I am a 54 year old male who is a LP (little person) who started competing in sprint triathlons in 2009. I have completed more than 50 triathlons, 10 half-iron distance races and 18 marathons, which included both Boston and the NYC Marathons. I have earned a BQ time 4 times. I completed my 1st Ironman in 2016 at Ironman Maryland #BeTheHammer
I watched this past weekend as Chris Nikic raced in and completed Ironman Florida down in Panama City. In doing so, Chris became the first person with Down Syndrome to complete this grueling 140.6 mile race. As was the case when I raced in Ironman Maryland a number of posts about his story have been shared that include the same old tired ableist tropes like,
“What’s your excuse?”
“If this isn’t motivation to get off my ass, I don’t know what is.”
And of course the tried and true “favorite” of mine, “The only real disability is a bad attitude.”
I know that my opinion within the non-disabled world isn’t popular, but I’m going to say it again. Please STOP using disabled people in this manner. It is so demeaning to all of the work that Chris and other athletes, or musicians, or lawyers, or doctors, or ….. have done. Believe it or not, we are just people, living our lives.
Yes, Chris has helped change attitudes and we need to recognize that, but it wasn’t for YOU! And if it was, keep it to yourself. Because, the more you talk about how much it motivates YOU, the more it helps perpetuate the belief that disabled people doing the same things others do is extra-exceptional. Yes, what Chris did is exceptional, but it’s not because he has Down Syndrome. It’s because of society’s VIEW of people with disabilities. And it’s exceptional because most people don’t race in Ironman triathlons.
As I have shared before many times, I’ve spent a lot of my life dealing with people saying things to me like,
“You’re too small”
“You’re not fast enough”
“You’re not big enough”
“You’ll get hurt”
I heard these things a lot when I was younger, and for a long time, I listened. Those things were often said by people who really cared for me. They were worried for my well-being. I even heard that from a number of people at my university when I applied to the program to become a high school math teacher. My advisors worried that teenagers would try and take advantage of my height and that I might have problems dealing with unruly students. To their knowledge, there had never been a high school teacher with dwarfism. Well I said, “What’s wrong with me being the first?” And here I am in my 31st year of teaching high school.
I am not saying that Chris’s story should not be shared or celebrated. On the contrary, share it and celebrate what he has done. But here is where the respect and attention should be concentrated. Chris has done so much for others with Down Syndrome and for the disability community on the whole. He has shown that he can have a dream, train and prepare and then complete an Ironman triathlon. Something no one like him has ever done before. This is just the start for Chris as I am confident that he’ll do amazing things.
Since I raced in Ironman Maryland and continue to swim, bike and run, I still get messages from families with young children with dwarfism who tell me they’ve shared my story with their own child’s teachers or coaches. They’ve done so, so that others can see that we can do the same things as everyone else, we just might have to do them, a little differently. Those letters and notes mean the world to me.
Or when I get a note from another athlete who struggled in a race and was really thinking about giving up and said to themselves “Be the Hammer” and tells me how they pushed through and finished the race. We all have struggles and challenges and we are here to help each other. It’s the total strangers that see me out there and don’t know who I am or how I got there in life and say, “WOW! If he can do it, I sure can too”. Well no, maybe you can’t.
What we need to do is change the attitudes of people that the disabled community is not here to motivate the general public. We are here to motivate ourselves and change the attitudes of those around us, so that when we go shopping, or out to dinner, or play soccer, or go for a run, or race in a triathlon, people are not AMAZED. They are just happy to see us out there living life and if they want to join us or cheer us on, then great! I truly believe that if we all spend more time racing ourselves, rather than racing others, we’d be in a lot better place. Come and run WITH ME, there’s lots of room!
Running with Achilles Guide Nacho Valle in the 2017 NYC Marathon.
I earned my 3rd BQ at that race.
So after racing IM Maryland and stopping my quest at mile 16 of the run, I had two choices. Rest, recover and reload for another go at an Ironman race in 2018, or come up with a new goal. I decided for the later. Deep in my heart, I am confident I will return to Ironman racing. I am also pretty sure it will be in Maryland. As I have stated numerous times, the Cambridge, MD community opens their collective arms to their Ironman visitors. And as I have also stated, Gerry Boyle is an unparalleled race director. Ask any multiple Ironman finisher, who has raced Maryland, I am sure they will all agree.
So my next task was to come up with a new goal. I thought of one of my good friends, Becca Pizzi, the first American woman to complete the World Marathon Challenge. She currently holds the women's record for this race. This challenge is 7 marathons, in 7 days on 7 different continents. There is NO WAY I could complete this task, nor would I try. But my idea is something similar, though not on the same scale.
I have decided that starting with the 2018 Boston Marathon, I am going to complete 12 marathons in 12 months. If I am successful, I will be the first person with dwarfism to complete this goal. I have to date completed 10 stand-alone marathons, and think I have completed the most by anyone with dwarfism. All of this since 2009, when I completed my first, multi-sport race, a sprint triathlon, at the age of 43. I will be turning 52 at the end of January.
I hope to race Boston and finish in less than 6 hours, giving me another BQ time, so I can then race Boston 2019, as the last of my 12 marathons. Luckily this year's Boston is on April 16th, and in 2019, the race will be on April 15th. If all goes according to plan, I will be finishing my 12th marathon on the 6th anniversary of the tragic events that happened in 2013, when the finish line of the marathon was attacked. On that day, I was racing and was stopped less than a mile from the finish line. My wife Sue and son Owen were waiting at the finish line, but were not physically harmed by the blasts.
The trick now is to plan all of those races. I have to try and juggle training, recovery, travel, work, and family life all around this year long task. At this point I have the following races planned, And race in BOLD is either confirmed, or very close to being confirmed.
2018 April 16th - Boston Marathon May 9th - Toronto Marathon (Lifetime Fitness)* May 27th - Vermont City Marathon*
June 24th - Sanford Marathon, Sandford, ME August 11th - Sweltering Summer Marathon* - Pittsfield, MA September 1st - Nightglow Marathon - Hamilton, OH October 8th - Newport Marathon* - Newport, RI
November 4th - New York City Marathon
January 13th - Carlsbad Marathon or RnR Arizona or MLK Marathon in Atlanta, GA
February 24th - Hyannis Marathon
Mar11th - RnR Washington DC
April 15th - Boston Marathon
I am grateful that a number of these races (*) have offered me either partial or fully complimentary entries into their races.
