They're athletes first, diabetics second. And they're running the race of their lives (Andy Jacobsohn/Staff Photo)
When I met with Jeff Kilarski, Don Muchow and Jim Cadorette at Starbucks a week or so ago to talk about their upcoming relay, I told them I’d been asked to be part of a team years ago. I um…said no.
“Why didn’t you do it?” Jeff asked, and I couldn’t think of an answer to tell him. But now I know: Because I’m not nearly as courageous as they are.
It takes guts to run a relay like this, one that starts at 4 a.m. and requires team members to run three legs, which range in distance from six to nine miles. It’s a logistical choreography involving vans, sleep, water, flashlights, food, equipment and a bunch of people riding around together.
Add to that the challenges of monitoring diabetes — which Jeff, Don and eight of their teammates have — and, well, to say that complicates things is a mild understatement. But these guys, who would have the best of excuses for not venturing out onto Texas roads at all hours, want to get the word out that:
A. They are athletes who happen to have diabetes — not diabetic athletes.
B. Stereotypes about diabetics being “fat and lazy” (their words) are just that — stereotypes.
C. Nothing should stand in the way of fulfilling a dream.
They have worked hard to reach this point, and at 4 a.m. on Friday, one of them will run the first steps of that first leg of those 233 miles. They have insulin pumps, blood-sugar monitors, fast-acting nourishment at the ready. And, of course, the most important ingredient of all — each other.
Because in all of life’s aspects, but especially when you’re an athlete who has diabetes running for your life, it’s nice to know that someone — who truly, truly understands what you’re going through — will do everything possible to make sure you cross that finish line.
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