24 Hours of Moab 2009??

So does it rain much in Moab, Utah? We are thinking that we are going to have to travel further distances to get over our curse of the lightening and torrential down pours. 24 Hours of Moab here we come! That said, if we travelled to the Moab to race, they would probably have flash floods coupled with sand storms.

Two of us got in second laps. My second lap started in the first set of of storms rolled through. It was rather exciting! Wet, muddy, but really fun. By the end of my lap the storms had passed and it seemed like the weather was actually clearing up. Jayne headed out when the weather was still relatively calm, but that didn't last long and part of the way through her lap, a second set of storms came through. Madness I tell you!

Stacey headed down to Race Central to get ready for the hand off with Jayne, however just as Jayne came in they announced that some serious storm cells were coming through so Stacey decided to hang out for bit. Sure enough, the rain started to come down horizontally and then lightening and thunder started to rumble as well. Shortly thereafter they called the race.

We are really bummed, this being the third year that we have been rained out. Now we are just thankful that we aren't camping. We are kicking back, drinking some beer, and wishing you were all here to witness this madness!

Kathrin

The gals waiting at race central...will the rain ever end??

Pictures say more than words

Jayne's first lap (after Kathrin):

The Hand-off:
I love mud!!

More after my night lap...

-Stacey

Off to the Races

We got going at noon and I was up first! This race started with a run sprint, which is always fun when wearing cycling shoes. I took a hand-held video camera to get live footage from the run, we'll do some video editing and post it later; it is kind of funny.

The course started up Ramshead mountain, which when you are skiing seems flat. Let me tell you, it is not flat. That climb got me warmed up and then it was over to Killington Lodge and up the mountain and into the woods. The single track is really fun and is interspersed with fire road climbs. There is a good vibe here at the race and so far the weather could not have been better. Keep your fingers crossed that it continues that way.

Jayne went after me and also had a great lap...you'll hear from her soon...and Stacey is out on the course now.

Thanks for checking in!

Kathrin

shoes...check, gloves...check,

We were just getting the car packed, the bikes loaded on the roof, all the gear double checked...we were actually on time for once. That is when Chad discovered a that skunk was trapped in our "Have a Heart" trap that we use for groundhogs. So much for an on time departure now!

Two hours later and with a visit from Steve, the Skunk Master, we were all ready to go. Also, if you ever have to get rid of a skunk that is in a cage, the trick is to cover the cage and speak in a nice soft voice.

We got to Killington about an hour ago, checked into our condo...now this is bringing 24 hour racing to a new level, I don't know if I can go back to tent! Stacey, Jayne and Helen are somewhere between Albany and Killington and should be here in a couple of hours.

They friendly folks of Granny Gear have checked in our team and we are all set for tomorrow. If you want to keep track of our times (ie see how long it takes us to finish a lap) check out the realtime race timing system at http://www.grannygear.com/realtime/public/?view_race=grannyg_2008_killington

That is all for tonight, tomorrow things get underway. Should be fun!

Kathrin

The Final Countdown!

Stacey found a fourth member for Loggie's Ladies - Welcome Helen! - so we are all set for the race that starts in just under 48 hours. Chad and I are heading from Pennington at around midday tomorrow and will meet the other Ladies up at Killington, hopefully with enough time to do a preride, which will give us a chance to check out the course.

Weatherwise it looks like there are going to be isolated thunderstorms over the weekend, hopefully they won't be isolated to the race. Luckily this race has a rain course and we are staying in a condo this year so no wet tents to worry about.

More tomorrow as we head north. Stay tuned.

Kathrin

...and then there were three

Ringwood State Park in New Jersey is a tough trail even for experienced mountain bikers. But Rachel is tough and rides over just about anything. This past weekend a fall in one of the numerous rock gardens left Rachel with some pain in her elbow. Of course being the tough chick that she is, she rode the rest of the trail insisting she'd be fine for the Killington race in two weeks. Unfortunately, she will need to stay off of it for 6 weeks to let the fracture heal as advised by her doctor.

At this point, Kathrin, Jayne and I are in search of a fourth woman to fill in for Rachel. If you know of anyone who might be interested, please contact one of us. We will still be doing the race regardless, but would love to bring another bold mountain bike chick into the mix.

And Rach: we'll miss you!

Updates from Dr. Loggie's Research

From Dr. Loggie...

A part of our most recent work with PMP is following on the heels of some important observations made on another rare disease called peritoneal mesothelioma. This has caused our expansion at a break-neck speed, which has been alarming and exciting (all at the same time). I’ve hired a talented PhD scientist to help with the identification of possible gene mutations in PMP tumors. Our major focus will be looking at the epidermal growth factor gene, but we are also looking at a number of selected genes as well as their related molecular pathways.

An additional project has begun to determine if we can develop more effective markers in the blood. We are expanding observations made on cell experiments looking into the biology of mucin which is characteristically produced by PMP tumors. This has turned up some surprises. The long and short of it is that mucin appears to be an important molecule to these cells, as opposed to being produced, expelled into the environment and forgotten. Interfering with mucin production does reduce mucin production but also slows cell growth, increases cell phase arrest, increases tumor cell death (apoptosis), and induces other changes which frankly I did not expect. We are finishing up and expanding these observations and will be working on a manuscript this summer.

Possible New Treatment Strategies
Switching from the basic sciences, I believe there is an additional promising treatment strategy available for cancer patients, specifically those with PMP. It is now timely to make hyperthermia treatment available as a unique “fourth” modality (after surgery, chemotherapy/drug therapy, and radiation therapy). Hyperthermia can be used alone to treat tumors but is typically used to enhance the effects of radiation and chemotherapy. I am of the belief that the unique biology of PMP, given the high mucin content, and therefore high water content, would lend itself to treatment with externally applied hyperthermia using microwave technology. Quite simply, hyperthermia gives us a chance to drastically expand treatment options.

Less than a month away

The count down is on...less than a month until the 24 hours of Killingon. The team is ready for the challenge and we are looking forward to the comfortable accommodations this year compared to the past years at Mud-acmuchy!

Fundraising details to follow.

Thanks for you interest.

Kathrin