Five Seasons Family Sports Club Hosts Nov. 15 Indoor Triathlon

Jim Kepka, in 2006, as he received his life-saving bone marrow transplant.

By Matt Baron, Inside Edge PR

Did you know that being a bone marrow donor does not involve a painful, invasive surgery? Or that you can donate to someone across the globe—without having to travel anywhere?

Jim Kepka of Glenview had little idea of anything related to bone marrow transplants. Then, in April 2005, the father of four was stricken with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and needed one himself.

Now he and his wife, Angela Russian, are working to raise awareness through the Tri-Umph Indoor Triathlon on Sunday, Nov. 15. Hosted by Five Seasons Family Sports Club, 1300 Techny Road in Northbrook, the event includes a “Be the Match” registry drive at the club from 6:45 a.m. to 11 a.m.

“I want to stay as healthy as I can,” said Kepka. “It was a long recovery to go through the transplant and get all of my strength back. Now that I’m stronger, I don’t want to take it for granted.”

The triathlon begins at 6:30 a.m. and will be arranged in time waves consisting of a 10-minute swim, a 20-minute bike and a 15-minute run.

During the triathlon, the athletes will make use of the club’s variety of offerings, including its indoor pool, Keiser stationary bicycles and treadmill.

The event organizer is Kate Schnatterbeck, founder of Tri-Umph, Inc., a Glenview-based multisport training company that has affiliated with Five Seasons. In August, Tri-Umph coordinated a successful Youth Triathlon Camp at the club. This time around, the race is open to anyone 16 years of age and older.

“It has been fantastic working with Five Seasons Family Sports Club to bring this event to fruition,” said Schnatterbeck. “This is a great way to promote a healthy, active lifestyle, educate, as well as to pay it forward and possibly save a life.”

While competitors will strive to improve on their performance times, the day’s larger mission is to help others engaged in a life-or-death race against time.

“There is an enormous need for people to understand what it means to be a potential donor on the registry,” said Russian. “It’s easy to do. We all have that power within us: to save a life.”

Kepka was diagnosed in April 2005 with the latest stage of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. He went through chemotherapy, experienced a remission of the disease, and then had a recurrence in which chemotherapy again failed. A bone marrow transplant was his only remaining, life-saving option.

Hereditary plays a role in matches. For Kepka, a 49-year-old of Welsh descent, it was a young woman from Wales who became his life-saver around Christmas time 2006.

A college gymnast who always remained active athletically, Kepka in 2005 promised to his wife that he would enter his first triathlon. Then illness struck. In July 2008, after building up enough strength in his recovery, he fulfilled his pledge by finishing the Glenview Triathlon.

In gratitude to Kepka’s donor—and in response to the continual need worldwide—the couple is in the process of forming Enlist for Life. The organization’s goal is to register one million people, “no matter how long it takes,” said Russian.

“My husband was very, very lucky,” she said. “Eight in 10 people who do not have a match within their family do not find an unrelated match. On Jim’s journey, we met a lot of people who were on the losing end of the equation.”

For more information, including how to be a donor or how to contribute in another way, visit www.marrow.org.

The Tri-Umph Indoor Triathlon is a USA Triathlon-sanctioned race. Fees are $50 for USAT members and $60 for non-members. To register, visit www.tri-umph.us or call Schnatterbeck at 847-207-9442. Five Seasons Family Sports Club is online at www.fiveseasonssportsclub.com.