I also want to thank Achilles International for their continued support of me as an athlete. My work with the athletes and guides from both the NYC and Boston chapters has been invaluable. My coaches, Brian Hammond, and Travis Hawkins from WORKLIVETRI have been amazing resources and mentors, helping me become a stronger and smarter athlete.
Thank you also to Champion Systems, Seven Cycles, HED Wheels, Blue Seventy, Surf Butta, and Salem Cycle.
I hope to still race two triathlons this summer. I will return to race the NYC Triathlon (8th year in a row for me!) and also the Pumpkinman Triathlon.
Worrying about jellyfish stings I prepped with “Safe swim” before getting my wetsuit on. Sue and Owen were with me by swim start as we watched the sunrise. I had been told that the PC athletes were getting a 10 or 15 minute head start and only found out right then, that we would only be given a 2 minute head start. As we approached the start area and were told to enter the water I then realized we were only to be given a 100m lead and would have the best swimmers in the race right behind us when the cannon went off. Here I was about to swim my longest distance ever with 1000+ athletes on my tail. I should have asked at that moment to go back with other swimmers of my own speed. But I didn't. And then I saw the jellies all around me. I immediately took my hands out of the water and dug my feet into the sand. I'm not blaming this on anyone. I should have been more assertive in finding out exactly how things were going to go.
Then BOOM! It was on. I started swimming and the bodies were on me in less than 30 seconds. For 20 minutes until the first turn buoy, I was being hammered. Over and behind me, I was getting hit and kicked. No one grabbed me, but for about 10 secs I honestly thought I was going to have to stop. I managed to settle my breathing down and remembered what worked in the past. Each time someone touched me, I relaxed and glided with my arms by my ears, while still kicking. At the first turn things settled down for a bit, but for the remainder of the swim bodies would often seem to just swim into and over my path. Maybe it was my own misguided swimming?
The first lap was good in terms of time, along with the first leg of the second lap but then I realized the current had picked up. I went down the outside lap very quickly and then turned to the finish. Then I really found out how fast the current was. I aimed for the finish chute, would take a few strokes and then look up only to be aiming far down river. During the second lap I also passed over a jellie and then got stung on my foot. Nothing bad, it just pinched for a few minutes. Dealing with the other swimmers was much more of a worry.
I was aiming for a 1:53 swim and instead ended up out of the water in 2:07:58. What should have been a 4224 yd swim came up as 4900 yds on my watch. I think the course may have been a bit long, but obviously, my sighting was way off. When I exited the water, I used the wetsuit strippers and then ran off to change for the bike.
Photo by Mindy Randall
I was actually able to run to T1 to grab my bike bag and get changed. I took a lot longer than planned, taking 10:36 to get changed and onto my SEVEN. It was a pretty long run through to get my bike and get out. I was happy at the number of bikes still left in transition as I was thinking I was one of the last out of the water.
The bike course is extremely flat but at spots, is subject to some fierce winds. The first 10+ miles takes you through Cambridge and then out to the high school where the first water stop is. Once I left the high school and headed out, the wind from the south kicked in. It was pretty strong. I was only able to maintain about 13mph for the next 20 miles or so. Once I reached the bottom of the loop and started heading back north, I was able to maintain some faster speed (15.5-16 mph). Unfortunately, both the cadence and power were not being picked up by my Garmin, so I had to do my best to work by “feel”. The fuel stops were all well run and I was able to get both water and Gatorade each time without having to stop. I can’t put a bottle anywhere, so I have to pour what I can into my aero bottle and then drink what I can before ditching the bottles. Every 45 min or so I consumed either a honey stinger GINSTENG or an un-crustable sandwich. When I got back to the high school I hit bike special needs. Just before that, Sue and Owen were there and what a happy sight it was to see them.
I refueled with my bottle of prepared Carbo-Pro, more sandwiches, and another bottle of Honey Stingers. I also grabbed my spare tube, just so it didn’t go to waste. After a stop in the porta-potty, I was on my way for lap 2. The winds seemed stronger now, but for some reason, I felt stronger as well. My average speed was down a bit but I tried to stay a bit more aero. This is when I started to get some added confidence as I was starting to pass other cyclists, some of whom had passed me earlier in the race. Using 20 inch wheels I have to turn my wheels 35% more to go the same distance as a cyclist with 27 inch wheels. Not taking anything away from them, but each pass gave me more and more confidence. All in all, I was able to pass 8 cyclists. Once I started heading back north again, I was able to pick up some good speed. At one point though when I seemed to be all alone, a large hawk swooped down near me and circled around. I seriously wondered if it was going to dive at me. It then flew away, but for a little while I was wondering if I was being followed.
When I reached the 100 mile marker, I just had to go a little bit until the hairpin turn back into town and past the last water stop. I rode by and got my last bottles and realized I was about to complete my longest bike ride to date. Kind of cool, since I had just completed my longest swim ever.
All of a sudden I felt something crawling inside the bake of my bike jersey. I kept trying to lift it up and get whatever it was to leave, but no luck. I had already been stung by a jellyfish, so what the heck, why not a wasp. I cycled hard to get back to transition and was “happy:” to see the bike course was coming up a bit short. This was “ok” to me since I had felt I had swum further than 2.4 miles. Just outside of transition I could see both Sue and Owen again, which was a real boost to my morale. My bike time was a 7:48:33, which was only about 5 minutes off my goal time. The time of day was about 4:45pm, so I had made the bike cut-off (5:30pm) by plenty of time.
When I racked my bike, I lifted off my bike jersey to see a nice big wasp fly out. Lucky no sting. I had grabbed a bag of chips from my special needs bag and proceeded to eat them walking “fast” to get changed for the run. I actually felt pretty good, but knew I was going to need a 6:40 marathon in order to finish under 17 hours. I knew that was a tall order with a stand-alone marathon PR of 5:50, but I was going to give it my best shot.
And now, for the run. I got my run gear bag and went into the changing tent. I was surprised how good I felt being upright after being on my bike for almost 8 hours. Again, the change was a lot slower than I had hoped. I did a full change, getting into running shorts and a singlet. I got some sunscreen on, a visor, sunglasses and proceeded to put my headlamp into my run belt as I headed out of the tent. I had 3 fuel-belt bottles of CARBO-PRO along with enough Honey Stingers to keep me going for the run. Just as I left transition, I saw my friend Arlene who was helping with sunscreen. I had her smear my face and shoulders and off I went. The time of day was 5:04pm, which meant I needed to complete the marathon in 6 hours 41 minutes to make the cut-off, since I was in the water at 6:45am. This was going to be a TALL order, but I was willing to “go for it”.
