TEAM 4HIVHope

In June 2013, after having successfully competed 2x in the Race Across America, Steven Berveling will compete in the Solo Division of the 3,000 mile / 5,000 km race from Oceanside, California to Annapolis, Maryland.

Team 4HIVHope has competed in both 2011 and 2012 as a 4-man relay team in the Race Across America.  In 2011, Team 4HIVHope completed the Race in 6 days, 6hrs 34 minutes, and finished 8th out of 32 teams.  Three of the four racers, Steven Berveling, Jim Williams and Don Smith, and many of the crew are living with HIV.  In 2012, Team 4HIVHope returned and with Steven and Jim were joined by 2 HIV‑negative athletes racers: Glenn Druery and Patrick Autissier.  The Team came 1st in its Division.  Along the way, blood samples were taken daily from each of the racers for Patrick’s HIV research, to determine the effects of endurance racing on both HIV‑positive  and HIV‑negative athletes, and whether there is any difference between them.  Patrick Autissier is an HIV scientist and researcher.

A small glimpse of what RAAM 2012 looked like can be seen on Richard’s video below.

In 2013, the team will return, but with only one racer: Steven Berveling.

Team 4HIVHope competes in the Race Across America:
•    to confirm that with the treatment, HIV need not be a barrier to very tough endurance sports;
•   to reduce stigma and discrimination against persons living with HIV;
•    to seek increased access to HIV medications for everyone in the world living with HIV.

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