Racing Against Diabetes Home Page

And yup, we're in the race too. —We're RAD co-founders Terry and Patty. We’ve been a team for 36 years, and living with diabetes for a long, long time—44 years in Terry’s case, and, in Patty’s case, 36 years of fighting Terry’s diabetes. We’re alarmed that no one is shouting from the rooftops that an epidemic of diabetes is on its way—so we’re racing not just to save ourselves, but also to spread the message that “Diabetes is coming! Diabetes is coming!” And we're also racing to convince you that we can change the course of the epidemic—and the course of your life! Join us—form your own family RAD team, or a team of friends, and help each other start "training" (exercising and eating smart) to win the race against diabetes!

Your new cheerleaders,

Terry and Patty

The Facts:

22 million people in the U.S. have diabetes—but it gets worse—much worse:

More than one in every three babies born in the U.S. today will get diabetes in their lifetime—and now many will get “adult-onset” diabetes as kids! We can—and must—change that! (More . . . .)

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The Plan:

You probably think you don't have time to exercise. Well, we can find the time to exercise if (more . . . ). —Or if you just don't like to exercise, you'll surprise yourself (more . . . ).

What’s been missing in exercise and diabetes-prevention campaigns is the importance of . . . (more . . . ).

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Worried about all this talk about "racing" and "training"?

Well, "racing" just refers to the race we're all in—the race to avoid getting diabetes, and to avoid getting its complications if we already have it. And "training" is just whatever you can do—walking for some of us, bike-riding or swimming or dancing for still others of us. We talk about "training" so we'll schedule our "workouts" with our team, and encourage and support each other the way even pro athletes do.

Your new cheerleaders Patty and Terry half-way across the U.S. in the 2006 Race Across America (RAAM) they rode to get attention for RAD. —That race, 3,000 miles in 11 days, 19 hours, immediately turned Terry into a sprinter: he now races 500 meters or less at the track! (Nerve damage from 40+ years of diabetes makes it easier on his hands to do a sprint than to do his half of 3,000 miles . . . . But he still considers himself the World's Luckiest Man!) (More . . . .)

Events:

Ride with us, please!

Please join us at the Velodrome in San Diego's Balboa Park on Saturday mornings. Bring any kind of bike and a helmet—or just come down and walk & talk. It's free, thanks to the SD Velodrome Ass'n. --All ages, Saturdays 9:00 to noon, unless it's wet.

The Velodrome is an oval, banked 333-meter track; you can also just ride the flat apron. It's the safest place to ride bikes—no cars!—and it's a fun place to ride together, meet new friends, and talk.

—It's 250 yards south of the pool in Morley Field, on the southeast end of Balboa Park in Florida Canyon, off Pershing Drive and Upas.

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TCOYD Sat. 10/30/10

will be at Taking Control of Your Diabetes on Saturday Oct. 30th at the Convention Center in San Diego.

Be among the first 75 to answer our RAD Quiz correctly, win a free "I'm Racing Against Diabetes" T-shirt. (10 questions—and we'll give hints.)

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When does the Race Start?

The race starts right now! It's not too late to "team up," make training for the race your big priority, and schedule workouts with your team! Together we can win the race!

Team News:

(Don't forget: You're part of our team!)

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co-founder Patty won three gold medals at the 2010 Pan Am Masters Track (cycling) Championships in September. (She needs some competition--come on out!)

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Patty also won two gold medals at the 2010 U.S. Masters Track National Championships. (She had one very fast competitor, but we told you she needs more!)

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co-founder Terry had to take the bike-racing season off after a persistent episode of atrial flutter. (We think it wasn't related to his 44 years of diabetes!) His cardiologists at Scripps Clinic fixed that up, he's back to training, and he plans to be even faster next season!

In old news,

Terry and Patty bike-raced the Race Across America (RAAM)—to get attention for preventing diabetes. (We now hold the record for old mixed two-person teams!) We met a lot of great people! (Photos and more . . . .)

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Patty raced the RAAM solo in 2007, just because she’s crazy enough to try it. She only made it half-way—but as the first 60+ year-old woman to try it, she inspired a lot of women to start exercising.

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RAD is an all-volunteer 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.