Race Across the West with CW Tillman

Oh, do I have a treat for you.

Today, you and I get to hear read the firsthand account of Race Across the West participant and National Alliance on Mental Illness Web producer CW Tillman.

Race Across the West (RAW) is part of Race Across America (RAAM), “the longest running ultra-distance bicycle endurance competition in the world.” Even more impressive? Tillman is hitting this strenuous physical and mental challenge head-on for one reason: To raise awareness about mental illness.

In case you couldn’t tell, this is exciting on so many levels.

Tillman represents such a variety of characteristics that revive my faith in human beings. Compassion, determination, drive, dedication, and passion top the list.

But, you don’t have to take my word for it. Let Tillman tell you himself!

“Every year there is a bicycle race from coast-to-coast called the Race Across America (RAAM). For 26 years ultra-cyclists have been pitting themselves against the clock in an extraordinary race. In 2008 RAAM has added a new event, named Race Across the West (RAW). RAW will be a 1036 mile event that must be completed in 92 hours to qualify as an official finisher. This is the first time that a 1000+ mile race has been held in the US.

In 2008 I will take the challenge of participating in RAW. Currently my time is spent working, eating, training, and sleeping. You can view the race roster online.

I know that your first thought is skepticism. Trust me when I tell you that I’ve thought through this long and hard before committing. I’ve hired a professional coach from Wenzel Coaching to assist in developing my monthly training schedule, to assist in nutritional planning, and other strength building exercise.

You are also very curious as to why a 34-year-old male, who sits at a desk all day working, could even think about sitting on a bike for 18+ hours a day for 4 days straight while covering a distance of over 1000 miles! The answer is simply this: to raise awareness about mental illness. People with mental illness are often stigmatized because people simply don’t understand it. People with mental illness are your friends, family, neighbors, colleagues, even your idols. Great strides have been made in the past few years to bring mental illness out of the darkness. It’s my turn to help shine additional light on these diseases.

As an individual who lives daily with bipolar disorder, I want people to see that individuals with mental illness are just like them. We have jobs, we are fathers, we are experts in our fields, we are athletes, we have goals and dreams, and we make a difference. I am also a staff member of NAMI national, working on the web team and am honored to be using this opportunity to raise awareness and money for NAMI as well.

Training for this event will challenge me to balance the effects of bipolar with training for such a large event. Bipolar can reduce the necessary sleep that one needs, it can make you more determined to complete something while neglecting other important things, and it can bring about depression. A fairly rigid schedule for eating, sleeping and training will all help alleviate the chances of any of these symptoms becoming a problem during the next 5 months of training.

There are numerous logistical concerns as well for this undertaking including, putting together my support crew, getting the word out about my undertaking so that people can learn more about mental illness, and of course fund raising to help cover the costs involved in such a grand endeavor. Interest is growing for my participation in this event. My local bike shop is one of my sponsors by donating some equipment necessary and offering mechanical support as well. Double R Productions in Washington, DC is donating production of a short promotional video that will be filmed the beginning of February.

Thanks to the Case Foundation we have a unique fund raising opportunity through the Facebook Causes Giving Challenge! The organization with the most individual donors, by February 1st (not total money raised) receives a $50,000 prize, the second and third places receive $25,000 each, and the next ten organizations receive $10,000 each. A minimum donation of $10 will help to cover the costs of participating in this race and to raise money for NAMI to continue to fight the stigma of mental illness. Please join me and NAMI by contributing today through Facebook.

** Please note that you will have to create a Facebook account to donate if you do not have one already.

Thank you for your support! If you wish to contact me about the race and my progress you can email me at coureur.rouge@gmail.com

CW Tillman”

First image source.
Second image source.