Prerequisites and Equipment

TNT welcomes all levels of experience. Our training program is designed to turn the non-athlete into an endurance event finisher and to help seasoned athletes meet their training goals. Prior to Kickoff, you should meet the following prerequisites:

• Olympic: Swim 200 yards with 10 seconds rest between lengths, bike for 30 minutes and run a mile in 13 minutes.
• Long course (half Ironman distance): Swim 200 yards without stopping, bike 20 miles in two hours and run four miles in 50 minutes.
• AquaBike (long course minus the run): Swim 200 yards without stopping and bike 20 miles in two hours.

Coaches work with beginners and intermediate swimmers on skill, form and confidence in the pool and open water. If you have never been in the water at all, you should consider getting lessons outside of TNT.

You will eventually need everything listed below. After Kickoff your coach will show you what you need, what you might want, and what to look for. As a TNT participant you receive a training shirt at Kickoff and a wetsuit at recommitment.

• Swim suit or tri suit, goggles and towel
• Running shoes, socks, shorts and hat
• Bicycle, helmet, water bottles and spare tire kit
• Personal items like energy food, sunscreen, body glide, etc. 

Raising Funds for Research and Patient Services

The need is critical: More than one million people in the United States have leukemia, Hodgkin or non-Hodgkin lymphoma or myeloma. Every four minutes, someone new is diagnosed with blood cancer. Every 10 minutes, someone dies.

LLS has invested more than $814 million in research which has led or contributed to standard therapies for all cancers such as chemotherapy, bone marrow and stem cell transplantation and new, targeted oral therapies such as Gleevec®.

Over 540,000 TNT participants have raised more than $1.2 billion for lifesaving cancer research and patient services. As soon as you join the Team you receive a personal fundraising webpage, online access to guidelines and samples, and a mentor to help foster your training and fundraising skills. Throughout the season your team manager provides you with ongoing fundraising support.

You train and raise funds in honor of Bay Area residents whose lives have been affected by blood cancers. As you get to know your honored teammates and their families at trainings and team socials, you gain inspiration from their stories.

Fundraising Milestones: What's Next?

Registration: When you sign up, you pay a registration fee to help LLS pay for the first six weeks of your training. LLS applies this fee to your fundraising minimum.

Kickoff (Saturday, May 19 from 9 a.m. to Noon in San Francisco for local teams): Meet your teammates, coaches and staff for the first time at Kickoff. Your first coached workout is in the week after Kickoff.

Recommitment (about six weeks after Kickoff): This is your opportunity to assess your progress. At recommitment, you make the decision to either stay on the team and finish your fundraising, or withdraw from the team with no further obligation.

When you recommit, LLS starts to pay for your event and other training expenses. Unless you've already met your fundraising minimum, you secure your place on the team by providing us with a check or a credit card number. We do not charge you anything at this time.

Fundraising deadline: You have until about two weeks before your event to meet your minimum. If you have not met your minimum by the deadline, you donate the remainder with the credit card or check you provided. Rest assured most TNT participants actually surpass their minimum.

All of this allows us to ensure your donors and the patients and families we serve that 78% of LLS expenses goes to the mission.

 *Alumni discount: Subtract $250 from fundraising minimum if you have completeled an event with TNT.