In it's 19th year, America's Most Beautiful Bike Ride is a 100-mile journey around Lake Tahoe in Nevada and California. The event features breathtaking views. With challenging climbs and short rolling ascents and descents, this ride is a must-do for all cyclists. Picturesque rest stops and ample support will greet riders as they navigate around Lake Tahoe. The event includes a challenging 800 foot climb to an Emerald Bay overlook, and a 1,000 foot climb to Spooner Junction.

Sound too good to be true?  It's not.  Whether you're a seasoned and avid rider, or you've just purchased your first real bike, Team In Training will get you across the finish line.  Our expert coaches and enthusiastic teams will help you train near your home town and get you prepared for the big weekend.

America's Most Beautiful Bike Ride has raised over $8.5 million to help blood cancer patients live longer, better lives.  Team In Training participants from across the US and Canada will gather for an incredible, inspiring and challenging weekend in early June.

Team In Training is currently recruiting participants for this event. Sign up for more information about America's Most Beautiful Bike Ride and TNT.

In 2007, while vacationing with his family in Italy, Jake Silberg began feeling ill. After two weeks in a Rome hospital, he was diagnosed with Burkitt’s lymphoma, a rare and aggressive blood cancer. He was flown back to the US, where great medical care and support from his family, friends and community all were critical to his recovery. So was peer-to-peer support, which Jake says played an important role in getting him through the challenges presented by the intense treatment that rid his body of his cancer two years ago. "I gained a lot of strength from my peer mentor, Weldon, a young adult cancer survivor my doctor connected me with. It was so incredible to see him fresh from running the NYC marathon, getting ready to go to college to become an oncologist...He showed me how my life could be and helped me understand that I could get through this and beat cancer."

Fast forward to September 2009. Jake is a featured speaker at The Nation's Tri Inspiration Dinner, attended by more than 1,500 triathletes, many of them Team In Training participants. Jake reminded the triathletes that he got through the toughest days of chemotherapy by saying to himself that “you can do this, just hold steady.” He told the triathletes to remember that refrain when they faced the challenges of the race course. The next day, he was on the course cheering on the participants and running the last mile with a triathlete friend and his parents. He also gives back to others as a member of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s First Connection peer counseling program.

Jake recently took our young adult cancer survey, produced in conjunction with the I'm Too Young for This! Foundation (see:http://survey.i2y.com), to raise awareness about the unique challenges young adult cancer patients face. If you're a young adult cancer patient or young adult cancer survivor, we want to hear from you. As an added incentive, for the first 400 survey takers - 1 in 8 will win a $50 iTunes gift card. Please note that to be eligible you must be 15-39 and a cancer survivor.

View the video excerpt of Jake's Speech at The Nation's Tri Inspiration Dinner.

• Find out more about First Connection, The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's peer-to-peer telephone support program linking patients and their families with a trained volunteer who has experienced a similar situation. (see: http://www.leukemia-lymphoma.org/all_page?item_id=4582)
• Help young adults like Jake by participating in Team In Training (www.teamintraining.org), the worlds first, best and largest endurance sports training program. Our program has helped train more than 420,000 people for endurance sports events (marathons, triathlons, century rides, and hike adventures) over the past 21 years and raised more than $1 billion for life-saving cancer research in the process.

We're proud of our participants and impressed by our top fundraisers, like Tam Driscoll, who won top fundraiser honors at The Nike Women's Marathon last month.

Pictured here is Tam, along with her Daugher, Devan. Tam is wearing her top fundraiser Tiffany necklace.

