People with diabetes run 5Ks and ultras, ride around the block and ride a century, walk the dog and hike Yosemite, do tai chi and taekwondo, drive to school and in the Indy 500, swim with the kids and around the Keys, skate on ice and roller derby teams, climb trees and climb Kilimanjaro, play pickup ball and in the NBA.
You're diabetic?! Yeah.

Diabetes & Exercise Alliance

Groups & Websites for Active T1 & T2 Diabetics

No organization — D&E or anyone else — has a monopoly on making a difference and I'm all about sharing resources with people who need them.

Just contact me and I'll add your group or website as long as you support physical activity for people with diabetes and you want to help people with diabetes juggle exercise, food, insulin & meds as successfully as they can. If you see a broken link or unreachable address, please email [email protected].

On the other hand, if you know nothing about actually living with diabetes and you simply want to sell stuff to people with diabetes because you heard there are a lot of us out here, go away.

International

United Kingdom

Team Blood Glucose

Website www.teambg.com

Contact: Paul Buchanan

Email: [email protected]

Facebook page

Canada

Dskate (Quebec)

2115 de la Montagne
Montreal, Quebec H3G 1Z8
Email: [email protected]

U.S. - National

DiabetesMotion.com - Facebook - Sheri Colberg-Ochs

Type 1 Diabetic Athletes Facebook Group

Type 1 Run (chapters around the country)

College Diabetes Network

info@collegediabetesnetwork.org

Website

U.S. - States

Arkansas

Little Rock Diabetes and Exercise

Facebook

California

DASH Sports Education (Berkeley / Northern CA)

Berkeley, CA 94705
Phone: 510.982.9006
Email: [email protected]

1001 Santa Clara Pl
San Diego, CA 92109
Phone: 760.533.3242
Email: [email protected]

Colorado

Denver Diabetes and Exercise

Facebook

Illinois

Type 1 Diabetes Lounge

Chicago, IL
Phone: 847-338-2634
Email: [email protected]
Visit Website

Maryland

Diabetes DESTINY

North East, MD

Phone: 717-471-4636
Email: [email protected]
Visit Website
NOTE: Organization is kid focused

Minnesota

Twin Cities Sweatabetes

Twin Cities, Minnesota 55111
Phone: 612.209.0881
Email: [email protected]

Missouri

STL Dawn Phenom

St. Louis, MO 63123
Phone: 219.309.1115
Email: [email protected]

Pennsylvania

Active on Insulin

Phone: 215.880.8561
Email: [email protected]

Visit Website

Diabetes Training Camp (Lancaster, PA)

Email: [email protected]

Visit website

Facebook page

Texas

Diabetes and Exercise Alliance – DFW

Contact: Don Muchow
Contact me

Diabetes and Exercise Alliance - Austin

Contact: Brooke Schiller at [email protected] or
Dan Eppley: [email protected]. 

Type One Run - San Antonio

Jennifer Wimpee ([email protected])

Facebook page

Diabetes and Exercise Alliance - Midland, Odessa, and Permian Basin

Contact: Tony Castillo

Houston Diabetes and Exercise Alliance

Sasja Loftin ([email protected])

Tyler Type 1 Diabetes Foundation

Contact: Margie Boyd
Tyler, TX

Virginia

Virginia ‘Betes Peeps

Forest, VA
Phone: 716.587.2183
Email: [email protected]

Washington

ConnecT1D (Seattle WA)

Phone: 443.465.1963
Email: [email protected]

Sports & Diabetes Group NW (Seattle WA)

Seattle, WA 98101
Email: [email protected]

Washington, DC area

Athlebetic

Contact: Chris Dallas
Phone: 734.645.3510
Email: [email protected]

About D&E

The Diabetes and Exercise Alliance is a free grassroots organization led by volunteers.

You’re one of us if…

1) You have Type 1 or Type 2 or another form of diabetes

Our get-togethers are usually just us diabetic folks. Our fitness activities welcome everyone, so bring your family, friends, neighbors, coworkers, kids, parents, whatever. The more the merrier.

