Local Washington, DC metro area residents triumphantly returned this week from Napa Valley, CA where after 16 weeks of training with professional coaches and raising funds for the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America through its half marathon training program called Team Challenge, they crossed the finish line at the Napa-to-Sonoma Wine Country Half Marathon. Funds raised, more than $2 million, are going toward research to find a cure for Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, two seldom- discussed painful and unpredictable diseases of the digestive tract.

While running the course, Cassie Scherer, a participant from Washington, DC, scanned the hill up ahead to find a sea Team Challenge runners and walkers in orange race-day singlets. She noticed that a couple racing directly in front of her had pinned a photo of their daughter, a Crohn's patient, to the back of their singlets and she could not help but be drawn back to her days spent in the hospital surrounded by children with feeding tubes in their noses because they were unable to digest any food. "These diseases can make it very hard to live a normal life," says Cassie. "I cannot put in words how much it meant to me to be able to do something to help all those people still suffering from a disease that affected so much of my childhood and young adulthood. This was an amazing experience for me."

The Foundation is now recruiting residents from northern Virginia and Washington, DC to train for the ING Miami Half Marathon on January 25, 2009. The Foundation's mission is to cure Crohn's and colitis, and Team Challenge volunteers commit to helping the Foundation come closer to accomplishing that mission through fundraising. Entrants are given access to cutting-edge fundraising tools, including a free Web page for fundraising support and fundraising advice and assistance, to help patients win their battle with Crohn's and colitis. In exchange for their commitment to fundraising, Team Challenge participants receive complimentary round trip transportation, accommodations, race entry fees and admission to entertainment and events.

Those wishing to join in the fight against these diseases will train beginning this fall for 16 weeks on the weekends at a local venue. Team Challenge offers clinics on fitness, injury prevention, nutrition and other relevant topics, training participants to succeed on race day and beyond.

One of the coaches for the DC/VA team, Kevin McHale, a past University of Virginia cross country/track team member and manager of the Potomac River Running Shop in Arlington, VA, is looking forward to getting local residents ready for the race. McHale has run numerous local road races, a handful of them at the half marathon distance. He is currently training for the Virginia Beach Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon in August and the Marine Corps Marathon in October. "Team Challenge provides people the opportunity to help the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation find a cure," says McHale. "It even goes as far as to enable them to set life changing goals and accomplish them with the support of a team."

Interested participants can meet the program's coaches and learn more about it at information meetings in September throughout Washington, D.C. and northern Virginia area. To attend an upcoming meeting or for more information about becoming involved in Crohn's & Colitis Team Challenge, visit www.ccteamchallenge.org or contact Dani Rogers at 703-865-6130.