Triabetes!

Several months ago I received an email from Michelle Alswager, director of the Madison, Wisconsin, JDRF branch, asking me if I would be interested in joining a group of 10 type 1 diabetics to train and race in the 2008 Ironman Wisconsin. Having just barely signed up for Ironman CDA again for 2008, and still in recovery from IMCDA 2007, I wasn't sure if I would be up for it, but knew I wanted to participate. What a lifetime opportunity, to be be able to train with 9 other type 1's! Most of what I have learned about managing diabetes during triathlon has been through shared experiences with other diabetics and through my own trial-and-error. Michelle's plan was to create a documentary out of the project to use for education and motivation.

The project has grown to include more athletes and also a research aspect to study exercise physiology and nutrition related to type 1 diabetes. There are some good resources out there, especially from Sheri Colberg, but there are still so many unanswered questions on how to maximize one's athletic potential through diabetes management practices. I look forward to building team camaraderie with the other athletes as we work towards this common goal. I'll be sure to post here as much as possible. The website for the project is triabetes.org--be sure to check it out!

The other team members behind this project include Peter Nerothin and Nate Heintzman from insulindependence, Dr. Matt Corcoran from Diabetes Training Camp, and Bill Carlson, MPT, who is also the first type 1 athlete to complete an ironman race. The documentary company is Andiamo Production, an Emmy-award winning group in Madison, Wisconsin. You can read more about all of these people at the Triabetes website.