The Ted Mullin “Leave it in the Pool” Hour of Power Relay for Sarcoma Research is the major fundraiser supporting the
Ted Mullin Fund.
The Carleton College Men’s and Women’s Swimming and Diving teams originated the Hour of Power on November 7, 2006, in
memory of their teammate Ted Mullin who died on September 3, 2006 from a rare
form of cancer of connective tissues called sarcoma. After Ted's death the Carleton College swimmers and divers wanted to do
something significant to remember their teammate as well as raise awareness
about sarcoma and funds for sarcoma research. The teams created the Hour of Power event and invited other collegiate swimming
and diving teams from the Minnesota (MIAC) and New England (NESCAC) Division
III small college athletic conferences to take part. In the end 12 college, one high school and two club teams participated.
Held annually each fall since 2006, the Hour of Power has grown from the
original 15 teams to 160 teams in 2011 with almost 8,000 participating athletes
in the United States and abroad. Over the past five years the Hour of Power raised over $265,000 for the Ted
Mullin Fund in support of sarcoma research at the University of Chicago.
The event—held in each team’s home pool—is a one-hour, all-out, leave-it-in-the-pool practice consisting of continuous
relays, using any stroke. The relay fosters teamwork through its objective of keeping all lanes on the
same lap. The Carleton teams selected this workout as the Hour of Power relay’s format because it was one of Ted’s favorite practice sets. Wherever possible participating teams begin and finish the “Hour of Power” workout at the same time, using their respective time zones from the East Coast
to the West Coast. Thousands of swimmers across the country and the world unite in the water at the
same time in support of the battle against sarcoma.
