Go Team Red!

As with all great athletic endeavors, it started out as a dare. The conversation at the 2009 Austin Triathlon finisher’s area between myself and Carol Pope was one that occurs countless times in the multisport arena – it went something like this:

CP: So what races do you have coming up?

SF: I have a 100K in January but I’d really like to do a100 mile trail run at some point.

CP: Oh yeah? Well I’d like to do Race Across America (RAAM).

SF: Really? I just finished reading a book on RAAM and I’d love to do it too!

--- It was the “oh crap” moment and we both stood there staring at each other. ---

Two weeks later we found ourselves sitting at the Java Ranch coffee shop in Fredericksburg, Texas. Carol lives in Sonora and I live in Austin so Fredericksburg was the half way point. Our goal was to plan out how in the world we were going to A) assemble a relay cycling team of four women, B) raise the estimated $30K to pay for the race, crew, and all necessary supplies, C) train for a 3,000 mile cross country bike race lasting non-stop seven to nine days and, D) do all of this living 200 miles apart? After a few hours of strategizing and planning, we sat back and looked at our initial project draft. Something was missing. While the race would be the most physically and mentally challenging undertaking either one of us had attempted to date, we felt there was an opportunity for us to empower women who were struggling with their own health issues. We decided to find a beneficiary who shared our passion for women’s health and wellness. Fast forward 13 months later, Team Ride Red was born.

Based out of Austin, Texas Team Ride Red is comprised of four women over the age of 40: Susan Farago (myself), Carol Pope, Vicki Ford, and Sue Schrader. We are supported by a core crew team of four people, lead by Crew Chief Fred Huang, with the remaining 8-10 crew members to be finalized by the end of the year. Our mission? To represent the American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women of Central Texas campaign at the Race Across America in June, 2011 and help bring a voice to and take action against the number one killer of women – heart disease.

Many of us have integrated fitness into our lives and we don’t think of exercise as an exception, it’s just something we do. Central Texas offers us an amazing community and environment filled with year around races and events. But we are not the norm in the greater population. One in three American women die from cardiovascular disease and 90% of women have one or more risk factors for developing heart disease. Women having heart attacks in their 20’s and 30’s or at any point in their lives is not cool. In many cases, heart disease is preventable. Look at the women in your life – friends, training partners, mothers, daughters, sisters, wives, girlfriends – and ask yourself what you can do to help them be more heart healthy through diet, exercise, and lifestyle choices.

We ask you to get involved! And not in the, “Yeah sure I’ll think about it but it really doesn’t affect me” sense. Come out to one of our fundraising or training events and help us “drop the hammer” on heart disease!

There are many for you to get involved with Team Ride Red and support Go Red for Women of Central Texas:

· Check out the AHA Go Red for Women of Central Texas website and learn more about reducing heart disease.

· Become a fan of Team Ride Red on Facebook.

· Sign up for our e-Newsletter.

· Make a donation or become a team sponsor to support the team and the AHA Go Red for Women campaign.

· Join us at team and Go Red training and fundraising events with our team kickoff event tentatively planned for December – full details to be posted on Facebook. Everyone is welcome!

· Spread the word to your friends and family.

· Follow the team during RAAM starting on June 18, 2011.

· Get the latest team news and information on www.ridered.org.

------------

*Race Across America is a 3,000 mile non-stop bike race starting in Oceanside, California and finishing in Annapolis, Maryland. The 2011 event will be the 30^th Anniversary of RAAM. For more information, go to www.raceacrossamerica.org.

------------

Article by Susan Farago, M.Ed., USAT L1, USAC L2, NFPT Sports Nutrition. Susan is a multisport coach, ultra endurance athlete, and freelance health and fitness writer in Austin, Texas. She can be reached at susan@redlicoriceevents.com or at www.susanfarago.com.© 2010. Check out her Red Licorice Tweets, “Susan Says”, at http://twitter.com/Red_Licorice.