San Francisco Chronicle
Tyche Hendricks, Chronicle Staff Writer
Tuesday, January 2, 2001

Stuart Chase felt a little crazy plunging into the 50-degree waters of San Francisco Bay yesterday morning while most people were still home sleeping off their New Year's Eve revelries. It was his first winter swim and his first time in open water.

"This whole swimming thing is going to take some getting used to," said Chase, 27, a software engineer, as he toweled off under a warming sun at Aquatic Park beach.

Chase and two dozen others braved the chilly water for a cause they care about: raising money for research to combat leukemia and other blood-related cancers.

The swimmers are among 60 Bay Area men and women preparing for the 2001 Ironman Canada triathlon: a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bike race and a marathon run to be completed one after another in 17 hours this August in Penticton, British Columbia, as part of the "team in training" program of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

As Chase was emerging from the water, he was astonished to come face-to- face with the very reason he had signed up for the grueling event: His 4-year- old cousin Logan Ellis, who suffers from leukemia, came trotting down the beach with his parents and grandparents. Logan and his family, who live in Southern California, were out for a morning stroll and had not expected to meet Chase until later in their visit.

"I unfortunately know several people who have been affected by this disease, " Chase said. "Logan was a big part of the reason I decided to do this fund- raiser."

In addition to training their bodies for the endurance event, the participants (most of whom are not seasoned athletes) must raise $7,500 for the society's cancer research efforts. Eighty percent of the society's budget is raised through "team in training" athletic events, said campaign director Barb Smalley.

Though the physical and financial demands of the triathlon are formidable, the participants were thrilled to be starting the new year doing something so positive.

"The energy I get from helping the Leukemia Society is incredible," said Eric Joyce, 37, who works for an Internet music startup company.

Joyce, who ran his first marathon for the group last year, said he was inspired by his success to try the triathlon, even though he could only swim the dog paddle before he started training this autumn.

"It's a lot of hard work," he said, "but I trust the coaches. My main focus right now is to get comfortable in the water."

While the more experienced swimmers completed a mile-long loop around the sheltered cove at Aquatic Park, Joyce and four other novices in wetsuits -- but with bare heads, hands and feet -- treaded water and listened to instructions from coach Wayne Spaulding.

"OK, now that your hands and feet are numb, it's time to try putting your faces in," called Spaulding to his shivering students, who squealed in protest.

"Try the breast stroke. You've got to get your faces used to this water."

Spaulding said the swimmers must get acclimated to cold water because the triathlon would take place in a Canadian lake. He coaches his team twice a week in running, biking and swimming. The other days they work out on their own. By July, he said, they will be in training 18 hours a week.

For team-in-training participant Louie Bonpua, the satisfaction of the athletic accomplishment is especially sweet. Bonpua, 36, was diagnosed with leukemia three years ago and until recently his punishing chemotherapy regimen left him feeling sickened and weak. It's only in the last few months, with a new medication, that he has felt well enough to tackle a triathlon, one of his lifelong dreams.

"When you're diagnosed with a life-threatening illness," he reflected, "you start to take inventory of what you've done for yourself, what you've done for others and what you haven't done yet. And you say to yourself, 'If I get better, I will do these things.' This is a win-win situation, because I get a great training program and I'm supporting cancer research for the very illness I have."

For more information about the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's "team in training" program, call (415) 625-1101.

Tyche Hendricks at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
©2001 San Francisco Chronicle