On April 21, 2003, Phil Southerland met Joe Eldridge at a college bike race. Phil, who was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at seven months old, was meticulous about controlling his blood sugar. Joe, who was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at age 10, had put his diabetes in the back of his mind, as do many who have diabetes. Both Joe and Phil noticed they were each taking insulin before the start and realized they had something important in common beyond bike racing. They were racing as riders with Type 1 diabetes.
After the race, Joe and Phil's friendship grew. And so did the competition, on and off the bike. Phil was getting frustrated with Joe's lackluster approach to diabetes. So he proposed a bet where the person with the higher blood sugar paid for dinner. For three months, every time they ate out together, Joe ended up taking the bill.
But eventually, as Joe began to learn how to play the diabetes "game," he was able to manage his blood sugar and get it under control. One night at dinner, Joe won the bet and made Phil pay for the dinner. For Joe, winning the bet that night was more than not having to pay for dinner. It was a signal to him that anyone can be a competitive athlete when they manage their diabetes successfully. This insight was a life saver for Joe. And over the next 12 months, Joe lowered his A1C below 7 for the first time in years.
Impressed by Joe's transformation, Phil began to think of how he could make the most of Joe's story, and their friendship, to inspire others with diabetes to do the same. He had a vision to unite everyone with diabetes and to inspire them to take control of their diabetes. On a 300-mile bike ride from Athens, Georgia to Tallahassee, Florida, Phil called Joe with the idea. Over the next 24 hours, the pair brainstormed on their own and over the phone with Joe finally giving a name to their dream: Team Type 1.
Turning a dream into a reality takes hard work, good friends and a bit of luck; fortunately for Joe and Phil, they had all three.
In a chance Tuesday meeting on February 22, 2005, Phil met Daniel Hopkins who asked Phil what he would do with $400 to get Team Type 1 off of the ground. Phil said he would buy t-shirts and business cards to raise money and spread awareness about diabetes. Hopkins gave Phil four $100 bills and wished him well. Phil immediately went to the bank and opened an account under the name "Team Type 1." It was 3:30 pm. By 4:15 pm Phil placed an order for 1,000 business cards and 100 t-shirts at LS Design in Athens. Two weeks later, the package of shirts and cards arrived and the selling began. If you could breathe, Phil sold you a shirt.
At the same time, Joe encouraged Phil to participate in an upcoming JDRF Ride To Cure. The pair sold their t-shirts so they could afford to go. On the ride Joe and Phil shared their story and their dream with the other riders. (And also sold more t-shirts.) After the 100-mile ride, someone at the post-ride dinner suggested that Phil and Joe "do something big," like riding across America. Phil and Joe looked at each other like that was crazy. Then, like reading the other one's mind, they both said at the same time: "Let's do Race Across America! And do it with a team of riders with Type 1 diabetes!" The day was May 19, 2005, and the goal was set to race the following year.
Since Team Type 1’s first participation in the Race Across America in 2005, the team has won the race four times and currently holds the Race Across America record for the fastest trans-continental crossing in just 5 days, 9 hours and 5 minutes.
http://www.teamtype1.org/about/
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