Bruce Cleland (front and center), the originator of the Team In Training concept, with the first team, which raised $320,000 training for the 1988 NYC Marathon.
Team in Training
500,000 Athletes, $1 Billion Towards a Cure
Picture yourself waking up at 6:00 a.m. (or earlier) on a Saturday morning in the middle of July. Now picture yourself preparing for a marathon, half marathon or triathlon during the grueling summer months. There will be aches, pains, bruising and there will certainly be some doubt. You might lose some toenails or find rashes in places you never thought possible but you need to ask yourself one very important question: Does anything above compare to what a cancer patient goes through?
Team In Training (TNT) is the largest fundraising program for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) and it exists to find a cure for blood cancers. In 1988 a group of 38 people trained together for the New York City Marathon in hopes of raising funds and awareness towards LLS. That small but mighty group raised $320,000 towards cancer research which sparked a phenomenon across the country. Twenty three years later, TNT has trained over 500,000 endurance athletes and raised over $1 Billion towards the mission of LLS: to cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma, and improve the quality of life for patients and their families.
The TNT program is designed for beginners who complete a five-to-six month training program with certified coaches. In exchange for an expense – free event weekend, participants are asked to raise money for LLS. The program has proven that with proper support and guidance, beginners can make their athletic dreams a reality. TNT has broken through the stereotypes that one must be an ultimate athlete in order to complete an endurance event.
