had a chill (despite the heat and humidity) and a very unsettled stomach. I kept trying to eat, but it didn't sit well, so I settled for mostly fluids and Gatorade and PowerBar Gel.
I thought the last 20 miles would go quickly, but the course actually ended on a long uphill finish, so we still had a lot of pedaling left to do. Here I found the real tough riders, and some more cancer survivors as well. The sun was out now, very hot, and everyone around me seemed to be struggling like me. But we offered each other some more encouragement. I kept pouring water over my head to keep cool. I had a puncture at mile 64 (I almost made it the whole way!), but the support here was wonderful. First a motorcycle police officer, then a sag wagon, followed quickly by a Bike Line support van. Before I could thank the mechanic, he told how much he enjoyed supporting this ride, how his father had died of cancer at 36, and thanked me for riding.
I then jumped on the back of a fast group who towed me to the finish line. At the end, the volunteers hand out yellow roses to everyone, along with plenty of water. An announcer calls your name over the loudspeaker (we all have numbers on our jerseys and bikes). You can hang out with all the volunteers and supporters as well, and join the party. I was eager to get home and tell Laura all about it. I would never have made it without her support, I can tell you that. Laura gave me a Pepsi, and then made me a big plate of pancakes and syrup. Lots of carbs, just what I needed, but I was still surprised to see that by morning I had lost 10 pounds, and that was after I was rehydrated! You can burn a lot of calories on a bike!
In the end, I was overwhelmed by all the cancer survivors, and volunteers. Everyone seemed to be glad to be there. Lots of neighbors sat on their lawns and cheered us on, just like the Tour de France. Thanks to my mentors for the Challenge as well. I would encourage anyone to participate in these events. You can walk, run or ride, or volunteer. And certainly donate. Thank you to everyone who supported me on this adventure. In the end, we raised $2.4 million dollars for cancer research and care. You can read more about the event here...
Love,
Hank"
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