Hey Tri-Vets, please take a moment to inspire!!

Woo hoo!  Get that Kona slot!

So.  I was never athletic.  I used my bike as transportation, and have always loved doing that, but then between getting married and having kids, I got big, and quite unhealthy (5'7" 185lbs) and couldn't keep up with my kids, and was really missing  out on quite a bit of their lives.  After moving out of Florida, and away from a high stress job, we bought our first house.  After the initial greatness of it wore off, I realized, I was getting winded getting up the stairs, and that this had to change.  I decided to do the most drastic thing I could... I entered a Tri.  A sprint one for sure, but a Tri none the less.  Over the course of 3 months I came down from 189lbs to 155lbs, and not being able to make 100 yards in the pool, to finishing all 500 in 12 min, etc etc.

Now as I enter my second season, I've got 3 bikes, 1 pair running shoes, some tri shorts, and a few PR's (like todays infact 15.66mi @ 22mph avg on the bike).  And best of all, I'm down in the 140's, getting ever closer to my 135lbs goal.

6'2" and 180 now? 

tri eating something.

When you get your Kona slot, please don't leave BT.  Your advice is great, JF.

 CP2K

Couldn't have done it without a supportive SO.  She kept the diet on track, and the motivation going.  I've been considering a nic change, but then I lose the wonderful post count... Also, the domain name I've registered, etc etc...

My niece, Allie was five years old when what seemed to be a simple headache which failed to resolve. She was taken to the ER and had a Cat Scan which showed a massive brain tumor. She underwent surgery that night and we learned it was a Grade 4 Glioblastoma, unresectable.

Meanwhile that same night, another niece of mine, Alex was next patient in the same OR for brain surgery to try to cure her crippling epilepsy, or at least to minimize the frequency of her seizures, often 10-20 per day. At the time I was living in San Diego and flew in to be with them. I remember how helpless, sad, and pissed off I was at how unfair the world can be. There was a sense in me that I needed to do something to channel my energy. Thats when I decided I would do an Ironman, to raise awareness and funds for the now formed charity Allies Angels (a charity devoted to easing the pain and suffering of children dealing with cancer and other potentially fatal illness, and for the Michigan Epilepsy foundation.

In part to be symbolic of the magnitude (although an Ironman PALES!!! in comparison to what they went through) of their battle, I signed up for IM Wisconsin. I had never done a tri before, I could not swim more than 2 laps in the pool, and I only had a cheap mountain bike up to that point , and my longest bike ride had been 25 miles.

Allie died after a five month fight. She was incredibly brave but never was cut any breaks as any and all treatments failed. Alex struggled with more seizures. I trained as hard as I could and sometimes would almost come to tears when I would get up at 5 am to train, not sure what I was capable of doing, tremendous self doubts.

At 1016 pm in September 2003 I crossed the finish line at the IM event. It was a feeling I cannot convey to run past the cheering crowds, Mike Reily shouting "You are an Ironman!!!", and shaking hands at the finish with the pro's who hung around to cheer those in the back of the pack.

Four years later and four more Ironmans under my belt I continue to improve and continue to raise more money and awareness for these charities. Check out the Allie's Angels website, its pretty incredible. From giving emotional support to families, to giving something as simple as a Nintendo Gaming System to a child with only a few months to live (which could mean the world to a child!!), it's about making a difference that counts.

My last IM at Lake Placid 2007 I devoted it to my neice Alex, who by the way was seizure free for over a year at that time and on minimal medications, and just advanced up from the special education classes to be with her peers!

Having gone through the Ironman experience, I have learned much about myself and what I
can do to make a difference in my life and that of others. It is this same energy that keeps me training and using my accomplishments to continue to make a difference in other people's lives.   Jim