The corporate team posted a third place win while fielding women in all three disciplines. Carley Mosher, an aide and ex-collegiate swimmer, completed the swim portion with a searing hot time. Fellow aide, Jessa Brooks, cruised on the bike and Jess Kehoe, the lone PT on the roster, crossed the finish line after the running the final 5k.

Jess had so much fun during her run that she ran right through the finish line and continued down the hill. Jess said she enjoys running hills and, “the course was super fun and for a great cause, we all went out at a fast pace and had a great time!” 

The other participants who rocked it were Brace Hayden (19th in men, 24th over all), Sam Schmidt (43th in women, 127th over all), Nikki Parnell (19th in women, 66th over all), Katie Schermele (40th in women, 122th over all). 

“The Peak Triathlon was a well-organized and positive racing experience!  There were spacious pool lanes, a beautiful, rolling bike course overlooking the Missoula Valley, a downhill run finish, and encouraging volunteers!  It was impossible not to have a blast!” – Nikki Parnell

Emily Jones, our wicked awesome athletic trainer, provided participants with injury consults and had a station with foam rolls and mats for athletes to stretch and prepare for the race.
 
That wasn’t all, we had a great turn out of volunteers who donated their time instead of their energy!

Thanks to all who participated! All proceeds went to Fit to Fight to continue “empowering cancer survivors to improve their quality of life through a program of fitness and health.”

For more information, visit our webpage on Fight to Fight!
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STRONGER THAN CANCER!

Special thanks for this blog post to Ron Veilleaux with MT ErgoFit. We honor the hard work Ron has put in to help Fit to Fight transition as the key ingredient to organization and implementation of this year’s Peak Triathlon.

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This year Fit to Fight took over the running of the Peak Triathlon.  This would be the 6th year of the Triathlon and we were very pleased to be able to take this over as Fit to Fight’s main fundraiser of the year while maintaining the core partners of the event: The Peak Health and Wellness Center, and our Race Director, Kayla Johnson.  

This year we had over 230 competitors, and over 95 volunteers.  Additionally this year we had a new Corporate Cup division, with 9 teams competing for their business to bring home the Corporate Cup.  The team from First Security Bank edged out some close competition to win the 1st Corporate Cup. 

The Peak Triathlon always has some great stories.  This year we had two teams compete in the Triathlon that were alumni from our last Fit to Fight session.   It is truly inspiring to have our alumni competing in the event showing their strength after their battles with cancer.  As in years past there were plenty of first timers.  The first timers are the most fun to follow on the course as they always seem to have a bundle of nerves at the start to an overwhelming sense of accomplishment at the finish line. Finally, we had a new course record set this year by Dylan Gillespie, tearing through the course in 52:44.

The Peak Triathlon truly can offer something to any level of athlete.  The proceeds from the triathlon go directly to Fit to Fight and help us offer our three free sessions each year for folks that are battling or recently battled cancer.

Health Inspired Ergonomics for Your Office
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Ron Veilleux, CEAS
406.370.7040 p
888.704.4765 fax
www.mtergofit.com

When  Thursday, February 5th

Where  Alpine Physical Therapy, Downtown. 150 E. Spruce St. Ste A (In the Peak Health and Wellness Center, Downtown)

Time  5:00 PM to 7:00 PM

Light foods and snacks provided. Please come celebrate and support this program of fitness and education those fighting cancer.

We’d love for you to stop by. Thank you for your support!
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For more information and to RSVP, contact Emily at 406-251-2323. Also visit the Fit to Fight website by clicking here.

The OSCR race fundraiser is in full swing.  So far, Sarah McMillan raised over $900 for FIT TO FIGHTI Sarah is hard at work training for the race. With less than two weeks till the big day, it is time to dig deep and push towards the finish line. Thank you for your generous donations. We are almost halfway to our goal of $2000. Please share Sarah’s story with your friends and family and help us reach our goal! All donations up to $500 will be matched by a private donor!

Training Update 
I’ve been pretty consistently getting out to ski 3 times/week and I do something else three more days/week – stationary bike or hike up Jumbo. To alleviate the boredom of longer sessions on the bike,  I listen to podcasts of This American Life, TED Radio Hour, Radiolab, and Freakonomics. And I regularly do my little home-made routine of squats, lunges, calf-raises, crunches, dips, and a rotating plank.  And from essentially a negative state of fitness, I can say I’m definitely improving.

The beginning of last week, when it started to rain on top of the glorious snow, I got a wee bit depressed and took 3 days off.  But fear is a great motivator (EEEK! I told the whole world I was going to do this, so I absolutely must get off my rear end and keep training!), and I got back into the groove.

