"It was just a great experience," says Lefever. "It was well worth it overall. Now I know I can achieve any goal I set."

Lefever conquered the terrain, endured the heat and rain and enjoyed the sites while riding for The Liverators -- one of two teams representing Team Donate Life.

A sales representative for Roche Pharmaceuticals in Iowa and part of Illinois, Lefever raced to help raise funds and awareness for organ donation, particularly the liver.

Team Donate Life members went to training camp in Utah last October and formulated a plan for the June race.

As a part of his training commitment, Lefever rode five days per week, covering 100 to 200 miles.

During the race, the eight-man team was split into two units of four each. Those groups rode or rested in 12-hour shifts. For 12 hours, each rider went hard for a half hour before allowing another rider to take over.

"The biking was challenging, but that's why we put the miles in," says Lefever. "Harder than the actual riding was the mental part. You did not get much sleep, you were always on the go and you tried to eat when you could."

Lefever says the most consecutive hours he slept was probably four. Many of those were in a moving RV.

At 33, Lefever was the youngest member of his team. The oldest was in his early 50s. Dr. Lorenzo Lassaro, a liver transplant surgeon and veteran of the Race Across America, was able to give the team insight into the race and the cause.

Through his job in the medical sales field, Lefever has met liver transplant recipients.

"When I got a chance to raise funds and awareness, I had to jump at it," says Lefever, who also counted Terry Box, John Martin, Geoff McIntosh, Dennis Spencer, Ray Thomason and Stephen Thompson as teammates.

One of the highlights for the experienced cyclists in the group came when they traveled through Bloomington, site of the 1979 film "Breaking Away."

As a Central High School senior in 1995, Lefever was a sixth man for the Dean Foster-coached Blue Blazers boys basketball team which participated at the IHSAA State Finals.

Lefever's prowess on the track earned him a place at Drake University in Des Moines. It was there, that he set the school record in the triple jump (a since-surpassed 51 feet, 5 3/4 inches) as well as the long jump, high jump, 400 relay and 1600 relay.

Two years ago, Lefever added swimming and biking to his running ability and became a competitive triathlete.

Now that the Race Across America is past, the son of Bart and Nancy Lefever will resume his triathlon training, working 10 to 12 hours per week to get more proficient in the water, on the bike and on-foot. The longest distance he has gone so far is Olympic (1-mile swim, 40K bike, 10K run), but he is working toward a Half Ironman (1.2-mile swim, 56-mile bike, 13.1-mile run) next June near Lawrence, Kan.