Trailblazers
Who: Michele Martineau of Glenwood Springs and Emme Hall of Boulder of Team Courage
The feat: To race in the 2013 Rallye Aicha des Gazelles across the Moroccan desert in a truck, a nine-day, women-only event that only eight other American women have attempted since the race’s inception in 1990
The cause: The National Breast Cancer Foundation
The story: Martineau is a breast cancer “previvor.” Her mother and sister have battled cancer, and after her own scares several times, she decided to undergo a bilateral mastectomy. “I kept hearing those two words over and over again, courageous and strong,” Martineau says on the video about the story behind her journey. “And I remember coming home and telling my husband that maybe I’m supposed to hear these words over and over again, and I’m supposed to realize that courage is my strength, and that that’s what I’m here for.” Martineau says that she decided that starting a website about her experience might help others, and she was overwhelmed by the response. She also wanted to further pursue her love of racing, and bring the two efforts together by raising funds for related causes. Team Courage puts the names of survivors, previvors and others facing the challenges of breast cancer on their truck, named Saving Grace.
Follow along: teamcouragegazelles.com, ,
