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2005-08-11 3:37 PM

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molto veloce mama
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Subject: my 15 minutes!
okay. let me just say that i clarified the difference between a 1/2 IM and a full IM several times...and that i never said that i was doing a 9 or 15 mile swim (.9 and 1.5, sure!). oh well. i'm also a little grouchy that she didn't mention how people could pledge to team lung (didn't even name team lung, or bt for that matter, but you can't have everything). i''m still happy that the story was of worth.


Hamline Midway resident raises money to fight lung disease

By DEBORAH BROTZ (Como-Midway Monitor, Aug 2005)

When Midway resident Autumn Connell, 32, was in junior high school, her father, who was a pulmonary physician, did a triathlon. Although she had always wanted to do one herself, it wasn’t until after her second child was born that she took up running to try to get in shape.

On Aug. 7, Connell did her fifth triathlon, the Brewhouse Triathlon in Duluth, to raise money for the American Lung Association.

“I wanted to honor the work my dad did by raising funds,” she said. “I can pick the events I like to do and raise funds at the same time. My father-in-law was diagnosed with lung cancer and emphysema within the last few months. This made the triathlon more meaningful. He had surgery and is undergoing chemo. When I have a hard training day, I think of him.”

When Connell first started running, she didn’t like it.” “I hated running,” she said. “I have never ever been a runner. My older brother had been doing half marathons and enjoyed them. I thought if he can do it, I’ll try.” After Connell did her first 5K, she looked at triathlons.

“I always loved swimming and biking,” she said. “I never had a driver’s license. “I’m an athome mom who commuted by bike.” Doing triathlons has not been easy for Connell. “It’s a real big challenge,” she said. “The end of last year, I did a half marathon. That was eight months after I started running.”

Connell started raising funds last February at a triathlon, Tri-U-Mah, at the University of Minnesota. The last event for fund-raising will be in October. At the Brewhouse Triathlon, Connell raised funds for the American Lung Association by doing a 9-mile swim, a 21-mile bike ride, and a 5-mile run.

“I get pledges from people,” she said. “I raise funds just for participating. “I’m planning to do another series of letters to raise more funds. My goal for this whole season ending in October is $3,000. Right now I’m at $700.”

Other fund-raising events coming up are the Perch Lake Swim, a 2-mile swim in Hudson, Wis., on Aug. 20, and another triathlon in St. Paul, the Triamerica Triathlon, on Aug. 28. Connell is working hard to reach her $3,000 goal for this season.

“If I get there, hopefully I can do even more next year,” she said. “If I do the Ironman next year, I’ll raise more money. It’s a 15-mile swim, a 56-mile bike ride, and a half marathon, which is a little over 13 miles.”

As a mother of two girls, Ella, 4, and Fiona, 1-1/2, Connell includes her family in training for triathlons. “It’s a wonderful sport,” she said. “As a mom, it’s great. I’m not focusing on one sport. I run with the girls jogging stroller and put the girls in the burley and go biking.” Swimming early in the morning, Connell and her husband, Bill, go to Oxford Pool in the winter. He swims with their daughters in the wading pool while she does laps. “You can make training a family thing,” she said. “It’s made all of us healthier.”

For Connell’s training program, she usually swims twice a week, bikes two to three times a week, and runs two to three times a week. “This year, I’m trying hard to do strength training,” she said. “I don’t belong to a gym. I’m trying to do things outside and at home.”

For 2005, Connell has biked 800 miles, run over 300 miles, and done 24 miles of swimming so far. She still has several more races to go.

“When you can’t breathe, nothing else matters,” she said. “My grandfather died of lung cancer, and my grandmother had cancer. She was exposed to second-hand smoke. Lung disease has touched my life in lots of different ways. If I have a hard day, I try to think how blessed I am to be able to do these things. It keeps me motivated.”

