Ironman Buzz!
Ironman Buzz is the Team In Training blog of Mark McLaren & April Hichens. Click here to read our latest posts and correspond with us.
Mark and April at the finish line. We did it!
We did it! We completed a half ironman triathlon in Victoria, British Columbia, on June 21, 2009, to benefit the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society!
We trained for eight months. We swam nearly 100 miles, jogged over 400 miles, and biked nearly 1500 miles.
Together we have raised over $5,500 to fight blood cancer. We need to raise $7,000. Click here to make a donation on Mark and April’s TNT Donation page so that we can reach our goal.
We will add photos from the race in a few days. The race definitely had its highs and lows – for both of us.
We have added a bunch of updates to our site:
- We have a new page for those we are Honoring, Commemorating and Celebrating on June 21.
- Where is this New Balance Half Ironman Triathlon 2009? has been updated with lots of maps, droll commentary and hilarious pictures of Canadian wildlife.
- Mark’s First Triathlon – A “sprint” triathlon in Issaquah, WA. I literally choked! And finished anyway. With a nice photo (not of me choking, but me at the finish).
- Great Photos of Our Team
- Our Itinerary for Race Day, Sunday, June 21 – Triathlon Start to Finish
Art with Heart
A Fundraiser for Leukemia Lymphoma Society
Sunday, April 26, 2009A big success! Click here to see photos from the event. Thank you to all those who volunteered and to those who made purchases! If you weren’t able to make it, we will be having another special sale in June.
More info on that soon.
If you would prefer to support us by making a donation online, that is also perfectly fine!
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We really like what Team In Training has been able to accomplish in the first 20 years of its existence. The coaches, mentors and staff are fantastic, and the blood cancer survivors that are part of Team In Training are totally awesome and inspiring. An endurance race like a marathon or half ironman triathlon is nothing compared to what they have conquered. We think about it every day.
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society consistently ranks as one of the best fundraising organizations in the US when it comes to putting donors’ money to work. The Los Angeles Times Charity Fundraising Database has this to say: “On average, commercial fundraisers deliver just 46 cents of each donated dollar to the charity. While some charities enjoy much better success, ineffective fundraisers can eat up the majority of money raised.” Leukemia & Lymphoma Society fundraisers returned over 90% of money raised in California from 1997 to 2006 to the charity. That’s 90 cents of every dollar, as compared to the average of 46 cents!