They had a water stop outside of transition, but at this point, I was good to go. There would be sunlight for about the next hour and a half and then some dark times ahead. OK, my first mile was a 15:06. If I could maintain that, or even a bit slower, things would be OK. Not long outside of transition, I met up with my dear friend Woody Freese. He is from MA and we have raced together a number of times and even done a couple of training rides. Not soon after meeting him, Eric Randall showed up. Both Woody and I were on lap one, but Eric was already on lap two. The course winds up into a residential area and even and then to turn around that is sort of surrounded by corn fields. Along with the amazing volunteers who run the aid stations, Rebecca Redmer and her son Luke were there again this year at Longboat Estates. He is one special kid who really helped to boost my spirits. More so on the next lap, which I’ll mention in a minute.
I headed back to loop around transition, but my pace was starting to suffer. Most of my mile paces were in the 16:30 or slower range, which weren’t going to get me there in time. I managed to meet up with Woody again and we stayed together until we returned to transition. We have to run around there and then down into the downtown area of Cambridge. The hardest part is that you pass by the FINISH LINE 5 times before actually getting to go into the chute. As I went downtown things were still hopping and the cheering fans were a real boost. At this point, I was at about 10 miles into the run, but really slowing down. I went back through transition and then back onto the darker streets to start lap 2. It was time to get my head-lamp on and see what I could do with fewer people on the course to talk with, to, or even at. By this time, my mile paces were up into the low 17:00 which was a bad sign. Again the aid stations were awesome, some with music and all with food and now also chicken broth. With the sun going down it was getting a little “cooler” but nowhere near cold.
By now I had to start making some decisions. It was obvious I wasn’t going to make the 17:00 hour deadline. My friend Adama Guesso, working for WTC. was on the course along with another friend Eric Knight volunteering down by the finish line, both basically said, if I wanted to make the cut-off, I needed to GET moving. As I passed Rebecca and her son again and then to the turnaround, it was DARK. They had huge spotlights out, but there were still really dark sections. It was at this point, I was thinking I was the last one out there. After the turnaround I realized I wasn’t and I passed other runners, including “NUT”, Heather, but my fate was determined. Luke came up to me and was on rollerblades and asked if I wanted some company. The bummed part of me wanted to be alone, but the rest of me said, “SURE”. Dare I tell him, I’m thinking of stopping? I decided I’d try a bit more. I got back down to the next water-stop, asked who was in charge, and told her I wanted to withdraw. At this point I had done 16.2 miles in about 4:35:59 and been racing for about 14 hrs and 45 min.
I think I need to explain why I QUIT.
It was dark and I was a little dizzy, but nothing where I thought I would fall. I had promised Sue through all of this, that I would never do something risky (like race an Ironman? LOL) where I might be feeling unsafe.
Now, I am 100% sure, I could have kept going and finished the 140.6 miles. It would have been well after midnight, but I know I could get there, but here is the thing. I want to again complete an Ironman under the RULES for the day. The rules were simple, cross the finish line in under 17 hours. I didn’t want to cross and say I finished the distance. I didn’t want a medal, hat, or t-shirt I didn’t earn.
There were MANY successes that day. I completed my longest swim ever and longest bike ever and then proceeded to run 16 miles. I think what I was most happy about was that I was racing for almost 15 hours and I did not hear a single person make any reference to my short-stature. I certainly heard a few people yell, “Be the Hammer!” One athlete passed me and mentioned that she had seen the video about me Ironman produced for the “Welcome Night” and said it was great, but wondered why it also didn’t mention that I was 51 years old!! If you don’t know, we have our ages written on our calf so other athletes know if they are coming up on an athlete from the same age-group.
I do feel I did FAIL in that I did not reach my primary goal of finishing a 140.6 Ironman distance race. I DO NOT consider the day a failure. Ten years ago, I had no desire, goal or dream of being where I am today. I hope that both children with dwarfism and able-bodied children as well, see me out there and think, “WOW! I can do anything if I want to bad enough.”
Will I race an Ironman again someday. I sure hope so!!
A long list of thank-yous. Sue, Owen, Kat Bateman, Achilles International, Tri-Achilles NYC, Achilles Boston, Brian Hammond, Travis Hawkins, Dick Traum, Pingree School, Seven Cycles, Champion Systems, Blue Seventy, Hed Wheels, Surf Butta, Gerry Boyle and Claire Cloutier, the race-director of the first multi-sport race I even did back in 2009. She never thought twice about me entering her race.
126.2 miles of tears, smiles laughs, adaptation, but mostly JOY!!!
2 Timothy 4:7 I have
fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.
You read all the time that an Ironman really isn’t earned on
race day, but it’s really earned through all the training for the months leading up to the
race. I don’t think that could have been
more true for me on my journey to that finish line on October 1st, a little
after 10pm.
Well, how many times did things not go perfectly well during my
training? Quite a few times, that’s for
sure. Most people will remember the
NUMEROUS flat tires I experienced during my rides up coastal MA and NH. You’d think I was riding over glass, tacks,
and nails all of the time. Well, it sure
got me prepared to fix flats. Of course, with all the racing I did this season, I didn’t flat during a single race,
especially not during IMMD!
I went through the entire season without a single injury. I
certainly increased the mileage covering 3168 miles in 2015 and a total of 3564
from Jan 1st up to and including race day on October 1st. Regular visits to my
chiropractor and my two fav massage therapists helped keep everything in
line.
Wednesday
We headed down to Maryland on the Wednesday prior to race
day. Most Ironman races are on Sundays,
but IMMD has there race on a Saturday.
The drive down was uneventful and we arrived in Salisbury, MD just after
dinner time. We decided to spend the
first two nights in Salisbury and then would move into Cambridge to stay at the
host hotel from Friday until we left for home on Monday morning.
Thursday
We headed into Cambridge for package pick-up on Thursday
morning. I went in with the intention of
swimming in the Choptank and then having a ride on the course for a bit. Now it had rained most of the night on the
eastern shore there and there was lots of flooding in the area and many schools
had a delayed start. When I looked at
the river, to say I was nervous was an understatement. It was real windy with a
lot of chop (remember, Choptank river?).
I decided I didn’t need the swim, so I got my bike out and did about
12-15 miles. Very flat as I had expected
and the wind was pretty strong at times.
Nothing I hadn’t seen riding up 1A in NH! When I was done with the ride, I dropped my
bike with Sue and Owen.