Connell wants to raise awareness about lung disease because of her family. “I want to honor what my dad has done in relation to lung disease,” she said. “I have loved ones who have died because of lung disease or are currently suffering from lung disease.” Raising money for the American Lung Association gives meaning to what Connell is doing. “I could do this, and it could be about me getting healthy and fit for myself,” she said. “Knowing how lung disease affects people of all ages gives meaning to what I’m doing. Hopefully, it helps the American Lung Association and makes life better for some people.”

Planning to do Grandma’s Marathon in Duluth and the Ironman in Racine, Wis., next year, Connell will continue to raise money for the American Lung Association. Connell’s hope for the Aug. 7 triathlon was first just to finish. “I always like beating my times from the last race,” she said. “I’m not out to win, but just to do it. I hope being an active mom will help set an example for my daughters. I’m hoping they can avoid developing a lung disease by being fit. I’m hoping a life with fitness will help them to be healthy.”



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2005-08-11 3:42 PM
in reply to: #223158

Elite Veteran
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Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Subject: RE: my 15 minutes!
Can I have your autograph?   Well good for you, our little star!  Your family must be even more proud of you than before (which is a LOT, I'm sure).  Congrats on the good press, and of course, if they didn't misquote you a few times it would be a major miracle.
2005-08-11 3:43 PM
in reply to: #223158

New user
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Subject: RE: my 15 minutes!
Your grouch after you get an article that big? It's the press you gotta expect them to make some mistakes. Great job though bringing awareness to such an important cause.

Edited by David14 2005-08-11 3:53 PM
2005-08-11 3:48 PM
in reply to: #223158

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Veteran
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Salem, MA
Subject: RE: my 15 minutes!

Thank you for posting that! The American Lung Association is one of my favorite charities. It is largely due to their programs that I was able to quit smoking. Two of my grandparents died of smoking-related illnesses, so what you say about the cause touches me, too.

You expressed a lot of wonderful thoughts in your interview, and I'll bet there will be many a person who reads that story over breakfast and, deep down, starts to wonder if they could do it, too. Way to be an inspiration!

2005-08-11 3:51 PM
in reply to: #223158

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Extreme Veteran
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Lafayette, CO
Subject: RE: my 15 minutes!
That's so great, Autumn! You should frame that page!

Especially because it says you're doing a 9 mile swim. Impressive!!
2005-08-11 3:53 PM
in reply to: #223175

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Elite
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Subject: RE: my 15 minutes!
All for a great cause even if they got some facts wrong, kudos to you Autumn.

One question: Did you use a snorkel on that 9 mile swim?


2005-08-11 3:54 PM
in reply to: #223158

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Extreme Veteran
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Subject: RE: my 15 minutes!
Autumn, what a nice article- thanks for sharing it.
2005-08-11 3:55 PM
in reply to: #223158

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Champion
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Beautiful Sonoma County
Subject: RE: my 15 minutes!
That's so inspirational! I keep telling myself I'm going begin raising funds for either Diabetes Research or Organ Donations for my races, but I never do get around to it. You're not only raising two kids and training, you're making the world a better place as well.

Hmmm... time to write that letter.

Thank you for sharing that. And thank you for raising funds for TeamLung.
2005-08-11 4:06 PM
in reply to: #223158

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Extreme Veteran
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Delray Beach, FL
Subject: RE: my 15 minutes!
Awesome! great story.... Congrats....
BTW Is that a Giordana bike Jersey you are wearing on the picture? So flattering!
2005-08-11 4:25 PM
in reply to: #223158

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Elite Veteran
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chicago area
Subject: RE: my 15 minutes!
Nice story Autumn! I'm sure your family is proud!

Boy, you can sure swim quite a few miles.
2005-08-11 7:42 PM
in reply to: #223158

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Champion
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Subject: RE: my 15 minutes!

Thumbs up.  Here is a chance for you write a letter to the editor and set the record straight.  Also put a little link/blurb where people can donate or sponsor you.



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