Bay Area Ironman Races for Children with ITP

On April 19-20, 2008, Jun Watanabe, a San Francisco resident and businessman, will run in The Relay, the 199-mile relay race from Calistoga to Santa Cruz to help raise money for the non-profit ITP Foundation (www.itpfoundation.org).

Watanabe first became aware of ITP (Immune Thrombocytopenic Purpura), a disorder that can cause severe bruising and bleeding, while volunteering as a swim coach for the YMCA in Darien, CT 4 years. ago One of the children he coached has chronic ITP; the parents of the child had recently launched the ITP Foundation, a non-profit organization which battles ITP in children and adolescents and which has established the “ITP Team” to encourage endurance athletes to use their talents as a way of raising funds for ITP.

ITP Team members ask individuals or businesses to sponsor them in triathlons and other sporting events, and the money raised is donated to the Foundation. Watanabe, who has been actively involved in endurance events for the past 8 years, quickly signed on and has since become the ITP Team Program Director.

His ITP Team race schedule also includes the grueling Ironman Coeur d'Alene triathlon in Coeur d'Alene, ID on June 22, in which he must swim 2.4 miles, bike 112 miles and run 26.2 miles, all in succession.

Watanabe, who is 31 years old, says he is volunteering in this way because “there’s a need for more positive role models in our children’s lives. I want to be that role model children can look up to; the ITP Team is an avenue which allows me to use my talents and athleticism in a constructive/positive way.”

“We are thrilled to have Jun Watanabe as part of the ITP Team,” says Christopher Landino, Executive Director of the ITP Foundation. “He has for several years been an active, important member of the ITP Team. On behalf of the ITP Foundation, I thank Jun for his concern, his commitment and his compassion.”

Watanabe prepares for other events with the help of coach Bill Hauser, of Mid-Atlantic MultiSports, who plans his workouts and strategies. Watanabe trains six days a week, with long training sessions on weekends – including a 6 ½ hour bike ride followed by a 1 hour run on Saturdays and a 3 ½ hour run followed by a 1 hour swim on Sundays.

“Being an endurance athlete requires so much time and dedication,” Watanabe says, acknowledging the valuable role his family and friends have played in supporting his efforts over the years.

Asked if he feels being part of the ITP Team helps him in any way, Watanabe replies, “In an individual and endurance sport that demands so much, there’s an inner voice and drive that allows me to push myself that much further and harder knowing that I'm able to help out a cause that's bigger than myself. It's this same voice that will keep me going hard and strong into the 10th hour of a race that can go as long as 17 hours.”

Watanabe is the founder and CEO of Alegup Strategies (www.alegupstratgies.com), an educational company focused solely on the needs of the next generation and of those generations to come. The company seeks to give “a leg up” to youth when encountering life's stumbling blocks of challenges and obstacles by providing an understanding and proficiency of real world life skills and learned life lessons.

Watanabe likes to “live life in the moment, with thoughts of living a great life without having many regrets for the choices that I’ve made.” And he has words of encouragement for children struggling with ITP: “Always have faith that people have the capacity to do what's right and that they will find it in themselves to help those that can't. There's no cure for ITP now, but with so many people helping out, my hope is that there will be a cure soon. Finally, believe in yourself that you have the capacity to do anything you want. There are challenges ahead, but always know it in your heart that you can persevere and make the best of every situation.”

And he has an equally important message for those people who are fortunate enough to not be affected by ITP:
“Each person has the capacity of doing good,” Watanabe says. “Do you have what it takes?”

Those wishing to sponsor Mr. Watanabe in his races can do so by making a donation under the “Sponsor an Athlete” area of the ITP Team section at www.itpfoundation.org or by emailing

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About ITP

ITP is an autoimmune disorder of unknown cause that affects both children and adults. ITP occurs when the immune system malfunctions and produces antibodies against the body's own platelets. These antibodies destroy the platelets, resulting in a decreased level of blood platelets needed for normal blood clotting. Characterized by a low platelet count, notwithstanding normal bone marrow production and the absence of other specific causes (such as leukemia or aplastic anemia), ITP can lead to life- threatening bleeding episodes.

About the ITP Foundation

The ITP Foundation is a Darien, CT based non-profit which was established to raise awareness of ITP (Immune Thrombocytopenic Purpura), a serious bleeding disorder. The Foundation helps families with children and adolescents with ITP who need financial assistance to manage and treat the disorder, and funds research to find the cause of and cure for ITP. Information: www.itpfoundation.org