Debt Free League Supports HDSA Fight on Huntington’s Disease

San Diego, CA, September 21, 2009 --(PR.com)-- Debt Free League became a new corporate sponsor of Team 2Cure HD and Huntington’s Disease Society of America (HDSA). Team2Cure has successfully completed the 2006 and 2007 RAAM. The team’s riders are participating on their third consecutive race, the 27th Annual Race Across America (RAAM), which crosses 14 states in a 3,047-mile route from San Diego California to Annapolis Maryland.

Team 2Cure’s mission is to race to raise funds to support HDSA. The national, voluntary health organization is dedicated to improving the lives of people with Huntington's Disease and their families. Huntington’s Disease is a fatal, hereditary, degenerative brain disorder for which there is, at present, no effective treatment or cure. HD slowly diminishes its victim’s ability to walk, think, talk and reason. Eventually, HD sufferers become totally dependent upon others for their care.

The illness also profoundly affects the lives of entire families. The gene that causes HD was discovered in 1993 and research is underway to understand how the illness manifests itself physically, psychologically and emotionally in people afflicted with HD. Even more disturbing, the child of any person with HD has a 50% chance of becoming symptomatic, even if the other parent is healthy.

While 1 in 10,000 Americans are at risk of being afflicted with HD, it is estimated that in the next ten years some form of neurological disorder will affect 1 in 4 Americans. The Debt Free League sponsorship will help aid HDSA’s research to benefit some 30,000 HD patients and the 250,000 Americans who are at risk.

“Team 2Cure is appreciative of Debt Free League’s support of this event to help promote HDSA’s research and medical efforts to eradicate Huntington's Disease”, states Sharon Shaffer, a member of the HDSA San Diego advisory board. Sharon is also is in the early stages of the illness. Her husband Renato Shaffer is the founder and a rider of Team 2Cure HD.

On Wednesday June 11, 2008, Team 2Cure HD will be among a group of other 4-member, 2-member and 8-member teams, and many intrepid solo riders, who will participate in the 27th edition of the annual Race Across America. The grueling race will encompass 3,047 miles through the heartland of America consisting of people from all walks of life and age categories.

Created in 1982, RAAM is now the longest running ultra-distance endurance competition in the world. It has been aired on ABC, ESPN, OLN, NBC and stations all around the world. It is not a stage race (like the Tour the France) but a sprint from the West Coast to the East Coast. RAAM is frequently cited as the most-challenging physical event in the word, topping even notable events like Ironman, Everest, and the Tour de France.

A full year’s preparation is needed to compete in this event, including complete mind and body training. Discipline is a way of life for the riders. Each rider will compete 150-200 miles on his bike a day. Tactics will depend on the terrain, time of day, weather and mounting fatigue. It takes approximately 10,000 calories daily to keep a rider’s body fueled and alert. Riders typically get four to six hours of sleep within each 24-hour cycle. Hydration is critical. Comfort is a luxury, and is dispensed with for the course of the event.

Teams will ride day and night. From the starting line in Oceanside, CA, the racers battle-on 24/7 without stopping until they reach the finish line. It’s an ongoing physical and mental challenge to manage pain, sleep, and nutrition. Support vans follow the riders, who sleep whenever they can. There are 57 time stations along the way, where teams must check in. Competitors will climb 110,000 vertical feet, climb and descend the Rockies, Ozark, Appalachian and Allegheny mountains, and cross fourteen states as well as all four US time zones before arriving at the finish line in Annapolis, Maryland a week after leaving the start line.

A support crew of approximately 12 people will also assist the Team2Cure HD riders. The dedicated personnel will also meet the challenge of working in shifts driving two vans and a team RV for nearly a week without a break. The crew will support the four riders by feeding them, and ensuring the team’s focus and safety.

Team 2Cure HD is riding with a special purpose. Each member has made a commitment of time, talent and resources. Two victory lines are in their sites: Annapolis, Maryland and the delivery of a cure for Huntington’s Disease.

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