Bill Jennings: Upcoming weekend features competitions – one for cause and one for fun

A pair of very different competitions will take place in the mountains this weekend. One is serious fun for the sake of a good cause. The other is seriously funny for the sake of having a party. I’ve had the privilege of participating in both events. Each experience was unforgettable in it’s own distinct way.

The inspiring story behind 24 Hours of Schweitzer involves the dedication of a Sandpoint couple doing everything within their power for the survival of their son. The annual event is a ’round-the-clock skiathon that has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars since Brian and Tricia Sturgis founded 24 Hours for Hank in 2009. The money supports research into a cure for Cystinosis, a rare congenital disease.

The Sturgis’ 10 year-old son Hank was born with Cystinosis, a condition that affects approximately 500 people in the U.S. Most of them are children because the odds of surviving into adulthood have been historically low. It’s called an “orphan disease” because the low number of cases doesn’t register on the profit radar of pharmaceutical shareholders.

A glitch in metabolism causes the amino acid cystine, a building block of proteins, to accumulate into crystals called cystones. Cystones damage cells irreparably throughout the body. Many organizations in common cause with 24 Hours for Hank have raised millions for research behind treatments that have greatly improved the prognosis for children diagnosed with the disease.

Participants in 24 Hours of Schweitzer either race solo or on teams starting Friday at noon. The serious competitors keep the pressure on from noon to noon, not even stopping to enjoy the event’s generous lunch, dinner and midnight feedings. They refuel and rehydrate on the lift between runs. The addition of restrooms in the new Sky House on the summit should mean fewer sightings of yellow snow on the lift lines this time around.

My solo strategy was to pace myself, with 15-20 minute breaks every 10 runs or so. I don’t have enough space here to describe how it feels to ski through the night. Linking turns at 3 a.m. was the hardest part, but soon thereafter I witnessed what is still one of the most beautiful sunrises I’ve ever seen.

While participants in 24 Hours of Schweitzer are resting and recovering on Saturday afternoon before the awards dinner and cocktail party, the Bavarian Race will be turned loose on the slopes of 49 Degrees North. The event is a combination of social mixer, costume party and beer-chugging giant slalom.

If you sign up for the event, you will be randomly assigned to a team of four people who may or may not be complete strangers. Your mission will be to polish off a pitcher of beer (non-alcoholic in deference to the risk managers), ride the lift to the summit and ski or ride back to your table. Another pitcher, this time filled with the real thing, will be waiting. Should your team complete the circuit fastest, you win.

My experience with the Bavarian Race suggests approaching the final hurdle with caution. After skiing the slalom, I ran to the table where my teammates waited before a foaming pitcher. Gasping for oxygen, I aspirated fluid instead. Choking and hacking, I left my beer unattended. Before I could further erode our chances, Bill Reinbold, my teammate and one of the founders of the event back in 1974, grabbed my beer, made it disappear, turned the pitcher upside down and yelled “Time!”

You can register for the Bavarian Race in the Boomtown Bar Saturday from 10 am-2 pm. Registration for 24 Hours of Schweitzer is past deadline, but you can still support 24 Hours for Hank and the Cystinosis Research Foundation. A gourmet meal and bidding privileges at the silent auction Saturday night is $45 per person.