For the past few years I have fully embraced into the whole triathlon movement, which usually involves early mornings like this early morning pictured in Pinellas County, Florida. I primarily race in Sprint triathlons, but I have completed Olympic triathlons and will try my first half Ironman (70.3) later this year. I am not sure if I ever have a full Ironman within me but at least I will try the half. Overall, the triathlon experience has been a very rewarding one.
A couple of years ago I participated in an Olympic triathlon in Miami, which provided one of those very memorable experiences. In the Escape to Miami Triathlon, participants rise very early (between 4:30 and 5:30 am) to take a ferry out to Escape Island in the middle of Biscayne Bay. The race involves an approximately one mile swim from the island back to the mainland, followed by a 26 mile bike ride and a 10K run. While I was waiting for the race to begin, and, if I admit it, also feeling a little bit sorry for myself that it was raining and it was early and I had a long way to go, I noticed one particular participant who gathered quite a following. It was obvious that the man was a local celebrity and, as I looked closer, I discovered why. While I was rubbing my two arms to stay warm, this man did not have arms to rub. As it turns out, he had begun his triathlon journey following a bad accident at work that resulted in the loss of both arms. I stopped feeling sorry for myself and marveled at how a man with no arms could complete such an arduous task. Yet, with a specially modified wheelchair and specially modified bike, he was able to finish. I am still not sure how he managed the swim, as I was struggling just to finish it myself, I do know that he completed the race. That visual inspiration still carries me today through countless early triathlon mornings.