When Phil Southerland and his all-diabetes cycling team convened at the starting line for the 2006 Race Across America, they carried small doses of insulin and were met with heavy doses of skepticism.
“Good luck,” other riders would say. “We love what you’re doing for charity, and we hope you make it to the finish line.” They made it to the finish line alright — in second place.
In a 3,000-mile tag-team race that lasted more than five days, the eight-person team — known at the time as Team Type 1 — fell short of the fastest overall time by only three minutes.