Here's a message that Tam shared with her friends and supporters following the event:

I just returned from San Francisco for the Nike Women's Marathon and Half Marathon that took place this past weekend and secured the top fundraising spot in the nation for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's (LLS) Team In Training (TNT). It was an amazing yet bittersweet weekend. I was the guest speaker for the VIP fundraiser party on Friday night as well as speaker for the Breakfast at Tiffany's on Saturday. I got to meet Olympian's Kara Goucher and run with Joan Benoit Samuelson the following morning. My family was with me again at the Inspiration Dinner where we remembered those who lost the fight to cancer like Nancy and honor those fighting. I received a surprise award from Nissan at the Moscone Center with over 7,000 present. Sunday morning race was incredible where I joined a sea of over 20,000 runners and walkers from all over. While I didn't beat the Kenyan, Ethiopian or the woman from California that won the foot race, I did win over 5,000 other winners fundraising from 66 TNT Chapters to be the #1 Fundraiser in the entire nation by raising a record $57,775 for the Society! I owe it to AIDA: Awareness, Interest, Desire and Action and to all of you for generously supporting my effort in memory of my sister Nancy. My family was front and center: three of my sisters, Deb, Pam and Tray flew in from the east coast and joined me along with husband Geoff and daughter Devan. They were with me on the race course which was wonderful in so many ways. The six months of training and fundraising culminated in the race of my life for me and my family. It was worth every step in this amazing journey as I know a cure for cancer is within our reach.

I'm thankful for each and every one of you for your support and generosity to fund and find a cure for blood cancer and to provide quality of life to patients and their families. Here's to ending the pain & heartache and for our future!

With heartfelt thanks,  

Tam
www.tamdriscoll.com

Thank you, Tam, for your passionate commitment to our cause!  Because of your efforts, blood cancer patients are living better, longer lives.

• See Tam's Team In Training Fundraising page

• Portland's Outlook featured this story on Tam, Tam Driscoll sets fundraising record for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

• Visit www.teamintraining.org for more about the Nike Women's Marathon
  

Running for Cures with Team In Training

Laura Booke with her great niece, Louise

Laura Booke will be running her second ING New York City Marathon this Sunday at the age of 72, this time as a member of Team In Training (www.teamintraining.org).  "There wasn't supposed to be a second," she says..."But then,  my great niece, Louise Elizabeth Daggett, three years old, adorable, smart and lovable, was diagnosed with leukemia...Whatever could I possibly do to help her?  Answer:  I can run; I can run with The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Team In Training program and raise money for the research that now gives Louise the possibility of a long healthy life."

Louise's family has received help from LLS through financial aid, counseling, information and support groups.   "Louise is running the race for her life.  I am running the race on the streets of New York.  Together we will be winners. At the finish I will give Louise my medal.  The victory is hers."

Runner's World

Runner's World is proud of our long-standing relationship with Team In Training. Recognized as the worldwide authority on running information, Runner's World aims to help runners achieve their personal health, fitness, and performance goals, and to inspire them with vivid, memorable storytelling. Published by Rodale, Runner's World is available in 14 editions world-wide and online at www.runnersworld.com

Nike

Thanks to our partnership with the Nike Women's Marathon, held annually in San Francisco, Team in Training has raised over $78 million in the battle against blood cancers.  Just Do It? Nike lives their famous tagline and for that, we're grateful.

PowerBar

National Supporting Sponsor and Official Energy Bar and Gel of Team In Training, PowerBar, has been actively engaged with Team In Teaming through much of the last decade, providing participants with the nutritional products and tools to achieve their Team In Training goals. Become part of the PowerBar community at www.powerbar.com

Schwinn

A cycling icon for the last 100 years, we're honored by Schwinn's sponsorship of Team In Training. Visit www.schwinnbikes.com to where you can become a part the Schwinn community.

Nissan

Get ready for your big race with valuable training tips and videos from Nissan Master and record-setting marathoner Ryan Hall. Watch his videos and enter to win a Nissan Altima at www.mastertheshift.com.

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society applauds our Team In Training Sponsors, recognizing the impact they have had on our ability to help blood cancer patients live longer, better lives. Thanks to you, we're that much closer to cures!

The charming and successful New York City Team In Training Coach, Ramon Bermo, was kind enough to let us in on what it's like to have trained more than 5,000 Team In Training participants.  At the end, there'a  video snippet of Coach Ramon in action!

