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Faces of TNT

Hani Eid
Marathoner
Triathlete

Events
2010  Portland Marathon
2011  Pacific Crest Triathlon

Why TNT?

I started running for my health, I wanted to lose the extra weight, so I joined a local running group that was training for the Portland Marathon. I heard about TNT at one of the training sessions with the other running group, and it appealed to me immediately. Raising funds to help a good cause is a wonderful and noble thing to do, let alone that my dad was at that time battling ALL, it clicked immediately and I joined the TNT team.  It was the best thing I did to prepare for my race.
 
Favorite TNT Memory?

Well there are a lot of those, but the camaraderie felt in the long training runs made it a lot easier, I made so many friends, and hearing "Go Team" throughout the race was an incredible motivator.
 
Any words of advice for new participants?

Do not miss training runs and team sessions, it is a great way to get into the sport.  Try to stick to the schedule given to you by your coach, trust me.
 
Prior to TNT, what was your experience with endurance sports?

I did a couple of 10K runs, one half marathon (I got injured because I was not prepared)

 

 

Michelle Mason
Cyclist

Events
2007 Honolulu Century Ride
2008 America's Most Beautiful Bike Ride 
2008 Seattle to Portland
2009 America's Most Beautiful Bike Ride
2010 America's Most Beautiful Bike Ride
2010 Peach of a Century Ride
2011 America's Most Beautiful Bike Ride

Why did you join TNT?

I wanted to be a part of a team and learn how to learn how to cycle safer and take full advantage of my gears on the bike.

Why have you returned year after year?  

TNT changed my life.  I was at a low point in my life and the team picked me up out of that low and have been there since.  The friends I have made through TNT will be there for a lifetime.  Leukemia has touched my family and being with TNT has made me understand what my family members went through and to be there for others who are fighting and/or who need support.  I couldn't imagine not having the TNT family in my life.

Favorite TNT memory? 

There are way too many to list.  From a personal standpoint it is great to do a ride I struggled with before and be able to conquer it the next time.  Also, all the fun and laughter that is a part of every season.  From a support standpoint I love watching the team get stronger and have everything click.  Watching the team cross the finish line is such a proud moment because they did what they didn't think they could do, they participated in an endurance event and raised a lot of money for cancer. 

Any words of advice for new participants? 

Just try it and stick with the program.  Don't hold back any fears or worries.  The team really wants everyone to succeed in both the training and the fundraising and are really here to help.  Try to be available to be with the team after practices because that's when real friendships are formed.  It's an incredible environment and the people are amazing.

Prior to TNT, what was your experience with endurance sports? 

I ran the Portland Marathon with another running group.  I met some good people but it wasn't the community that TNT has. 

 

Marissa Huddleston
Marathoner

Events
2009 Light The Night
2010 Portland Marathon

Why TNT?

I joined TNT, because a friend of mine called to ask me if she could run the Portland Marathon in my honor and I was thrilled she did!! Within ten minutes, I called her back and asked if my mom and I could also join her! I chose to run the marathon with my mom because when I was diagnosed with cancer, she endured all of my treatment with me, and rubbed my back when things got hard. The marathon is the perfect representation of our battle with leukemia, but now we are choosing to do it, and I am able to be there for her just as much.

Would you consider doing another TNT event? 

This was my first year with team in training, and I am already planning what I am going to wear next year in the Nike Women's Marathon! This experience has been and continues to be a liberating one, and I look forward to meeting new people with incredible stories. I also love that I am given such a wonderful opportunity to give back to the organization that so willingly gave to me. The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society is hands down, one of the very best I have had the opportunity to work with. I am so grateful for this organization, and one day hope to be one of their biggest fundraisers/contributors/advocates!!

Favorite TNT memory?

On one of my most difficult training days with TNT, we were supposed to be running 16 miles. Unfortunately, I hurt my foot, and stopped to walk the rest of the way at the halfway point. I was of course, whining at the fact that I was being such a "wimp" and overlooked the real reason for me needing to walk that day. I was able to chat with one of my teammates about her friend who was currently losing her fight to pancreatic cancer. My teammate (Kelli) then told me that her sick friend (Jan) had a dream to go to the Grand Canyon before she died. I immediately thought of an airline voucher that I'd had, and decided that I needed to give it to them, so they could enjoy a first and last trip to Arizona. This story is my favorite, because again, I was able to give back something that had so graciously been given to me. When I was sick, the Make-A-Wish foundation provided my family with a trip to the Bahamas, and through the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, I was able to return the favor, and send someone on their last trip to the Grand Canyon. Without LLS, I would have never had such an opportunity to give back, and would have never made such a positive memory out of stopping before I am mentally prepared to.

Any words of advice for new participants?

You can do it, you must do it. Being a part of this team gives you a sort of "adrenaline rush"  to raise money, no matter the circumstances. The stories you will hear, the people you will meet and the distances you will exceed push you to extremes you would not particularly care to go. Being a cancer survivor, it's scary and intimidating to look a diagnosis in the face. However, cancer patients don't generally give up, nor do they have the money. If cancer patients can get through life with a smile on their face, we should be able to run alongside and help them to finish their race!

