Team Heart, a group of four ultra-cyclists who currently serve on the medical
staff at Abbott Northwestern Hospital, competed in the Race Across America
(RAAM), a non-stop 3,000-mile bicycle race beginning in Portland, Oregon on June
21, 2000 and ending in Pensacola, Florida. Doctors Daniel Dunn, Tom Pettus, Phil
Murray and Robert Mackie not only represent competitive athletes, but also
agents for change.
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| Doctors Robert Mackie, Daniel Dunn, Tom
Pettus, Phil Murray |
The doctors, who have ridden thousands of miles together for ten years for
fun, saw the race as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to promote health. "We
want to encourage daily exercise, especially among middle-aged people - like
us," says 52-year- old surgeon Daniel Dunn, M.D. The ultra-cyclist physicians
decided to compete in the race to raise money for the Minneapolis Heart
Institute Foundation (MHIF). The Foundation, in partnership with the Minnesota
Council on Physical Activity and Sports, will use the money raised as seed money
for a statewide effort to promote physical activity.
Team Heart faced many challenges, but their dedication to promote physical
activity, and desire to cross the finish line, guaranteed a successful race.
During the race, three team members alternated riding for 45 minutes each while
the fourth slept, and by Day Five the determined doctors were in Oklahoma -
1,945 miles into the race. Even with the breakdown of one of their support
vehicles and a case of heat stroke, the team pedaled on. Sleeping only two to
five hours a night, with 611 miles to go, on Day Six Team Heart and the crew
kept a champion spirit. During their final days when temperatures reached the
90's Team Heart was phenomenally strong. Team Heart's unbelievable endurance
brought them through 11 states and 100,000 feet in elevation changes. In the
last hectic and stressful hours, Team Heart was psyched to reach the finish
line.
On June 28th, after seven days, nine hours, and 45 minutes, a triumphant Team
Heart crossed the finish line at 11:50 p.m. Later, the victorious Team Heart
physicians discovered that they had been selected as the recipients of the "Most
Inspirational" award by RAAM officials. The completion of the race and the award
indicate that Team Heart succeeded in their purpose: to promote the importance
of physical activity in a heart-healthy lifestyle.
