Showing diabetes: who's captain: John Dennis is the first diabetic skipper to compete in ultimate sailing race

American Fitness, Jan-Feb, 2003 by Heather McMurtrie

Around Alone is a 28,000-mile global sailing race. It's been described as the World Series, Super Bowl, Stanley Cup, Wimbledon, Daytona 500, Boston Marathon and Tour de France rolled into one eight-month long battle against the sea. Fifty-seven year-old John Dennis is tackling this race and his diabetes.

On September 22nd, Dennis and 13 other courageous sailors proudly sailed out of New York harbor, embarking on the grueling race around the world without companions or crew. The race is physically exhausting. With the constant need to hoist and trim the sails, sore muscles have no time to heal and joints are braced at awkward angles for long periods of time. Sleep comes in 20-minute increments, from which sailors are often wakened by the boat alarm. The odd sleep patterns necessary for manning a boat alone leave them sleep deprived and oftentimes tortured with hallucinations. As preparation for the race, Dennis only slept 20 minutes at a time for months.

Getting to the starting line wasn't smooth sailing for Dennis either. Ever since he sailed as a boy with his father, an officer in the Canadian Navy, Dennis dreamed of sailing around the world alone. He knew competing in a solo sailing race would be difficult--leaving friends and family, running the risk of depression, sleep deprivation and hallucinations--but he never expected a medical set-back to nearly sink his dream.

"I had the classic symptoms--constant thirst, fatigue, frequent urination," recounts Dennis. Coincidentally, his wife Penny had similar symptoms years earlier, so Dennis knew what they meant. "I consulted my physician immediately and was devastated to learn I too had diabetes," he admits.

Diabetes is a chronic, incurable disease. In the United States more than 17 million people have diabetes (1) and nearly 190,000 people die from it each year. (2) Two of the most common types of diabetes are Type 1 and Type 2. Type 1 is genetic, while Type 2 is a degenerative illness commonly affecting people over the age of 40.

Approximately nine out of 10 diabetes cases in the United States are Type 2. (3) With Type 2 diabetes, the body produces too much insulin and cannot effectively use it. This insulin resistance prohibits glucose from entering muscle cells, causing it to rise to abnormal levels in the blood. Thus, Type 2 diabetics are non-insulin dependent. (4)

Type 2 diabetics, like Dennis, need to regulate their glucose levels to help reduce the onset of diabetic complications, including blindness, kidney disease and nerve damage. Therefore, they must modify their nutritional habits, exercise regularly and monitor their glucose levels to control their diabetes.

Dennis accepted that he would have to alter his lifestyle, but was afraid his dream had been destroyed--diabetes is a condition which usually disqualifies a skipper from transoceanic solo racing. Fortunately, Dennis learned he could self-manage his diabetes through diet, exercise and glucose self-monitoring. "I took control of my diabetes. As long as I consistently monitored my blood sugar levels and followed my doctor's instructions, including eating right and exercising, I felt I could do anything I set my mind to."

So, Dennis set his mind to competing in Around Alone, held once every four years. First, he would have to overcome several hurdles:

Challenge #1: Dennis had to convince race organizers he was fit to compete. Thanks to a new exercise program, a proper diet and a note from his doctor, Dennis was deemed fit for the race.

"Around Alone is the greatest mental and physical challenge in any sport," says Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, chairman of Clipper Ventures plc, race organizer of Around Alone. "This is the first time a skipper with diabetes has been able to compete and we are proud of John for overcoming his health issues to take part in this ultimate sporting challenge. This is a fine example of the personal sacrifice and determination required to sail around the world alone."

Challenge #2: Dennis needed money to buy and refurbish a boat. Since both he and his wife use Ascensia[TM] blood glucose monitors made by Bayer Diagnostics, Dennis turned to the company for sponsorship. His boat is now named Ascensia in honor of the self-management device.

"We know John has spent his whole life preparing for this race," says Nancy Dean, vice president of worldwide marketing for Bayer Diagnostics Self-Test Business. "Bayer is excited about giving John the opportunity to achieve his lifelong dream."

Challenge #3: Dennis had to pass two qualifying tests. First, he had to turn his overturned boat right-side up to show he could do so if it capsized. Pumping water from ballast tanks on one side of the vessel into tanks on the other, to shift the weight and flip it back up, requires tremendous stamina. Dennis completed this task in a little over four hours.

Next, Dennis had to prove he and the boat were sea-worthy for a long solo voyage, so he sailed 2,500 miles (2,150 nautical miles) to the Portuguese Azores in just 12 days. This trip taught Dennis a lot about his diabetes. While his blood sugar is usually too high, the strenuous work of managing the boat could leave it dangerously low. Therefore, frequent glucose monitoring became even more crucial. Aboard the Ascensia, Dennis has to monitor his diabetes six times a day, send results to his doctor via satellite, continue to follow a healthy diet and get plenty of exercise--which working the boat provides.