The skiing has ranged from outrageously glorious to spectacularly frustrating. I’ve had no kick, so only my poles help me up hills, leaving my legs and skis to drag uselessly behind me. Conversely, I’ve had no glide so that I come to a stop on all but the steepest descents and skiing downhill is nearly more work than skiing uphill.  And yes, thankfully, I’ve had moments when the snow is just right, the air is fresh, my lungs fill easily, and I feel strong and even half graceful.  For about 10 seconds. Then I do something goofy, start wheezing, or skitter around trying not to fall.  I’ve managed to twice log 20+ km skis -including last Sunday, January 11, on what would have been our 7th wedding anniversary.

To mix it up a little, I’m doing a skate clinic this weekend on Saturday before I do my longest ski on Sunday – a 25 km.  I’m still pretty darned slow, but as I’ve said, I’m completing the 28 km ski, not competing in it. I’ll most likely be the last by far – everybody else will be skating and I’ll be chugging along doing classic.  But I’m ok with that.

The support I’ve received has been tremendous and I feel very fortunate to have figured out that this is the perfect way to start the year- it’s getting me fit again (and feeling adventurous), honoring my late husband, Scott, and supporting an organization that helps people thrive through the trauma of cancer.
Ski on!

Please join me in this effort by donating. Simply click the button below and you can donate on a secure site. Donations can also be mailed to 5000 BLUE MOUNTAIN RD. MISSOULA, MT 59804. Please note the “OSCR race” in the “add special instructions to the seller” during your donation, This way we can track progress towards our goal.
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You may also donate directly on the FIT TO FIGHT website by clicking here.

Sarah McMillan, long time supporter of FIT TO FIGHT and wife of the late Scott Woods aims to honor her husband by competing in the OSCR nordic race. This January, Sarah will ski 25K to raise money and awareness for the FIT TO FIGHT program. Read Sarah’s story.

My late husband, Scott Woods, had always trusted his body to do what he needed it do, whether that was mountaineering in Pakistan, snowshoeing in Alaska, climbing in France, running marathons in Georgia and Colorado, or backpacking in Montana. But when he was diagnosed with cancer, he lost that trust – until he joined one of the early sessions with Fit to Fight.

This program, developed specifically for cancer patients and survivors and tailored to each participant, returned him  to a high level of fitness and strength, and, very importantly, taught him to trust his body again. Through FIT TO FIGHT, Scott regained fitness and was able, while still in treatment, to compete in two triathlons, run the Pengelly Double Dip, trek in Morocco and Peru, hike in his beloved Lake District National Park in the UK and along the Pembrokeshire coastal path in Wales, and climb Mt. Rainier.

In Scott’s honor, I am training to ski the 25 KM loop of the OSCR ski race in Seeley Lake on January 31, 2015, and I am doing it as a fundraiser for FIT TO FIGHT. I hope to raise enough money to sponsor an 8 week FIT TO FIGHT session so that more cancer “thrivers” can reap the same benefits that Scott did.

Please join me in this effort by donating. Simply click the button below and you can donate on a secure site. Donations can also be mailed with attention to FIT TO FIGHT, 5000 Blue Mountain Rd. Missoula, MT 59804. Please note the “OSCR race” during your donation, This way we can track progress towards our goal.
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You are also invited to click here to donate directly online to FIT to FIGHT.

As October comes to an end, so does this years fall session of Fit to Fight. This session was quite special, as all the participants were females, and almost all had been diagnosed with breast cancer. Each participant showed improvement in physical ability as well as balance while participating in Fit to Fight.
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Fit To Fight continues to reach out to the community, and today received a very special gift from Bitterroot Flower Shop. A very nice surprise from a local organization, also in support of celebration of October which is National Breast Cancer Awareness month. Thank you Bitterroot Flower Shop for your appreciated support and gift!

The next session of Fit to Fight is still accepting participants. Anyone who has been diagnosed with cancer is invited to join. Fit To Fight aims to empower cancer survivors to improve their quality of life through a program of fitness and health. Please contact Emily Melton at emily.fittofightmt@gmail.com or 406-750-0943.
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Once again thank you Bitteroot Flower Shop, Fit To Fight, and all those who helped support Breast Cancer Awareness month!

Fit to Fight is excited to show Missoula how we are “stronger than cancer” at Relay for Life. We are looking for Fit To Fight alumni and supporters to join our team. Relay for Life will take place Friday, June 20th at 6pm and run through 9 am Saturday, June 21st at Big Sky High School in Missoula. We would love to have you come show your support for the cancer community and help us spread the word about Fit to Fight.

There will be lots of fun activities for the whole family. If you would like to participate in the activities but do not want to join the team, we would love to have you stop by and show your support.

