It’s no secret that we here at Pragmatic Hepatic HQ are big fans of Chris Klug and the work he does to promote organ donor awareness. We even follow him on Twitter. Which is how we found out that Chris Klug would be riding the Leadville 100 in August.
A few days ago, we got word that our good friend Jim Dowd was also going to the Leadville 100! For those of you that aren’t aware, Leadville is a super big deal for mountain bikers, and you get the chance to compete by signing up for the Leadville lottery, and this year Jim was chosen. We are bursting with pride for our friend and can’t wait to cheer him on from afar. Oh, and the 100 stands for 100 MILES! Insane.
This is where the even more awesome part comes in: Derek told Jim he should try and meet Chris Klug when he heads out West for the race. Jim did one better, he called up the Chris Klug Foundation and asked if he could join their team. They said yes! Jim is now not only racing in one of the most grueling mountain bike races because he’s a badass, he’s also racing to raise money and awareness. Being on the team also gives him access to race day support that he wouldn’t have had otherwise. Plus, it’s always more fun to be a part of a team.
If you’d like to contribute to the Chris Klug Foundation AND support Jim, here’s a link to donate to his team’s Crowdrise fundraiser. If you’d like to cheer Jim on cybertronically, keep an eye on the blog this summer. As Co-Presidents of his super-fan club we will definitely provide race updates as we get them.
The Derek Janiak Hepatobiliary Forum 
Doesn’t “The Leadville Lottery” sound like the name of some creepy movie starring Billy Bob Thornton or somebody?
Ha! Yes. But now I want to see a movie where a Billy Bob Thornton character gets in over his head and has to win a hundred mile bike race in order to keep the bank from foreclosing on his meemaw’s house. Wait a second, is that an Adam Sandler plot line?