Ziesing Rides
in "Crits for Cancer"
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|
Ian Charles |
Pleasanton,
Calif. (May 31, 2008) - In honor of Ian Charles, ZteaM’s
tri team leader undergoing chemotherapy for Myeloma,
ZteaM’s founder, Hunter Ziesing, competed in 5 criterium
races today at the International Christians Cycling Club’s
ICCC Dash For Cash race in Pleasanton.
At age 39, Charles competed in 8 triathlons last
year—Olympic distance and Half Ironman. This year he and
his training partner, Loren Pokorny, founded Z-tri and its
popularity is growing. To say the least 2008 has been a
tough year for Charles. Just before the New Year, he tore
his right ACL while skiing. He had surgery on January 14th
and had to do some hard rehab to get the knee back in
form. Within 6 weeks he was back at Endurance Training
Centers and building back his power. By then he was
feeling strong and contemplating his first tri of the
season.
That wasn’t to be as he awoke one morning with flu like
symptoms, severe pain in both feet and with his right knee
was swollen. He couldn’t walk and the paramedics took him
right to the hospital. Long story short, he had a
pneumococcal (pneumonia) infection that was septic in his
bloodstream. After a week in the hospital they released
him in a wheel chair after determining that it hadn’t
spread to the heart and/or other organs. A couple of days
later he was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, an
aggressive form of blood cancer.
Charles began chemotherapy on April 29th and they expect
him to take 6x 21 day chemo cycles that include taking 4
drugs (Velcade, Revimid, Decadron and Cytoxan) and then
undergo a stem cell transplant.
Ziesing, who said he has lost a few friends to cancer said
that he wanted compete in 5 crits in honor of Charles—“One
for each chemo session and symbolically--each adding 10
years to Ian’s life” he said. Not holding off whatsoever ,
Ziesing finished 10th, 5th, and 16th consecutively in his
first three 45-60 minute circuit races before jumping in
the 4th race, the PRO 123 field of 135 riders to complete
the 30 MPH “drill session—at the back” he sighed. “Not
finishing the 5th race was also symbolic” Ziesing said. “A
DNF for Ian will mean 4 treatments instead of 6.”
Charles is feeling pretty good these days despite the huge
number of toxic drugs he is taking. He has had few side
effects to speak of but his strength and form is way off.
He still swims 10-12K yards a week and just starting to
get back on the bike. Hopefully, he’ll be running again
soon but his knee is still sore, swollen and recovering
from the infection. He’d like to do the Big Kahuna Tri in
Santa Cruz (Half Ironman) in September. Hard to say how he
will feel after weeks and weeks of chemo but his doctors
are letting him train through it.
Click here to make a donation
Ian Charles Biography:
Ian and Sally Charles live in Tiburon, CA with their two
young boys. Charles is CFO and co-founder of Rex & Co and
Odin Investment Management: two innovative companies that
invest in single family homes in exchange for the right to
participate in the future change in the homes value (up or
down). Charles is the chairman for the 2008 Leukemia Cup
Regatta to benefit the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.
Click here to contact Ian
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