Well before I ever committed to my Ironman journey I knew that someday I would attempt this event. I also knew that it would be more than just a test of physical endurance. For me Ironman is more of an ideal, a hypothetical. It represents something beyond the physical, something that I may never really achieve, none-the-less a quest worthy of pursuit. When I did my first triathlon (Half Iron distance, Square Lake, MN) in September 2006, it was in an effort to raise money to help a family friend. Kathy Meier, who passed away a year later at the age of 45, was diagnosed with brain cancer in January of 2006. During the spring and summer of that year, family and friends of Kathy were planning a variety of fundraising events. I thought the triathlon would be a good way to help. At the time I committed to the event, at the end of June, I did not even own a bike capable of the 56-mile ride let alone have any real ability to run, natural or otherwise. And yet, I was confident that somehow this would all work out. Sunday, September 10, 2006, the day of the event, was a cold and wet day. I remember standing on the shore of Square Lake with fog coming up off the water (in my rented wetsuit which I had never worn before) anxious about what this day had in store. And although this day brought significant mental and physical challenges for me, the thought of Kathy and her family, and what she and her family would endure over the coming months, paled in comparison. The memory of Kathy, Walt, family, and friends, cheering me on as I crossed the finish line and the irony of the whole thing since it was Kathy that would face a battle which would eventually take her life, and yet, somehow, this event, this day, brought about some sense of hope, some sense of meaning.
So as my Ironman journey starts I’m hopeful that in some small way I’ll be able to bring hope and meaning to others facing life’s challenges. It is to this end that I have decided to participate in the Janus Charity Challenge, and have chosen C.H.I.N. as my charity. In the coming weeks I will provide more information about the Janus Charity Challenge and C.H.I.N. and how you can join me on this journey to Ironman.