Prior to TNT, what was your experience with endurance sports?

I danced often, and ran here and there. I didn't have any real endurance built up, but I am also fresh out of recovery.

Mike Hilliard
Marathoner

Events
2009 Race for the Roses Half Marathon
2009 Portland Marathon
2010 Seattle Rock n' Roll Half Marathon
2010 Nike Women's Marathon
2011 Seattle Rock n' Roll Marathon

Why did you join TNT?

After completing the Marine Corp Marathon, my first, I was amazed at the amount of support these runners in the purple shirts were getting.  Everyone was yelling out their names and cheering them on.  I later read an article in Runner's World about a Team in Training participant and the amazing fund raising he did for this very worthy cause.  At the time, I did not know anyone afflicted by blood cancers, but their story touched me.  I did not make the connection that the very same organization trained the cheerful and energetic purple shirts I had seen only months earlier.  After I went to my first information meeting, heard about the mission, and met my amazing staff and coaches, I was hooked.  I signed up then and there.

Why have you returned year after year?

I get so much from giving to Team in Training.  By participating in a TNT event, you are helping yourself and helping others at the same time.  Going through the expertly made training keeps me fit and each season's fundraising helps us take one more step towards stamping out cancer.  Every season I return to a few familiar faces and then meet so many more.  I definitely feel as if I have a TNT family.

Favorite TNT memory?

After completing my fifth marathon and my fourth event with TNT, I got a chance to turn around and cheer the rest of my team in at the finish line.  One of our coaches had been camped out at the finish line all day cheering us in.  To join her and see the rest of my team finish with joy and satisfaction on there faces will stay with me forever.

Any words of advice for new participants?

Take this journey.  TNT will train you.  TNT will teach you how to fund raise.  TNT will support you from your first step to the finish line.  You will meet the best people.  You will fight one of the most insidious diseases of our time.  You will be among the small percentage of people who will be tried, tested, and proven in an endurance event of epic proportions.  You will be a runner.

Prior to TNT, what was your experience with endurance sports?

I ran several 5Ks, 10Ks, 2 half marathons, and 1 marathon.  I trained by myself and had no idea how far or how fast I could go.  My coaches brought out the best in me and I reduced my half marathon time by 13 mins and reduced my marathon time by 28 minutes!  I definitely suggest TNT for first time athletes, but have also seen first hand how well the team works for athletes looking to run the next, best personal record.

Terry Jordan
Marathoner
Triathlete
Cyclist 
 

Events
1999  Wildflower Long Course Triathlon
1999  Inaugural Ironman USA
2001  Dublin Marathon
2002  San Diego Rock n' Roll Marathon
2003  San Diego Rock n' Roll Half Marathon
2004  San Diego Rock n' Roll Half Marathon
2004  Nike Women's Marathon
2005  Race for the Roses Half Marathon
2005  Nike Women's Half Marathon
2005  San Diego Rock n' Roll Half Marathon
2005  Honolulu Marathon
2006  San Diego Rock n' Roll Half Marathon
2006  Nike Women's Half Marathon
2007  Peach of a Century Ride
2007  Pacific Crest Half Ironman
2008  Peach of a Century Ride
2009  Eugene Half Marathon
2009  Pacific Crest Triathlon
2010  Race for the Roses Half Marathon
2010  San Diego Rock n' Roll Half Marathon
2011  Pacific Crest Triathlon

Why did you join TNT?

In one word: Emily.

My husband Bob and I were invited to join TNT in 1998, just after our daughter, Emily, died from leukemia at the age of five. When Emily was in the hospital, she wrote a letter to the "lottery people" requesting a slot in Ironman Hawaii as a birthday present for her dad. The request was granted right on Bob's birthday while Emily was still at UCLA Medical Center getting a transplant. Emily passed away five days after his birthday.

Bob trained for his big event and was featured as a human-interest story on the NBC Hawaii Ironman Documentary as one of the "human interest stories" a non-pro athlete. After the show aired, a coach from the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society in California asked if Emily could be their "honored teammate." They were planning an inaugural Ironman event with their TNT Team. We agreed and once we met this Team, we were so inspired that Bob and I both joined and began to train and fundraise right along with them for the Ironman.
 
Why have you returned year after year?

I continue to be inspired by the stories of the teammates I meet.

Favorite TNT memory?

With over a decade of involvement with this Society and 20 events under my belt, I now have dozens of sweet memories. Several rise to the top:

At PacCrest in Sunriver, I got to share "the butterfly story" at the Pasta Party. It was a story that I made up and told our daughter, Emily, just before she was moved to the ICU. It was the last story she heard while conscious. During the race the next day, butterflies were all around us and so many teammates came to me to share their butterfly experiences.

While training for the PacCrest Half Ironman, our 8-year old honored teammate, Natasha, died during the season. It was a very emotional time for all of us. A fellow teammate, Shannon, was Natasha's "chemo buddy" and also her BFF. She shared a story about Natasha that while visiting one time in the hospital, Shannon was complaining and suddenly Natasha said, "Shannon, stop whining, I have cancer. Just suck it up, Princess." Natasha?s spirit and her line, "Suck it Up, Princess" was what helped me get through the race. I would not have finished if not for Natasha. I had a bad bike accident halfway up Mt. Bachelor and was ready to give up. Then I noticed the tattoo on my arm, "Suck it up, Princess" I smiled at the thought of Natasha telling me those words and on I went.

Any words of advice for new participants?

Be careful. Joining TNT could change your life forever. It could change the way you see yourself and it could affect your entire social network. Besides meeting and marrying my husband, Bob, being part of the Society and especially Team in Training, is one of the most meaningful experiences in my life.

Prior to TNT, what was your experience with endurance sports?

In 1988, I began to run 5Ks and 10Ks and then some short-distance triathlons.
In 1990, I completed the BayState Triathlon: 1 mi swim, 40 mi bike and 10 mi run.
After Emily was born in 1991, I just did some cycling, skiing, rollerblading, but no racing until I joined the Team in 1999. I?ve been going strong ever since.

 

Christy Patterson
Marathoner

Events:
2010 Rock n' Roll Seattle Half Marathon
2010 Portland Half Marathon
2011 Rock n' Roll Seattle Half Marathon

Why did you join TNT? 

I am very fortunate that cancer has never touched my life directly but I decided to join TNT to start taking better care of myself.

Why have you returned to TNT?

Since joining TNT I have met so many wonderful people who make it easier to return. I also really appreciate being a part of something much larger than myself all moving towards the same goal - to find a cure for blood cancers.

Favorite TNT memory?

 
There are many things that I will remember from my first season with TNT but the one that sticks out in my mind comes from my race day. I am a slow and steady walker and got to spend a quite a bit of time getting to know the TNT course sweeper. I also got to meet and walk with several different coaches from across the country. My coaches were stationed on the course and once I saw them and my LLS staff member, I knew I made it. As I was nearing the finish line my team captains came back on to the course to walk with me and my coach to the finish line. The reason why this is my favorite memory is because it really proved to me that I WAS part of a team. I was very surprised and impressed with the amount of support that I had on the race course. It did not matter that I was not from their chapter, I was a member of team purple and that was what mattered and I thank them all for helping me have a very successful first event.

Any words of advice for new participants? 

One thing that I would say to new participants is to utilize the knowledge and help of the coaches, captains, mentors and alumni - they are truly there to help you cross whatever finish line you are training for. You CAN do it!

Prior to TNT, what was your experience with endurance sports? 

Before joining TNT the only events that I had previously done were 5Ks - now I can say that, with the help of many people and after many miles walked I have successfully finished two half marathons!
 

 

Emma Reed
Marathoner

 

Events
2010 Nike Women's Half Marathon

Why TNT?

I joined TNT because two of the most important men in my life: my uncle and my father, had blood cancer.  My dad had Non-Hodgkins B Cell Lymphoma.  Seeing him battle that awful disease and pass away I made a vow to do everything I could to help find a cure for blood cancers so that someday no little girl has to lose her dad.  My uncle also developed Non-Hodgkins B Cell and he's currently in treatment for his cancer. I also joined because my mom did TNT and I wanted to join her in the fight to cure cancer.

I always helped support my mom in TNT and after seeing how caring and supportive everybody is and also how selfless and giving these people are, it made me more inclined to join.  I had so much fun with everybody when I was too young to participate, but I still helped with aid stations. Seeing all of these people and my experiences with my dad and uncle all led me to count down the days until I turned sixteen so I could sign up for my first TNT event.

What is your favorite TNT memory?

My favorite TNT memory is coming down the stairs at the Victory Party at Nike and seeing all of the decorations, the people all dressed up and cheering us on. Some of these people were cancer patients. They held up signs saying, "Because of you I'm alive" and "You guys are my heroes".  Seeing people cheer me on...I mean me?!  I'm just the average teenage girl you know, I ended up bawling because these people were cheering us on and it was powerful. I've never felt so much love and hope in one moment.

Any words of advice for new participants? 

Don't be afraid to ask for help. We're all friends here and it's okay if we don't know everything about nutrition or running/walking form.  We're all here to learn and support each other.  Don't give up on your fundraising and training! Your bodies are truly amazing machines and they become so much stronger from your hard work.  The very fact that you're fundraising is truly wonderful.  It makes you a hero. You, you who work or go to school, you are a hero because you're taking the steps to train and the steps to find a cure. So thank yourself and give yourself a hug. You deserve it.

Prior to TNT, what was your experience with endurance sports? 

I'd always run in middle and high school in track and cross country, but quit after injuring myself. Now even though I can't quite run, I walk and that's just as hard as running!