Athlete

My passion is endurance sports…

Many times when I describe an Ironman®-distance triathlon to someone I’ve just met, they say: “Why would anyone want to do that?”

For me personally, I love to be taken outside of my comfort zone – to test both my mental tenacity and my physical toughness. I strive to live boldly, and endurance events are my best answer to getting the most challenge out of each day.

My inspiration came from cancer

In 1995, at the age of 23, I discovered a malignant tumor on my right hip. In a moment, I went from being a fit and self-assured Naval officer to a frail cancer patient undergoing painful surgeries and extensive radiation treatment – someone who was suddenly confronted with his own mortality.

It’s no coincidence that I competed in my first triathlon three months after being discharged from the hospital. I walked for exercise until my stitches were removed, and then I slowly began to build my strength, my endurance, and my confidence. When I was ready, I entered a sprint-distance race in Atlantic Beach, Florida. Before the race, I felt out of place and alone, but as soon as the starting gun went off, my anxiety disappeared and I was drawn completely into the dynamics of the race. I crossed the finish line in a little over an hour, finishing in the middle of my age group. I was ecstatic.

I now live my passion

I have finished nearly 100 triathlons including 24 Ironman distance events – which consist of a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bike, and a 26.2-mile run. Not only is triathlon an activity that I love to do, it is also something that inspires and informs the rest of my life. 2007 was an outstanding year for me as an athlete – I set personal best times at the Disney Marathon (2:46) and Challenge Roth (Ironman-distance triathlon) in Germany then won the Vineman Triathlon overall at the age of 36, an age when most athletes would be considered “over the hill.”

Beyond triathlon…

Recently, I have expanded my interests beyond triathlon to other adventure sports and endurance events – for example, in 2008, I spent a week training with the Special Operations Force Academy in Virginia Beach in May then spent a week backpacking in the Swiss Alps in July. Both experiences taught me an enormous amount about myself – both emotionally and physically.  More recently, I picked up the sport of sport climbing and skating (style of cross country skiing).  In the future, I am looking forward to finding new challenges that I can experience, write about and share with others.

More about why I immersed myself in the sport of triathlon: