24

May

Clark Team Ran to Beat the Bridge and Beat Diabetes

A 19-person Clark team hit the course for the recent Nordstrom Beat the Bridge to Beat Diabetes event in Seattle, raising funds and awareness for Type 1 Diabetes research, a great cause. With an 8K run and wheelchair race, a 3-mile walk, a 1-mile fun run (even a Diaper Derby for toddlers, none from Clark), the course offered a distance for everyone.

The run’s highlight: the midrace raising of the University Bridge. Run fast enough, and you Beat the Bridge and continue the race. The not-quite-so-swift are stranded until the bridge comes down again.

We’d like to say all members of the Clark team Beat the Bridge …. Not quite. But we all finished the course, and had a great time along the way. Our fastest duo were Dylan Sievertson (41.10) and Marty Sievertson (42.47). Great times, guys!

Of course, it wasn’t how fast we finished, but rather the chance for Clark to support our community and those challenged by T1D. We raised $2,561 for diabetes research, with Lisa Tills taking company honors for bringing in the most donations, and Jim Tsolomitis for most dollars raised.

“It was so awesome to see the multi-age participation at this event – young and old walker and runners coming together for such a great cause!” says Marit Krueger. “On our Clark Construction team, we had from ages 10 to 72. How cool is that?”

Really cool. Clark is proud to support the Nordstrom Beat the Bridge and diabetes research, and you’ll see us again next year.

ABOUT BEAT THE BRIDGE
The Nordstrom Beat the Bridge to Beat Diabetes is a fundraiser for JDRF — the leading global organization funding type 1 diabetes (T1D) research. The event consists of an 8K run and wheelchair race, a 3-mile walk, a 1-mile fun run, and the Diaper Derby for toddlers. The event is called Beat the Bridge because the course travels over Seattle’s University Bridge, which is raised during the race. Participants try to cross the bridge before it is raised. Those who don’t beat the bridge must wait, with a live band and entertainment, for the bridge to come back down. After a few minutes, the bridge lowers and everyone can finish the race. Since the first Beat the Bridge race in 1983, Nordstrom has partnered with JDRF to raise funds to cure, prevent and better treat T1D. Beat the Bridge is part of the JDRF One Walk program, which holds annual charitable walks in more than 200 locations in 13 countries. JDRF One Walk has raised more than $1 billion for T1D research and we are proud to currently hold the number one position as the largest Walk in the country! We hope you will join us on May 19, 2019 for the 37th Annual Nordstrom Beat the Bridge to Beat Diabetes.

ABOUT JDRF & TYPE 1 DIABETES:
Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is a chronic, life-threatening autoimmune disease that is currently unpreventable. It has nothing to do with diet or lifestyle and occurs when the immune system mistakenly attacks insulin-producing beta cells within the pancreas and begins killing them off. Eventually the pancreas isn’t able to produce enough insulin to control the blood-sugar spikes that happen after eating. Today, people with T1D rely on insulin therapy to control their blood sugar levels. Insulin therapy is imperfect, however, and even with advances in care, most people still experience life-threatening blood-sugar highs and lows. 1.25 million Americans currently have type 1 diabetes (T1D), and the disease costs about $15 billion each year to treat. Finding ways to prevent this disease is central to saving lives and reducing healthcare costs. With T1D there are no days off, and there is no cure. That’s why since 1970, JDRF has sponsored nearly $2 billion in scientific research in 17 countries. We won’t stop until we create a world without T1D.