CARLSBAD — Six hundred miles. Seven days. More than $1.3 million to be raised.

Cyclist and Carlsbad resident Kimberly Tom is up to the Qualcomm Million Dollar Challenge as are 99 other riders. Participants will start in Fog City USA and coast on down to San Diego from Oct. 18 to Oct. 24 to raise awareness for and benefit the Challenged Athletes Foundation, or CAF. Under welcomed cloud cover, the group rode 40 miles on July 20 to gear up.

At the core of CAF, a San Diego based nonprofit, is the idea that a physical disability should not get in the way of one’s athletic aspirations. “Disabled children want to keep up with other kids,” Tom said. “The foundation gives grants, funding them, and then they can.” Challenged athletes of all ages benefit from these opportunities.

Another angle of CAF is its program Operation Rebound. Tom sees this as a good focus in San Diego due to all the military personnel in residence. “In the news are people coming from Iraq injured … lives are changed,” Tom said. The program responds by acting as a post-rehab support to those who were permanently injured in Iraq or Afghanistan.

The Qualcomm Million Dollar Challenge is the foundation in action. According to Event Director Kristine Entwistle, there will be nine challenged athletes making the ride from San Francisco to San Diego. Two of these riders are hand cyclists, and one has qualified for the Paralympics. One team also rides tandem, as the rider in back is blind.

All too often we take our active lifestyles for granted, but the disabled don’t have this luxury. “I (used to) go out of the house running and think nothing of it,” Tom said. “Now I’m kind of riding with the hand cyclists. They’re out there doing the 80 miles, too.” For the cyclists, perspectives change and the motivation to keep on pumping follows, as the challenged athletes race alongside.

This year, 20 cyclists are preparing for their third Million Dollar Challenge trip, according to Kayvon Agannia, a leader of group one. Like Tom, they see the cause as worthwhile. Although Tom started the Challenge in 2007, this will be the year she finishes. While training last year, Tom noticed that her breathing had become heavy. She passed out one morning and “was immediately hospitalized with pulmonary emboli … a very serious and potentially fatal condition” which involves blood clots in the lungs. With that, Tom had to quit training. After her blood clot scare, Tom is more proactive in that she visits her doctor regularly. Now back on track, Tom is ready to take on the California coast.

As far as training goes, the cyclists meet on Thursday nights and Sunday mornings. The group training session oJuly 13 involved a train ride to Anaheim and a demanding 80 mile bike back; July 20 was thus deemed a “recovery week.” Naturally, Tom sees the training as challenging. “But [it’s] fun at the same time. Everyone is here for the same reason, for the cause,” Tom said. Individually, Tom bikes to work once a week and rides with her triathlete husband a couple of times a week.

The Million Dollar Challenge is not all bike riding though. Each rider is responsible for raising $10,000 which will go towards a new headquarters facility for the Foundation. As of now, Tom has raised $1,500 by asking family and friends for donations. To help Tom reach her goal, there will be a mixed scramble golf tournament at 1 p.m. Aug. 15 at Twin Oaks Golf Course, 1425 Twin Oaks Valley Road, and San Marcos, where attendees will have a chance at scoring a Honda VT750 motorcycle or a flat screen TV. For additional information and registration, visit www.golfdigestplanner.com/5000-cafgolf, or make a difference by donating directly at http://mdc2008.kintera.org/ktom.