2) You’re physically active

From a short daily walk to an ultramarathon, it’s all good. (Or hiking or weight-lifting or roller derby or mountain biking or triathlons or karate or…you get the idea!)

For example, our group cycling rides have had everything from a 10-year old boy on his first mountain bike to a 65-year old woman near the head of the pack on her road bike. Some folks ride about 20 miles at 10 mph while others ride 70+ miles and average 15 – 20 mph.

3) You want to share

…non-judgmental ideas about juggling exercise, food, insulin & meds, testing and doctor and equipment experiences with folks who really get it.

This is not for you if:

1) You just want to complain about how your endo doesn’t get you

We're all diabetics here—and we all had to go through the difficult journey of acceptance, grieving, and getting past the self-blame. If you're still dealing with that, get help. Then when you're in a better place emotionally, can see your BG numbers as data and your challenges as opportunities, come see us.

In the mean time, please don’t post a problem to any of the Facebook groups unless you’re actually looking for a solution.

2) You’re not active

Active is anything from “decided to walk today” all the way to semi-professional athlete.

But if you’re still at the “one of these days…I know I oughta…” stage, don’t count on us to supply your motivation.

3) You just want to sell stuff to diabetics

If you’re selling something relevant to diabetes and exercise, the first step is to actually participate in our community and add value by sharing your fitness know-how, or sports nutrition know-how, or whatever. Get to know us, and chances are you'll be welcome here.

On the other hand, if all you do is post ads on our Facebook page, we will delete the ads and drop you from our list, especially if such posts appear to be exploiting fear, self-judgment, and body image insecurity. Consider this your first and final warning on that matter.

We’re independent

We informally and enthusiastically collaborate with anyone who shares our interests: ADA (especially Tour de Cure and StepOut, naturally), JDRF’s Walk to Cure Diabetes, and local businesses like bike shops and running clubs and yoga studios.

For example, in Dallas we routinely promote training rides to D&E members and also to folks who want to ride in the North Texas Tour de Cure. We're big fans of Beyond Type 1 and we also collaborate with the folks at Medtronic and Omnipod and so on, since the best way to rope in more Type 1s and Type 2s is to talk to people who are talking to them all the time!

But: it’s entirely up to you whether you want to join a group like ADA or JDRF, and you won’t get any fundraising or membership pressure from us. The goal is to stay active and figure out how to do it better and smarter, period.

Sure, you can start a chapter!

It’s easy and it won’t cost you anything. Just email me to get the ball rolling. I'll customize a logo for you tailored to your locale.

We only have three rules.

Using the name and logo is free; but you have to follow our rules. If you don’t, you can’t use the Diabetes & Exercise Alliance name or logo.

And the rules are…

1) This is a grassroots organization.

Membership is free, events are free, and the chapters are run by volunteers.

You can ask for nominal amounts occasionally to defray costs, but that’s it. And to be honest, we discourage that. Your time – not money – is what really makes D&E go.

2) Everyone’s welcome

Type 1, Type 2, young, old, any size, all abilities, any flavor.

You get the idea. I-N-C-L-U-S-I-V-E.

No blame, no shame. It’s not your fault you’re diabetic. Stuff happens. Period.

What you do about it is up to you.

3) You can’t use our logos for commercial gain

But, if you have a diabetes-related logo merchandise idea, get in touch – we can probably add it to the Wellness Victories store for you.

Don't like the whole "chapter" thing?

Sometimes it's not about finding someone local who knows what it's like to train for athletic events as a T1D. Maybe you need a larger pool of insight or just a chance to talk to people who are doing what you're doing—regardless of where they live.

If so, check out these other AWESOME support organizations on Facebook.

Type 1 Diabetic Athletes

This group is largely strength and high-intensity interval training oriented, but has some runners, cyclists and triathletes, including quite a few Ironman finishers. A VERY large group, and if you're Type 1 and athletic, you WILL find someone like you in this group.

Diabetic Ultra Endurance Athletes

This group is for both T1Ds and T2Ds who find themselves in that world where epic is their everyday training and are looking for advice and fellowship from those who know what it's like.