<div>Hi everyone, I'm Aleco, a student at the University of Arizona.
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<div>On August 20, 2026, three friends and I are taking on a half-Ironman-distance workout (a 1.2-mile swim, a 56-mile bike, and a 13.1-mile run). We're doing it in honor of my close friend Adam Ptaszek, a UofA alum and lifelong athlete who became housebound with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) after graduating.
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<div>ME/CFS is a serious, disabling illness. For someone living with it, the kind of effort we're about to put our bodies through wouldn't build strength and would instead cause a severe, lasting crash in energy. That's exactly why we're doing this: we get to push our limits because our bodies allow it. Adam doesn't have that choice right now, and neither do millions of others with this disease. We're doing the hard thing so we can help fund the research that gets people with ME/CFS that choice back.
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<div>Every single dollar raised goes directly to Solve M.E. (Solve ME/CFS Initiative), a national nonprofit funding ME/CFS research, education, and advocacy. If you can't donate, sharing this page helps just as much.
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<div><strong>Thank you for being part of this with us.</strong>
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<div>Event Details:
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<li>Event: Bear Down for M.E.
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<li>Date: Thursday, August 20, 2026
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<li>Meet-up: 5:30 AM at the UA Mall
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<li>Format: Run → Swim → Bike, half-Ironman distance, each leg capped by time or distance (whichever comes first)
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<li>Run: 13.1 mi or 2 hrs — outdoor loop, UA Mall
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<li>Swim: 1.2 mi or 45 min — indoor pool, UA Campus Recreation Center
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<li>Bike: 56 mi or 3 hrs — indoor cardio deck, UA Campus Recreation Center
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<li>Location: UA Mall (run) + UA Campus Recreation Center, 1400 E. 6th St., Tucson, AZ 85719 (swim + bike)
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<li>Wrap-up: ~12:45 PM
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<li>Beneficiary: Solve M.E. (Solve ME/CFS Initiative, Inc.), 501(c)(3)
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<li>Cost to join: Free — suggested donation only
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Alice Barrett

Anonymous

Chris Wetteland

Hale Barter

Hector Durazo

Victor Von Doom

Katarzyna & Timothy Sularski

Mike Loyd

Scott Bishop

Krzysztof Zoltek

Drake Dash

Antonina Kijowski

Barbara Perski

Peter Nosal

Bear Down for M.E. — a benefit for Solve M.E.

Just $586$ to go! Make an impact.

Bear Down for M.E. — a benefit for Solve M.E.

Just $586 to go!
Make an impact.