Looking at the Choptank River
My friend Ken Sirani had come to race MD as well and we
decided to tour the entire bike course to get a good look at where we would be
riding. I took the role of navigator and
off we went. The roads of the course
were in excellent shape. Only a few
spots to be be aware of. Things were
going great and then we hit mile 24 on the course. FLOODED ROADS. We had heard of this and people said it
happens often. But seriously, about ½ a
mile of water, sometimes, more that 6 inches deep at least. That was the only concern, but it was
certainly a big one.
Ken dropped me off back in Salisbury and then Sue, Owen, and
I headed back to Cambridge for the Opening Ceremony and Parade of Nations. It was a great event where they even gave me
a shout-out for being the first person with dwarfism who would be racing in an
Ironman. We were able to sit with my friends
Mindy and Eric Randall. I have done a
few triathlons with Eric and I have always respected his hard work and drive.
He is always positive and up-beat. Mindy
is also a terrific athlete who was there to support Eric’s race. She's an amazing photographer as well. I would see her numerous times during the day
on Saturday and her pictures and cheers really helped keep me positive that I would
complete the race.
We got some dinner (Subway) and then headed back to the
hotel. The rain just kept coming and it would rain most of the night. I did have
a GREAT night of sleep. An important
thing to try and do two nights before a big race.
Friday
We got up Friday morning and then headed into Cambridge to
the Hyatt Hotel. They already had our
room ready and so we dropped off all of our stuff. It was then that I got a text from my friend
Trevor who was racing along with his buddy Vinnie. They also live up on the North Shore here in MA and we had all raced Timberman 70.3 last year. They had been downtown in Cambridge and had
taken a pic of a sign at the Chamber of Commerce. It simply said, “Go John! Be the Hammer” All I could say was, “WOW!”
Dorchester Chamber of Commerce
We headed in the Cambridge for lunch. I had been doing my best to hydrate most of
the day remembering to drink whenever I had the chance. We
went to a lovely little restaurant in the downtown area called Katie Mae’s
Country Shoppe. Not a lot of tables, but
filled with a few locals, other athletes and GREAT FOOD. I had spaghetti and meatballs along with a
salad (HUGE). We didn’t have room for
dessert. I then needed to check in my
bike. We returned to the hotel to get my
bike, bike bag and run bag. We dropped off Owen to spend some time in the hotel unattended. Heck, they had an arcade, so he was happy
with that. When we got to transition,
parking around there was a s***-show.
The RD had made it quite clear that parking was not allowed on the
streets, but a lot of people were simply ignoring that rule. I didn’t blame the RD for getting upset and
when he started to ask people their bib numbers warning they would be penalized
or possibly DQed if they ignored the no parking order, people started to
listen. I was happy Sue was able to
simply drop me off with my bike and bags.
The wind was still pretty strong and when I racked my bike I noticed
since the front wheel did not touch the ground, the bike was rocking back and
forth. All it would take was a strong
gust and #TheAnvil might fall off of the rack.
Wouldn’t you know it when a volunteer saw my dilemma and without me
asking he hopped on his bike, rode home and brought back two bungee cords for me
to use. A photographer also offered me a
reusable twist tie. The bike was secure
and I called Sue to come back and get me.
We returned to the hotel and Sue and Owen decided to head
out to the mall for a bit (or maybe they went to the mall earlier, I can’t
really remember) as Deb and Mimi from CNN wanted to spend some time having
me answer a few last minute questions prior to the big day. “How do you feel?”, “What if you don’t
finish?”, etc. I can’t remember if it
was before this interview or after, but we received news from Ironman Maryland
that the bike course would be shortened by 8 miles due to all the
flooding. What Ken and I had seen on
Thursday was now a lot worse. I kept
saying to myself, “Worry about what you can control.” The weather and course
changes were out of my hand. All I could
do was prepare and do my best to adapt to any changes.
I went back to my room to make sure all of my bags were
packed. Clothes set out for the morning with a morning bag and both special
needs bag. I also had to get all my
nutrition bottles ready. Rather than
fumbling with individual gels I bought these small bottles from CVS (intended
for shampoo) and I filled 3 of them with Honey Stinger Gels (3 in each). I prepared 5 bottles with CARBO-PRO. Two for the bike, two for bike special needs
and one for the morning to drink. In my
bike special needs, I put the bottles, one gel bottle, packets of chamois
butter, packets of Biofreeze and a zip lock bag of potato chips. My coach Brian had messaged me that he had
heard about the course change. He
reminded me to check my nutrition plan, because along with the shortening of
the course, a bike aid station would be removed. I needed to make sure I had enough fuel to
make it from Aid#1 now to Aid#3, about 20 miles instead of 15 or so.
It was time for dinner and without batting an eye I wanted
to go back to Katie Mae’s for dinner. I
had an awesome meal of “stick to your ribs” chicken and dumplings. The local paper had a story about me racing
IMMD and the staff at the restaurant said they’d be out cheering in the morning
since the run course went right by their shoppe. Off we went back to the hotel. All that was left for the evening was to
check and re-check my gear and try to get some sleep.
Saturday
I awoke around 1:30AM to hit the bathroom. I knew I’d need some added energy and so at
that time I drank a PowerBar Vanilla shake.
Luckily I managed to get back to sleep.
I set my alarm for 3:45AM and was up right away. Breakfast
was two small cinnamon raisin bagels with PB along with an orange and banana
and a small cup of coffee. I also
started drinking my bottle with carbo-pro.
Got changed, gave Owen a big hug (he was up for some reason) and I
headed out the door. The hotel was
supplying a shuttle to the swim start and I just missed it when I got down to
the lobby. I quickly texted Deb and Mimi
and they swung by to get me. Can you
tell I was feeling anxious?
The ride down to the start took no time at all and Deb and
Mimi dropped me off two blocks from the entrance to transition. They needed to go and park and then bring the
cameras down to start documenting the day. I walked down the block and the
first shock of the day appeared. The
road to transition was flooded. The
volunteers were saying it was due to the tide and would be gone by the time we
were on the bike. All I was worried about was our bike and run bags hoping they
had been kept dry. I went to find my
bike bag to get out two of the bottles for my bike (I should not have put them
in the bike bag and simply brought them with me in the AM). My bag was fine and all was dry inside. I had double-bagged it just in case, but you
never know. The bib sticker on the bag
left me a bit worried and in the future I will remember to bring a sharpie so I
can number EVERYTHING just in case.
I returned to my bike, loaded up the bottles and this is
when I first saw Brian, my coach. He had
traveled down from NYC to support me and witness this amazing day. Knowing he would be there encouraging me and
“kicking my ass” all day was a true relief.
