This One’s For Dad: Rochester Hills Woman Runs Triathlon for Lung Association

When Shane Schwichtenberg competed in her first triathlon 15 years ago her father, Michael Karl Krause, was there to greet her at the finish line.

Last year, though, she lost him to Stage IV lung cancer  – just two months after he was diagnosed.

On Sunday, Schwichtenberg will honor her father's memory, and contribute to the fight against lung cancer, by competing in Epic Race's Tri Goddess Tri triathlon to benefit the American Lung Association (ALA). But that's not all – Schwichtenberg has also committed to competing in one ALA benefit triathlon a month during the entire 2014 race season, and has partnered with Fight Cancer Shirts (www.fightcancershirts.com/?ref=ALA) to create a specialized line of racing gear. She has also set up a donation page at: Action.lung.org/goto/schwich for those who wish to support her efforts.

The June 22 event, which will be held at the Waterloo Recreation Area, marks Epic Race's 6th Tri Goddess Tri and its first in partnership with the ALA's new LUNG FORCE initiative to combat lung cancer in women.

The Epic Races/ALA partnership was the key that enticed Schwichtenberg to sign up for this year's Tri Goddess Tri event.

“This spring I read an email from the Amercian Lung Association announcing they would be the charity partner for Tri Goddess,” she said. “I signed up immediately. What better way to honor my dad, raise money for cancer research and challenge my body?”

Epic Races' Founder and CEO Eva Solomon said that stories like Schwichtenberg's are the reason she chose to dedicate this year's Tri Goddess Tri to the American Lung Association and LUNG FORCE.

“I've wanted Epic to stand for health in a holistic sense – including the health of our community as a whole – since I began the company,” she explained. “This means giving back to the charities that make our community a healthier, happier place to live in.”

“When I learned through the ALA that lung cancer is the leading killer of women and that the lung cancer death rate for women has more than doubled in just thirty-five years, I knew that the LUNG FORCE program would be the perfect charity partner for this year's Tri Goddess Tri, ” she added.

Now in it's 6th year, Epic Race's Tri Goddess Tri event is specifically designed for women of all ages and physical abilities. In addition to Mini Sprint and Sprint triathlons, the event will feature a Duathlon and a Sprint Relay to allow teams of two or more women to team up for the race. For more information visit the Tri Goddess Tri page of Epic Race's website at: http://epicraces.com/event/tri-goddess-tri.

Founded in 2008, Epic Races is Southeastern Michigan's premier organizer of triathlons and multi-sport endurance events. Epic's mission is to provide professionally-managed, safe, and eco-friendly events that welcome athletes of all ages and abilities and which showcase the resources and beauty of Southeastern Michigan. The Ann Arbor-based company currently hosts more than a dozen multi-sport events and clinics each year. For more information, to register for an upcoming race, or to learn how to register your nonprofit charity to volunteer as a fundraiser at a future event, visit http://epicraces.com/ or call (734) 531 – TRIS (8747).

Source: American Lung Association: