Death Race For Life Project Sponsored By Long Trail Brewing: Sponsorships and Cross Training

Project Summary

I am dedicating February through July 2010 to my passion for endurance sports and an effort to help the Lance Armstrong Foundation fight cancer. Between March and June I will undertake a bicycle racing tour of multi-day stage races in the western United States. I’ll be racing in Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and California. I’ll spend the winter training in Colorado and New Mexico. My tour will serve as conditioning for a final test – the Death Race. On June 24 I will join 99 other selected athletes in Pittsfield, Vermont for the 2010 Death Race.

The Death Race, loosely defined as an “adventure race” is a 24-hour slog that blurs the line between challenge and absurdity. The race consists of an unknown number of tasks spread out over a mountainous course with an unspecified finish line. The route and sampling of mental and physical challenges are also unknown. Previous races have included wood chopping, swimming, running, cycling, mud crawls, memorization tasks, fire building, weight caries, waterfall climbing, and more. The race boasts a 10% finishing rate. The international field of contestants includes ex-special forces, ultra-marathoners, Iron Men, and athletes from other disciplines. You can see the New York Times video here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=8rtMFKpOYqo

My tour will benefit the Lance Armstrong Foundation by raising money through direct donations and pledged donations per mile that I ride during the tour. In this blog you can find more information about the tour, my training, my connection to the Lance Armstrong Foundation, donations, and my motivation for starting this project.

Thanks for visiting the blog and supporting my project!

Cully Cavness

Monday, January 18, 2010

Sponsorships and Cross Training

Hi everyone! This has been a week of big developments for the Death Race For Life Project. Direct donations broke $2,000, pledged donations are up to 23 cents per mile, and I found a sponsor! Long Trail Brewery and I are hammering out the last details of sponsorship deal. In exchange for funding I'll be wearing their jerseys, spreading their name west, and endorsing them every step of the way (starting with this blog). Long Trail has officially made this tour possible by paying for all my race registrations, travel costs, repairs, gear, and food. That's what local brands and micro "craft" brews are all about - supporting and investing in the community! Long Trail and Otter Creek really are delicious beers, and I hope you will grab a six pack next time you have the chance.

I've been doing loads of cross training via nordic skiing, lifting, squash, and most recently, kayaking. Check out the video!

More to come soon, so check back often.