Race start time was fast approaching.
I got out my SURF BUTTA and asked Brian to help apply it to my shoulders
etc, where my Blue Seventy Helix was most likely to give me some chaffing if
not attended to. I took a couple of
puffs of my inhaler, ate my apple-sauce grabbed my wetsuit, goggles and
caps. I put all my clothes in the
morning bag and went to drop it off.
Then the short walk to swim start. I didn’t want to get my suit on until I was
on some grass. Another trip to the
porta-potty for a ”pee”.
**Bodily function post coming up** I consider myself VERY
LUCKY in the fact that on most race days, except for one when I was battling a
little bug, I only ever need two trips to the “loo” for #2. I have always been
able to do those prior to leaving home or the hotel.
I got to swim start, found a nice patch of grass and got my
wetsuit on and then went looking for some of the officials. They told me the PC athletes would be leaving
before the AG athletes started. The AG athletes were told to self-seed based
on speed and would enter the water one or two at a time. Not the conventional mass-start that many
triathletes feel is the ONLY way to start a triathlon. It is used in a lot of races now to try and
reduce the anxiety that some athletes experience.
When I got to the start, Brian was there and I found Sue and
Owen as well. I went to the water’s edge to so some pre-race sighting. The water was pretty rough but I was prepared
to do this! One of the volunteers gave
me some great sighting advice on what to aim for on the first long leg. With about 10 minutes to start I put on my
caps. I always wear two caps and had
brought one of my Pingree Swim Team caps to wear under my purple Ironman
Maryland cap. It was then that they
announced that the swim start was going to be delayed by 30 minutes.
Photo by M.Schiffman
It was still a little dark, but they said
they hoped that once the sun was up fully, the water and wind might settle down
a bit. I have no idea where that comes
from, but the announcer mentioned that is what happened at last year’s
race. I wasn’t around a lot of other
athletes at this time and I truly feel that was best, FOR ME. I wasn’t having to listen to complaints or
worries by others. I have really worked
on concentrating on what I can control and the weather is not something I can
control. Nor can I control the decisions
made by the RD and his committee.
Now Gerry Boyle, the RD is an amazing man. This was my first Ironman race, and all I
have been hearing from other seasoned Ironman athletes is that Gerry is in a
class all his own. He is active on the
IM Maryland facebook page quickly answering athlete’s questions. When I first posted I wanted to race IM
Maryland almost a year ago, Gerry reached out to me right away. Letting me know he was more than happy I had
chosen this race and he would answer any questions I had along the way. He did, every-time I asked.
With about 10 minutes to go before the adjusted start the
kayaks and SUP started to go out to take their positions and there was a cheer
from the crowd. This race was going to
START!! I gave Sue and Owen another hug, knelt down and said a special
prayer. I don’t pray to be fast and I
don’t pray to win. I pray to keep safe,
keep the other athletes safe, race the best race I can and if I don’t finish,
understand there is a reason for that.
I didn’t want to see what saw next. The water safety people started coming back
in. And then the dreaded announcement
came that the swim portion of the race had to be canceled. I would later hear that the USCG had issued a
small craft warning and instructed the RD they could not have the swim. I am confident the vast majority of the
swimmers were prepared to start. But
2000 athletes in rough water and wind along with kayakers who are struggling to
control their own craft is a recipe for some real trouble.
They announced we were all to get back to the changing
tents, change into our cycling gear. We
would have a TT start commencing at 7:50AM (35 minutes later). I think they should have done something to
organize who got changed when, because basically all of us tried to find our
own small spot to get changed. I was bib
11 (the lowest one in this race) and then heard they were going to start in bib
order. Heck, I was going to be LEADING
the Ironman for a while. Athletes were told if they were with their bikes, they
needed to keep them racked until their numbers were called. I would later find out that it took about 2
hours to get all the riders started. It
makes sense as they can’t have all of us start at the same time. That would be a recipe for disaster leading
to overcrowded roads, with possible crashes and a real mess at the aid
stations for sure.
So let’s take a second to go over all the ups and
downs. Crazy wind and rain Thursday and
Friday. Flooded roads leading to the bike being shortened. Flooded roads
walking to transition, swim delay by 30 minutes and then swim cancellation. Talk about having to adjust to race day
conditions. We did notice numerous
athletes leaving transition, choosing not to race. I can totally understand if there are more
Ironman races in their season. Why expend
the energy on a non 140.6 race? But they
had already come to race on a shortened bike course, so I’m not sure why DNS now?
Totally their choice and I would never criticize another athlete’s
decision. Once I started, what other
unexpected things would occur?
Photo by M. Schiffman
As I neared the starting line, the officials reminded me to
run my bike out of transition and mount at the indicated line. Gerry came over and whispered a little
encouragement in my ear. And then I was
off. I ran up, mounted #TheAnvil and off
I went. The streets were lined with fans
cheering, yelling, with lots of cowbell too.
I heard a number of people yell, “Be The Hammer” and it was amazing. I quickly got into aero position and hunkered
down for a 6+ hour ride.
Video by Owen Young
Every 45 minutes or so I had a gel or an uncrustable
sandwich. I reached the first aid
station around mile 14 (at the high school) before my bottle emptied, so I
simply grabbed a Gatorade and filled up my aero bottle, took sips of what was
left and then chucked the bottle. It was after this aid station that we entered
the first loop of the two loop course.
Bike special needs would be when I returned to the high school. This is where the wind really picked up. There would be parts of the course sheltered
by trees, but a lot of it was wide open marshland. I think I face less of a wind being smaller,
but it still seemed to be a factor. I
never felt like I was getting blown around though, and that was good. Every 30 minutes or so, I would stand up out
of my saddle and pump my legs really hard.
I was conscious of the fact that I didn’t want to stay in the same
position all day long. That would be
recipe for disaster. One thing I could
not do at all, was coast. With such a
flat course and with no hills to climb, there are also no downhills. I chose to use a bike computer instead of my
watch as I worried about the battery on the 920xt lasting for 16+ hours. For some reason, I didn’t check everything
and the cadence sensor wasn’t working so I didn’t have that to monitor. It had been previously, so not sure why that
happened. I saw Brian a few times on the
bike course and it always gave me a great boost. There weren’t a lot of spectators, but the
ones that were out there were great. All
of the aid stations were terrific with lots of people cheering and making a ton
of noise.
