Athletes Train to Beat Cancer
Team In Training begins 25 year Celebration with Ski Event
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Minnesota chapter of Team In Training (TNT) is beginning its 25th anniversary celebration with a distinctly Scandinavian flair -a cross country ski event. Coaches will help you train for the Vasaloppet held in Mora, MN in February. While preparing for the event team members will fundraise for cancer research.
"I'm excited to try this new adventure, learning to ski may be a challenge, but it can't be as grueling as chemotherapy was" said Heidi Gusenius, a survivor of acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) and first time cross country skier. Gusenius will be coached by Minnesota natives Gus and Julie Virkus. Both have competed internationally in endurance events and have been staples on the high school coaching circuit for decades. This is TNT's second year participating in a ski event.
TNT was founded twenty-five years ago by a group of friends who trained together for the New York City Marathon. They ran in honor of a little girl who had leukemia and raised $320,000 to support the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and its mission. They referred to themselves as the "team in training." That name stuck, though the "Team" has grown to include more than 550,000 participants raising more than 1.32 billion dollars. The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society ® (LLS) is the world's largest voluntary health agency dedicated to blood cancer. The LLS mission: Cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease and myeloma, and improve the quality of life of patients and their families. LLS funds lifesaving blood cancer research around the world and provides free information and support services. Please give us a call at (763) 852-3042 or shoot us an email at teamintraining_MNG@LLS.org for more information on the winter season or any of the other events TNT participates in. Also be sure to visit our website http://www.teamintraining.org/mn/ and check out our TNT video. | 
