July 24, 2005
Thank you to Sponsors

Dear friends and sponsors

Just two weeks ago and we all ran past the finish line of the gigathlon 2005 in Basel, Switzerland, exhilarated by the two day event and joyous that we finished healthy and ready to move on to the next adventure - our holiday in Italy. It has been an incredible adventure for all of us, for some a dream come true, for others to enjoy the limits, for me personally it was all of it.

But all of this couldn't have happened if it wasn't for the support and help of all the sponsors, the friends and family who supported us during the preparation as well as the Swiss Olympic Association who granted us a wild card for the event. We'd like to take the opportunity to thank all of you. As we have supporters from Canada and Switzerland, I'd like to give a short summary in which way they all have supported us along the way.

Switzerland

Hefti Sport: Glarus Hans und Ruth Hefti - year long friends and clients from Creative Western; They have provided David and myself with first class mountain bikes and other important equipment. David's Gary Fisher and my Trek mountain bike were instrumental for finishing this part of the race in a respectable time. As all their equipment, it was first class, David's new mountain bike shoes helped him climb and descend the "Passo del Naret" and according to David's own words: "Without those shoes I couldn't have done it"! Hefti Sport sponsored all equipment we needed during the race and not only that, they hosted us in Glarner Land and showed us around - what a way to start this venture - and before we left we were treated with their own culinary specialties.

Ruckstuhl Garagen: Martin Ruckstuhl - a client of Creative Western from last years Opel Switzerland Incentive trip - has generously provided us with the transportation van from Opel for a full period of 14 days. This has helped us so much and that support including his help in organizing accommodation in Kloten and Locarno was again instrumental for our success. The van has crossed the San Gottardo at least 10 times....it could cross the tunnel now in auto pilot. Even on the Italian autostradas the van has performed to its best...giving us the opportunity to travel fast and safe from Verona back to Lago di Como in the early morning hours. We hope the parking ticket in Verona never finds its owner...

Canada

Crackers: David Fulton - our new found friend from the Golden Triangle Cycling Trip in May 2005 in which David Lawson and I participated. Look at the great vests and shirts we have - he made this all possible. Our team with our outfit made it on the headlines of the sport section of the "Neue Zuercher Zeitung". Feedback from athletes were abound. Who knows, if we do more of those things and it sure looks like it, we willl need more of those outfits.

Creative Western Adventures and Integrative Health Group: We, being David and I, were instrumental in getting the whole idea become reality and both of us including David's partner Susan worked hard to get it all done and organized. We worked many hours in the preparation of it...and much much more. There's no need to mention ourselves in more details in this paragraph.

Eugster Ignaz: Ignaz has given us the apartment in Engelberg. We stayed a full week there in the mountains and had a perfect time in the preparation for the gigathlon. A great thank you goes to him too.

Footprints Web Design: Helen Lee - Helen is magic; she is the one who made us known in the world, who in cooperation with David and myself designed and worked the website. She's the one who designed the logo so that David Fulton could print the vests and shirts. Helen was hugely instrumental, she was a motivator and energetically enthusiastic about the whole idea and project.

So, please go all to the teams website www.5by5canada.com, as she has just updated it after the gig: See the new home page, go to the journals and photos and do not forget to give us a feedback on the guestbook.

It is with a heavy heart that we have to say goodbye to all of you...but as one of my native friends always says, there are no goodbyes as we meet again. I have put together for all of you some Canadian memories (to be sent in the next few days) - even for our Canadian sponsors - something which always shall remember you of us - of our 5by5Canada group.

But do not rest for too long... we may come soon again - the name is ours and the website set aside for all of us who like to compete again in some great new adventures be it in Switzerland or any other part of the world.

With a heart full of thanks and all the best wishes in the near and far future, we that is Joanne Archambault, Suzanne Eugster, Ben Lawson, David Lawson, Jeremy Lawson and Susan Lawson send you our warmest regards.

Suzanne

PS: The aftermath... Italy and the team (missing is Joanne)