I reached the adjusted course turn where I would now be on
roads I had not seen when we drove the course on Thursday. It seemed somewhat sheltered and there were
actually some gentle downhills, or so they seemed. It wasn’t a chance to rest, but I did seem to
get some good speed going. It was now that I realized it might be a good chance to use my bottle of Carbo-Pro on my
rear cage. With my shorter arms, I can’t
reach it while riding, so I had to stop, get off the bike and dump it in. I probably lost about a minute or so between
when I started to brake until I was back up to speed.
The weather at this point was total cloud cover. The forecast said rain was to start around
10AM and they were bang on. It started
coming down pretty steady for a while and then even poured quite a bit. Nothing like the monsoon I had rode in at
Pumpkinman. I was making sure not to
ride on any painted lines, so as to not slip.
In terms of how I felt, there were really no problems. When muscles seemed to stiffen, I shifted my
position. Hands, arms, and shoulders
were all good. I’m sure that might had been different had I done the swim.
All the aid station stops were the same, in that I would
take a Gatorade bottle, dump it in and then continue. A few times I would grab a banana, eat it
right away and chuck the peel along with the empty bottle. I had all the gels and sandwiches I needed in
my Champion System bike jersey. I also
managed to put in an additional tube and CO2 cartridge, that thankfully I would
never need. I had enough practice with
flats during training and it would be an added relief not to have to worry about them
at all on this day.
Photo by J. Model
When I got to bike special needs. I wanted to make sure I
took my time and didn’t miss anything. I
called out my bib number and a volunteer had my bag for me the moment I
stopped. I asked someone to hold my bike
and they were happy to help. I got off
the bike, ripped the bag open and quickly changed out my bike cage bottle,
filled my aero bottle. I also changed
out my gel bottle. I also put two more
sandwiches into my jersey along with a small bag of chips. I then took some
chamois butter and applied it to the inside of my shorts. I also used the Bio freeze on both of my
knees as they had started to feel a bit sore. It looks like the stop took me no
more than 2 minutes.
I was off for the 2nd loop.
I tried my best to recall landmarks in the hopes that it would then help
me mentally. It was very reassuring now,
as I was halfway into my ride. The rain
lingered a bit but the real downpours did not return. I managed to complete the 2nd loop without
needing to stop and refill from my own bottle.
The course was well staffed with course marshals and police. I did notice a few riders pass real close to
my left without saying anything and at least one pass on my right. Most announced their presence, with many
calling out, “Go Hammer” or something like that. Whenever someone yelled “Be the Hammer” I
often had the same response, “All day long baby, all day long.”
Whenever an athlete says something like, “You inspire me”, I always yell back, “And you inspire me too!!!”
One athlete said something to me that kind of pissed me off. He said something to the effect of how crappy
I must feel choosing this race as my first Ironman. Obviously implying I should be disappointed
because the course was shortened. My
reply was, “Whatever”. I think he was
pissed off with my reply, but I really didn’t care.
When I reached the end of the second loop, the distance I
thought I had left was quite a bit shorter than it should have been had we had
the 104 mile course as they had indicated.
The way back was still flat but with more turns as we rode into
Cambridge. As I rode down the last street
into transition, I passed runners heading out and there were plenty of fans
cheering. I looked at the bike computer and it wasn’t even at 100 miles. The course was actually even shorter than
they had said. Either they miscalculated
or they had to shorten it even more.
Either way, I got to the dismount line, got off my bike and
went to rack it. Well, they had actually
moved my rack. Once I placed the bike, I
was able to give both Sue and Owen a hug and had the worse run of my life
heading back into transition to change for the run. 6+ hours on a bike and lots of muscles were
stiff. Running in cycling shoes isn’t easy either. I was got my bike back and went to change. I remembered what Brian had said and took my
time. The most important thing is to try
and be more comfortable for the run. I
had decided a full change. I completely
stripped down, vaselined and lubed what I could and dressed. I put on running shorts, my Achilles running
(not tri jersey) shirt, Work Live Tri visor, socks and shoes.
I put on my Fuel Belt and made sure to put gloves and arm warmers in the
empty bottle sleeve (I would never need them).
I also put on a headlamp which I was really glad to have later. One guy asked to borrow my vaseline and I
said one thing to him, “No double dipping.”
That got a laugh from others around us.
I put all my bike gear into the run bag, tied it up, gave it to a
volunteer and proceeded out to the run.
Before we got out on the road we had to run around the
outside of transition. It was somewhat muddy and I did what I could to avoid most
of it. Once out onto the road, things
were actually a lot better than I had hoped.
Photo by M. Randall
Photo by Brian Hammond
I wanted to try and keep my initial pace under 16:00 minute miles and I
was able to do that for most of the first 8 miles or so. The course is a left-right out and back three
times where we pass most areas a total of six times. It is just as flat as the
bike course with only a couple of very slight gradual hills. When I did the first out and back and was heading
back towards transition, another athlete heading back out said, there were some
puddles in town. HMMM, more
flooding. And that’s when I saw it, first at transition, water and mud
everywhere. This marathon had now turned
into something of a mud run, or Spartan race.
I would experience more water downtown.
It was at this time that I kind of threw my hands in the air and thought
any kind of paced run was going to be pretty hard. I had soaking feet and then it didn’t take
long for the blisters to come. I had
thought about taking my shoes and socks off for the water, but then thought
what if step on something under the water?
Now for the other athletes the water was maybe calf or close to knee
deep at the deepest point. For me that
meant thigh deep and even higher. So
high that at one point, my “bits” were getting wet. Certainly time for another
laugh. We were actually doing the SWIM
at last.
The downtown area on the first pass was amazing. Lots of spectators cheering and yelling. This course is a bit of tease because you
actually have to pass the finish chute 5 times before you get to enter it.
Back through transition again, with the mud, and out to
Jenkins Creek Road. I would have to go
all the way out twice. On my first lap
there were some kids holding signs saying GO HAMMER. It truly made my day to see them. Well, on my 2nd time out there, it was
getting dark now, but there were more kids with signs. They truly saved my spirits at that time as I
was doing a lot of walking. Well, I
managed to get back to running again.
Brian popped up a number of times, but I had not seen Sue and Owen since
I left on the run and was getting worried.
Brian had tried to text Sue, but no luck. When I saw Deb and Mimi they could tell I was
bummed. Runners could too as they were
yelling at me to pick up my head!!! Good advice for sure. I asked Deb to text Sue and she got her and
was able to tell me they were getting my bike and bags from transition.
