Why race with Team PHenomenal Hope?
By Patricia George
We all have different reasons for competing in athletic events. For some, our sport has been a lifelong passion, and we’ve found ourselves happiest when we work a training schedule into our life schedule. For some, we recently decided to lace up our shoes, hit the pavement, and pound out miles, whether for our physical health, to clear our mind, or to try something new. For some, we might be answering a bet or a challenge, or we may have had a wake up call and decided it was time to put health a little higher on the list. For some, we want to continually strive better – higher, faster, stronger – and hit a new personal record.
There are so many possible reasons each athlete puts on their shoes, gets on their bike, or dives into the water. And on Team PHenomenal Hope, there is something a little bit more…
You see, we race for those who can’t, for people living with pulmonary hypertension and for most of whom ultra endurance sports are not in the realm of possibility. We race to elevate their stories, to raise awareness about pulmonary hypertension, and to let our PHriends know we are with them. We race with Team PH because PH is personal to us, and we want to do make an impact. We want to fight back.
PH is personal. We race for our friends and family members who live with PH. We race in the memories of our loved ones who lost their lives to PH. We race for our patients. We race for researchers so they may find a cure. We race for those who are doing what they can everyday to let the world know they have not given up. We train, forge connections with the community and with other athletes. We look forward to people asking us “What is PHenomenal Hope?” Because for each of us it is the hope that one day we will have reached the finish line and there will be a cure.
To get to that finish line, a large part of what we do centers on fundraising, as we are building an endowment called the PHenomenal Impact Fund to support PH research. But how we do this, and who we are doing it with, what makes racing with the team more. Our call to action as we reach out to our friends living with PH is to join us, Let (Us) Be Your Lungs, and help us tell the story of PH as we train and race with you.
So this PH awareness month, I invite you – whether you are an athlete or a patient or just a fan, to get involved and join us. Join our team. Share your story with us. Help us raise awareness. Help us race toward a cure faster.
For more details on how to join, email us at chris@teamph.forte-press.com.