Diabetes Double 2010

Shoot, my 2010 goal of completing the “Diabetes Double” won’t happen. In Seattle in past years, the American Diabetes Association’s “Tour de Cure” bike fundraiser was held on a Saturday in May, and the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation’s “Beat the Bridge” run was held on Sunday. In past years I had done one or the other - usually the 100-mile Tour de Cure - but in 2009 I decided to do both. The gimmick with the Beat the Bridge is that yes, there is a bridge to ‘beat’ by running fast enough to get across a drawbridge before it goes up. I think it is about 2 miles into a 5 mile run or something like that, and you would have to be really slow not to get to the bridge in time. I always crossed the bridge in time in past years, but had never done it after riding 100 miles the day before. Well, you can guess what happened last year. I blame myself for starting at the back of the last starting wave, because I wanted to be able to keep a good pace without trying to pace someone in a faster wave. If I had started near the front of the wave, or in another wave, I would have done just fine because I missed crossing the bridge by 10 seconds. (The crossing arms came down, bells and lights went off, and cops ran out to stop runners from trying to jump across the opening drawbridge.)
So this year I was determined to actually train for the run rather than be like everyone else who cheats and starts in a faster wave. I would ride 100 miles on Saturday in less than 6 hours and better my time in the Beat the Bridge the next day. I consider myself a cyclist, not a runner, so the running part would be a challenge. I went to Diabetes Training Camp in August and when everyone talked about their athletic goals I listed the Diabetes Double as my goal. I don’t know if anyone else in Seattle does this, since I made up the name myself. But it was my goal for next year.
But I just learned that for the first time ever, the two events will not be held on the same weekend. Beat the Bridge is May 16, and Tour de Cure is May 22.
So…I guess I will do them both, but it is simply not the same. As long as there are free tacos at the finish of the Tour de Cure this year it can’t be all bad.

Hey Greg, way to go.
Our family does both as well! It is nice they split the weekends up this year! We have a 10 year old in a
red rider jersey and my husband usually pulls off the 100 or the 70. Beat the Bridge is a fun event and usually
the kids get some of their friends to join in. See ya round. Tracy from Snohomish.