What a relief that was knowing that both Sue and Owen were ok and
were somewhere around the course. I continued on, feeling good all over in
terms of nutrition, hydration and all of my body, except the blisters on my
feet. I continued to drink my Carbo-pro
on my fuel belt. When that got low, I
re-filled the bottles with Gatorade at the aid stations. When I felt I needed it, I had a banana, or
orange slice and even some chips when they were available. A lot of the stops had cookies too and even
warm soup. The only thing I wasn’t happy
with was the water they had. I noticed
them filling the cups with water from a hose, and it tasted like it. When I got to the turn around on my 2nd
loop out by the bypass a friendly face appeared. Not someone I’d met before but someone I knew
through fb and our mutual friend, Caroline Gaynor. It was Tina Ament. She is a VI para-triathlete who had raced IM
Maryland last year along with Caroline as her guide. She said she had been tracking me all day and
she was helping out at the aid station.
I left the turn-around knowing I would not need to go back
that far on my third loop. I was more
than ½ way done now. I find reaching the
½ way point of any race gives me a boost and the best part of a triathlon is
that I experience that during each leg, so three different times. I saw those kids with the “Hammer” signs one
last time and was sure to HIGH-5 as many of them as I could. It was starting to get real dark now and I’m
glad I had my light on. It felt really good knowing
when I came back out this way I wouldn’t need to go out this far. As I got back down near transition an athlete
going back out said, that she had seen Sue and Owen with my bike. As I neared the entrance to transition, I
started yelling, “Sue, Sue,….. Sue”. And
then she yelled back. They were
with Brian and my bike. A big hug and
kiss for both of them. At this point I
had about 6 miles left, so that meant about 90 more minutes of running. They would have time to get my bike to the
car and then get back to the finish line to see me complete my race.
What a boost this was.
It was a relief to see a lot less water on the roads now, but transition
was still really muddy. Add to that all
the other athletes getting their bikes and gear along with shuttles along the
roads and things were a bit crazy. I
needed to really watch where I was going.
I passed Vinnie and Trevor who had both finished. I hit the turnaround right downtown and told
people I would be back one more time if they wanted to wait. A number of people said they would, and you
know what? They were there my last time
through about an hour or so later.
Again through the muddy transition and back up for my third
loop. This would be a shorter loop as I
only had to go up to Bayview and then turn back for the finish. It was totally dark now and they had some
spot lights up, but my headlamp was invaluable.
I could see the road and what’s better, is that other runners could see
me. My pace had slowed considerably, but
I was still managing some running along with walking. I wasn’t really paying attention to my watch
and I know my discipline all broke down with having to walk through the water
and mud. Just excuses I know, but at
least I was still moving forward and feeling good about what I was about to
accomplish. “HEAD UP JOHN”!!! There it was again from another runner. I went through transition for the last
time. I did pass run special needs 5
times and in the end I didn’t use it. I
had a long sleeved shirt, some chips, fresh socks and some CARBO-PRO
powder. In the end I don’t think I
really needed it. People who saw me
either knew it was my last time through or asked. I proudly said, “This is it. On my way home!”
The cheers helped me now to do a bit more running than walking.
With about a mile left I saw Brian and he walked with me a
bit and told me something I’ll never forget.
He said a person only has one First-time Ironman finish. All the training you’ve done, all the effort
and work and time you’ve sacrificed, this is where it all comes out. This last stretch is for you, he said. Soak
it all in and remember every moment running down the chute. I thanked him for being here and for all he’s
done and I started to run and cry of course.
I wanted to get all the angry reasons I did this out of me now. I wanted the chute to be pure joy. And so for the next half mile or so, I
thought of all the name calling, all the doubters and all the people who think
it’s OK to snap our picture when we are out in public. And I yelled out loud, “LOOK AT ME NOW. TAKE PICTURES NOW!!” And then I thought how
lucky I am. How lucky to be 50 years old
and doing this. I have not had a single
surgery related to my dwarfism and for that, I am so thankful. Thankful our son Owen has experienced the
same so far in his life. I thought of a
number of LP people who have had a much more challenging life than me so
far. People like; Katie, Vivian, Jaden and
Quaden. They are so much stronger than I am.
They faced countless challenges and surgeries early on in their lives
and dealt with the pain. The pain I was
facing I chose and so I needed to be strong. I had to be strong.
I passed by the chute one last time and could hear the
announcer, “YOU ARE AN IRONMAN!!” I only had maybe a ¼ of a mile to go. Up the brick road to the center of the town
and then it was a quick turnaround to the finish. I passed by the brew pub one last time and
people were screaming, “GO JOHN!! GO
HAMMER!!!” And then I heard it, the song they were playing at the finish
line. It was “I Will Wait” by Mumford
and Sons. One of my favorites. And
that’s what Sue and Owen were doing.
Waiting for me. And so I ran!!
All the way down. I saw Thomas, a major player in the MD triathlon community. He got in his
golf cart and headed down to the finish.
I kept running. The music got
louder and I got faster. No pain, head
up, arms pumping. This was it. Over 14 hours of racing. I entered the chute and the lights hit
me. All I saw were the lights. I clenched my first and screamed!!!! And then the lights faded and all I saw were
Sue and Owen with the medal. I ran into
his arms, hugged him and he put the medal around my neck. All 3 of us hugged. And I also heard the
words, “You did it John, you did it. YOU
ARE AN IRONMAN!”
Video by Sue Casey
Photo by Brunswick/Schiffman
With the GREAT Gerry Boyle
Photo by T. Hutchinson
Photo by Brunswick/Schiffman
I trained for it and I was prepared and ready to complete
140.6 miles. In the end the race was
126.2 miles because that’s all we were allowed to race that day. I have fought
labels my whole life. Some people like
to call me names and that rarely has bothered me. I deal with it head on and don’t ignore it,
making sure people realize it’s not appropriate. But then I experienced something different
after completing Ironman Maryland. WTC,
who owns the rights to all Ironman races called my name at the finish line,
like they did for every finisher. Heck, I
received a finisher medal and an award for earning 2nd place in the
PC division. They awarded Kona slots to
athletes who finished top in the age-groups.
And yet there are triathletes saying we aren’t allowed to call ourselves
Ironmen because we didn’t complete 140.6 miles.
Just like I don’t allow people to label me, I also don’t allow them to
tell me I can’t call myself something.
Along with every FINISHER in Maryland on October 1st, I
earned the title of Ironman. Will I get a
140.6 tattoo or sticker, NOPE. Will I proudly wear my FINISHER hat and
shirt? You bet I will!!
