About OmniPod
Phil Southerland and Joe Eldridge share two things: Type 1 diabetes and a desire to prove that it doesn’t inhibit them at all. In 2004, that desire sparked the founding of Team Type 1, a group of fearless cyclists, each of whom has Type 1 diabetes and each of whom wears the OmniPod. Their mission is to prove that anyone can live well with diabetes; their method is to take on a tremendous physical challenge — the 3,052 mile Race Across America — and to win. Insulet was so inspired by the Team Type 1 mission and story that in 2007 we became a silver sponsor of the Team.
The Race Across America is known as “the world’s toughest bike race.” Simply to finish takes tremendous endurance. Team Type 1 has not only finished, they have won their division in both 2006 and 2007; in 2007 they also won the overall title, cycling from Oceanside, California to Atlantic City, New Jersey in five days, 15 hours and 43 minutes.
Of course, Insulet are not the only ones to take notice of Team Type 1’s incredible accomplishments. The Wall Street Journal profiled founder Phil Southerland as a role model for healthy people as well as those with diabetes. By word and example, Southerland inspires folks to exercise daily, eat a balanced diet and care for their health.
Southerland and Team Type 1 are not resting on their laurels. Their plan is to go pro, and to compete in the Tour de France within the next five years. It seems that in testing their limits, Team Type 1 — powered by OmniPod — has found they have none.