Event schedule:

Friday, June 20th
5pm – Survivor and Caregiver reception
7pm – Opening Ceremony and Survivor lap
10:30- Luminaria Ceremony

Saturday, June 21st
9am – Closing Ceremony

If you would like to join our team, walk the survivor lap or would like more information please contact:

Emily Melton
Outreach Coordinator
406-750-0943
emily.fittofightmt@gmail.com

To donate to our team click here.
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To contact Emily Melton, call 406-750-0943, or email her at emily.fittofightmt@gmail.com.

“Fit To Fight and UM PT researchers demonstrate the benefits of exercise for quality of life for those fighting cancer. This spring the UM Physical Therapy School led an introductory study on analyzing the outcomes and benefits from an organized exercise program for cancer fighters. The study concluded that ‘Subjects with cancer and cancer survivors demonstrated significant improvement in sit-to-stand and in the number of days that they report feeling healthy’.”

Help The PEAK Health and Wellness Center and Alpine Physical Therapy support this great non-profit by donating to www.FitToFightMT.org today!

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Abstract Proof
CONTROL ID: 2019899
TITLE: ASSESSING OUTCOME MEASURES AND OUTCOMES OF AN EXERCISE PROGRAM FOR CANCER SURVIVORS: A PILOT STUDY.
PRESENTATION TYPE: Poster
CURRENT SECTION: Oncology

Author Details
AUTHORS (LAST NAME, FIRST NAME): Ikeda, Elizabeth R.1; Sweeney, Josie1; Schmidt, Samantha S.2
INSTITUTIONS (ALL): 1. School of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science, Univ Montana, Missoula, MT, United States.
2. Alpine Physical Therapy, Missoula, MT, United States.

Abstract

ABSTRACT BODY:
Purpose/Hypothesis : Cancer and cancer treatment can adversely affect physical and emotional well-being. There is some evidence that exercise may be beneficial in improving function, strength, and longevity in patients with cancer. Purposes of this study were to: 1) Assess participants’ outcomes in exercise tolerance, strength, balance, function, and quality of life after an eight week program and 2) determine the appropriateness of chosen outcome measures.

Number of Subjects : The subjects were 5 women and 2 men, mean age 58.14 years, who had active cancer, ongoing treatment for cancer, or had completed treatment for cancer.

Materials/Methods : Pre and post testing consisted of; the modified Naughton treadmill test, the four stage balance test, a timed sit to stand test (STS), the CDC Health Quality of Life test (HQOL), and the Outpatient Physical Therapy Improvement in Movement Assessment Log (OPTIMAL). Examiners and exercise leaders were physical therapists, exercise physiologists, physical therapy students and exercise physiology students and were educated in the administration of the tests. The eight week program met twice weekly with group and individualized training consisting of stretching, relaxation, resistive exercise and endurance exercise. Subjects were given a membership to a local athletic club to encourage exercise between sessions.

Results : The subjects attended an average of 12 sessions (range of 8-15). There were no adverse effects of testing or exercise reported by the subjects or staff. Ordinal level data was analyzed by Repeated Measures ANOVA and the Wilcoxon Signed-Ranks Test was used for nominal level data. There was a significant improvement in sit-to-stand (p=.028). There was a significant difference in the HQOL Symptom Module question 5; “During the last 30 days, for about how many days have you felt VERY HEALTHYAND FULL OF ENERGY?”, (p=.004) Pre-test average for question 5 was 5.3 days and post program average was 18.7 days. Six of the seven subjects improved in the Modified Naughton test. All subjects improved in most items in the OPTIMAL and HQOL tests. At the pre-test, all subjects were able to complete the 4 stage balance test without difficulty so an alternative post-test was conducted and this data was not analyzed.

Conclusions : Subjects with cancer and cancer survivors demonstrated significant improvement in sit-to-stand and in the number of days that they report feeling healthy. In this preliminary data, improvements were seen in all tests. Additional subjects will be recruited from this program that is scheduled three times per year. Outcome measures were satisfactory with the exception of the balance test, thus a different measure will be used in future testing.

Clinical Relevance : After an eight week exercise program, all subjects, including one terminally ill subject, more than doubled the number of days that they report feeling “very healthy and full of energy”. In addition to physical outcome measures, quality of life measures are important to attain a comprehensive assessment in this population.
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KEYWORDS: cancer, exercise, quality of life.

From Ron at ErgotFitMT.

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I wanted to say thanks for your support of the Fit to Fight Volleyball Fundraiser!  The bike fit giveaway courtesy of Alpine Physical Therapy was very well received and your sponsoring our gym time cost allowed us to maximize our donation.

We had 10 competitive teams in the tourney and everyone had a great day playing volleyball and knowing that they were supporting a great cause.  Our final donation from the tourney to Fit to Fight was $705!  Thanks again for your support!

Thanks!
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Ron