Coach Ramon, you're a popular and successful Team In Training coach. What's your secret?

I believe my secret is the passion I have for the program and the sport...but if you ask people, they will say my secret is my energy! I believe in the mission and the people. Whatever I can do to help those who give their time and efforts for this worthy cause, I will.  It's the people who participate in this program that make me want to get up early - be a little crazy - and share my knowledge as a coach and athlete.

I believe I'm successful because people know I care for their success.

How did you get involved with Team In Training?
About 12/13 years ago I would run a mountain or join a race and fundraise for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

Then 8 1/2 years ago I was contacted to become a Team In Training Coach.  On my first day I remember a young girl, 21, Joanne -- she came up to me and told me that she would be running with me, but  wanted me to know that she had been in remission for a year...That's when it really kicked me -- Team In Training is not just about coaching, it's about much more.

Do you have any idea how many people you may have trained through Team In Training? Give us an estimate.

A few thousand, for sure...5,000 plus.

Coach Ramon, that's impressive! Thank you for helping so many people get across the finish line safely.
It is my pleasure.

I understand that you've coined a number of phrases that you use to keep Team In Training participants inspired.  What are they?

I have a lot of phrases that are unique, but I say 'behave' a lot to get people to train correctly. Throughout the season I tell people to 'behave'...to run regularly, to pace themselves, to eat right, then after - I tell them they can ''misbehave'!  You know, everybody likes to misbehave!

Do you know any of the National Advisory Coaches?

I know Tom Dooley very well. (Tom Dooley is the National Advisory Walk Coach for Team In Training and a two-time Olympian).  We get along very well... the passion that he has for Team In Training has inspired me.  He is someone who truly cares.

Coach Ramon, you've also been a coach for other training programs. How does Team In Training compare?
With Team In Training, the coaching is second to none...I don't see any other organization being able to top it.

What do you tell people who express interest in Team In Training?
As a coach, I tell them that if they can give me the time, I will make sure they will cross the finish line - and that they should come to a training session and they'll see people just like themselves.

It's all about the will to do it --- if you have the will, you have run!  Team In Training will get you there.

We recently sat down with Kristen Blair, a Team In Training Alumni, who participated in the 2008 ING New York City marathon. We wanted to video Kristen on her Team In Training experience

to get her story in her own words.

We've excerpted some of the questions below.  Or, view the full version here:

Why did you join Team In Training?

I have always dreamed of doing a marathon...started running a few years ago...(but) after I ran a half marathon, I was pretty sure I wouldn't be able to complete a full marathon.

Then I saw the 2006 New York city marathon. After that, I started telling people I was going to run in the New York City marathon in 2008. Once I started telling people, it kind of had to become a reality  - and Team In Training made it a realty.

Tell us about the coaches and your training experience.

Team In Training helps people of all levels..from someone like me who has running experience to someone who's never run...(the coaches) are able to work with all levels...everyone I know who
participated in Team In Training really had a great experience all the way through.

Would you participate in Team In Training again?

Absolutely - without a doubt. I don't think I could do it on my own. Even now after having the training - I kept up the running. I still  don't think I can do it on my own - so it's something I would definitely consider doing again.

What would you say to someone who was considering Team In Training?

I would say sign up. I've told everyone I know - including friends who came to watch me run who aren't athletic. I'd say, Just sign up Just sign up! - You can do it, you can absolutely do it! You just have to commit to it but anyone can do it through Team In Training.

What was your inspiration?

Every practice was an inspiration..before every practice someone from the group would get up and say why they were running. It could be that their mom had just past away -- or a friend of a friend of a friend ...There are just so many people who have been effected by these diseases...the few dollars that you're raising..in the end, there's proof that the money that you're raising...there's proof that it helps people every day.

Thank you for sharing your Team In Training Story, Kristen -- you're an inspiration and a VIP to us!