Million Dollar Challenge Raises Money for CAF

A group of more than 100 inspirational bicyclists will participate in the QUALCOMM Million Dollar Challenge (MDC) October 29-November 4, an eight-day, 640-mile fundraising bicycle journey down the breathtaking California coastline.

The riders raised an average of $10,000 before embarking on their journey, and the event will raise more than $1 million for the Challenged Athletes Foundation (CAF), San Diego, California. As of October 24, $1,000,558.00 has been raised, according to QUALCOMM and CAF.

The QUALCOMM MDC kicks off in San Francisco along Fisherman's Wharf on Sunday, October 29, and includes stopovers in Santa Cruz, Big Sur, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Marina del Rey and Dana Point before ending in San Diego on Saturday, November 4. The riders' hard work and completion of the ride will be recognized and rewarded at the finish line of the San Diego Triathlon Challenge (SDTC) on Sunday, November 5 in La Jolla, just north of downtown San Diego.

"I'm honored to be involved with the QUALCOMM Million Dollar Challenge," said Jeffrey Essakow, one of CAF's founders and a driving force behind the QUALCOMM MDC. "It is an experience that each participant will carry with them for the rest of their lives. With every turn of the cranks, the MDC peloton will have all the motivation they need, knowing that they are helping raise funds that will help challenged athletes 'get in the game.'"

The money raised from the QUALCOMM MDC will help seed a capital campaign for a CAF headquarters facility and will provide additional specialized equipment, training, and support to physically challenged athletes.

Along the route, QUALCOMM MDC riders will be joined and cheered on by celebrity challenged athletes supported by the CAF, and seven VIPs including:

Challenged Athletes

These challenged athletes include:

* Willie Stewart, Redlands, California, a transhumeral amputee who was a silver medalist at the 2002 Winter Paralympic Games in cross-country skiing and was named one of two "Outstanding Age Group Athletes for 2004" at the Ironman Triathlon World Championship;

* Andy May, Dublin, California, a left transtibial amputee triathlete who is currently in second place overall in the Central Coast Cyclocross Series, where he competes against able-bodied athletes;

* Sarah Reinertsen, Portola Hills, California, a transfemoral amputee and the only woman to ever finish the Ironman Triathlon World Championship on a prosthetic leg; she competed on the CBS reality show The Amazing Race; and

* U.S. Army Major David Rozelle, Alexandria, Virginia, a transtibial amputee triathlete and the first American soldier in modern times to return to combat command on a prosthetic leg.

VIPs

VIPs include:

* Bob Babbitt, Carlsbad, California, co-founder of Gen-A Network and Competitor Publishing, and host of the weekly radio show The Competitors on Mighty 1090 AM (San Diego) sports radio;

* Duane Bickett, Del Mar, California, former linebacker for the Indianapolis Colts;

* Mari Holden, San Luis Obispo, California, Olympic silver medalist and world cycling champion;

* JeffJacob, Rancho Santa Fe, California, president of global development for QUALCOMM and Ironman triathlete;

* Kate Major, Del Mar, California, champion Ironman triathlete;

* Davis Phinney, Boulder, Colorado, champion former professional cyclist; and

* Elliot Weintrob, CPO, Bethesda, Maryland, vice president and chief prosthetist at The Orthotic Prosthetic Center, Fairfax, Virginia.

"I have tremendous admiration for the heroic strength, determination, and enthusiasm of the challenged athletes," said JeffJacobs, president, Global Development at QUALCOMM, Hawaiian Ironman triathlete, and a cyclist in the MDC. "Those challenged athletes participating in this 640-mile journey are an inspiration to us all, and I am extremely proud to be a part of the inaugural QUALCOMM Million Dollar Challenge. I am so pleased that we will raise more than $1 million for the Challenged Athletes Foundation, as well as additional awareness about this great organization."

CAF provides challenged athletes with critical funding for specialized equipment, training and competition expenses allowing them to overcome economic barriers that often make participation in athletics cost-prohibitive for those with physical challenges. "The generous funds raised by QUALCOMM MDC riders will help the CAF further enhance its support of challenged athletes, allowing the organization to provide more athletes with specialized equipment and giving them access to a new headquarters facility," CAF noted.

Additional QUALCOMM MDC event sponsors include Trek Travel, PNC Real-Estate Finance, Temecula Valley Bank, and La Jolla Spa MD.

For more information about the QUALCOMM Million Dollar Challenge, visit www.cyclemdc.com or call Kristine Entwistle at 858.558/RIDE (7433). For more information about CAF, go to www.challengedathletes.org

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Million Dollar Challenge Raises Money for CAF

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O&P JOBS

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