I turned 50 and completed my 3rd Boston Marathon. It's been a great winter and spring. As many people know, I've signed up to do my first full 140.6 Ironman next October in Cambridge, MD. One of the things that needed to happen prior to my attempt, was a change in bike. The one I had been using since 2009 was simply too heavy and inefficient. During the summer I reached out to a number of bike manufacturers about helping me with a frame design in order to help achieve this lofty goal. SEVEN CYCLES located here in MA, contacted me in less than an hour after my tweet went out. After lots of measurements, phone calls, and emails, they have designed and built me an amazing machine. It's my version of the AXIOM SL. The ANVIL was then finished off by Dan and his crew at SALEM CYCLE here in town. I have put quite a few miles on it, mostly on the trainer, hoping for better weather in the very near future. What I do want to share with you now, is some information about the special person who reached out to me in the fall, to help with the purchase of this bike. Debby and I had been facebook friends since April of 2015. It was either just before or after the Boston Marathon that year. She messaged me in late September to explain that her niece Cassie also has the same type of dwarfism we have. In fact, Cassie and Sue were friends through LPA back when they were teens. Debby started to ask questions about the bike I was having designed. Her step-son Jason is an avid triathlete and in fact was heading to race in Kona in early October and Debby and her husband were traveling there to watch him race. Debby had mentioned to Jason about the bike and he had expressed to her his belief that SEVEN was a great choice in terms of a company that is known world-wide for making some amazing and unique bikes. In fact their motto is, "We make one bike, YOURS." Now I have to admit that Debby was very forward when we first spoke and asked if both her and her husband could help with the purchase of the bike. I was immediately FLOORED with the offer from this "stranger" and let know I was looking into getting some fund-raising done. I was excited to get the ball rolling so quickly from someone I didn't know. Debby was again very direct (WHICH I LOVE!) and asked how much the bike would cost. When I told her the cost of the frame and then estimates for the components, Debby simply said, "We will cover it." This totally floored me and my initial response was thanks, but I truly felt I could not accept this self-less offer of assistance. And then Debby wrote: "Because we love to help people achieve their goals. We love people who defy the odds and the naysayers. I know you aren't comfortable when people say you are inspiring... But you are. I follow a young woman on Instagram who lives in Australia who had a little boy with achondroplasia 2 years ago who was so afraid for his future and I keep telling her about Cassie and her beautiful family and tell her about you and what a warrior you are and that her son will be fine and have a great life. Your story and my nieces story are powerful and hopeful. Lots of people need those right now. We want to see you reach your goal. And you are friends with my favorite and incredible niece and her fabulous family!!!!! We want you to continue to "Be the hammer!!" With a good bike!" I took some time and even called a good friend, Manny to talk about this. Through that conversation and again after chatting with Debby on the phone I think they both helped me realize that the bike is not really a gift FOR ME. The bike will be a tool to help me achieve this goal I have. But I truly feel the message is not that John Young is an Ironman (hopefully I will be), but that anyone can do what they want, dream as big as they want, and prove all the naysayers wrong. That's what this bike will help do and thanks to Debby and her husband and so many others who have helped as well in other ways, I am one step closer to that goal. I've told Debby this numerous times, but again, thank you from the BOTTOM OF MY HEART.
It was the Christmas break of my first full year of teaching in Canada. I was a 24 year old single guy who had just finished celebrating Christmas with my family in Toronto. I was living in the small and friendly town of Norwood, ON. At that time Toronto did not have an NBA team and my favorite team was the Celtics. This was back in the glory years of Bird, McHale, Parish, DJ, etc. Long before the internet, I got a travel book and found a place on Comm Ave. called the College Club, booked a room, a flight, and off I went from Dec. 28th until Jan 3rd to explore Boston on my own.
The main goal of my trip was to try and see a Celtics game at the Garden (the old one!). So the day after I arrived I took the T up to the Garden and tried to buy my first scalped ticket. I still don't know why the scalper wouldn't take the traveler's check. I had to head into a pizzeria, get a slice with a $50 check, and pay him with the change. I can't remember how much the ticket cost, but I found out what "obstructed view" meant. It wasn't what the scalper had said!
Well there was neat group of fans standing in an area behind some seats and they invited me to stand with them. We had a great view right at center court. I explained I had come from Canada to watch them play and we had a really great time. This was my first exposure to the AMAZING SPORTS fans of Boston. Just as the game ended (the Celtics CRUSHED the Knicks - with Patrick Ewing) one of the guys (I just remember he was from Providence) said he had a ticket to a game a few days later against the Suns (with Barkley) and he couldn't use it. He also asked me if I would be interested in heading to Hellenic College to watch a Celtics practice. I said sure. So I told this total stranger where I was staying and the next day he drove to Comm Ave. and I got in and off we went to Hellenic College.
What a great experience! I got into the practice and got to meet Parish, McHale, Ed Pinkney, and Brian Shaw. I took pics from a distance of Bird and Reggie Lewis but didn't dare approach them. I even said "Hello" to Red Auerbach,
When the practice ended we headed back to Boston and I bought my new friend some lunch at the Boston waterfront. I just remember we ate at huge fish market type place and the fish I had was amazing.
Now comes New Year's Eve (25 years ago TONIGHT). I had asked one of the employees where I was staying where a great place for a New Year's Eve party would be. She mentioned the Four Seasons had a big bash. I had brought my nice suit and so off I went to get a ticket. I can't remember the cost, but it was pretty expensive.
The party itself was a lot of fun. Some drinking and dancing (with total strangers of course) but the highlight of the night came when I felt someone tap my shoulder and when I turned around, I had to look up, WAY UP, to see both Robert Parish and Ed Pinkney standing there. They had remembered me from the practice. Robert asked me if I would like a drink. Of course I said "YES, please." I sat with them for a bit, but soon realized I was the third wheel as both of them had 3 or 4 lady friends draped off of them. I said thanks again and quietly moved away.
I waited until midnight, sang Auld Lang Syne, had a sip of champagne and called it a night.
I think it was the next day when the Celtics played the Suns and crushed them as well. It was always fun to watch Charles Barkley lose.
I headed back to Canada after having a great trip to the area of the world I would move to 12 years later with Sue and Owen.
I would like to ask a favor. PLEASE STOP POSTING the "What's your excuse?" memes with the picture of someone with a visible disability doing some athletic feat. It sends SO MANY mixed messages, the main one being, if you are able-bodied and not working out, you should be, because this "amazing" person is. Another one I can't stand is, "The only disability is a bad attitude". As if I can will myself to slam dunk a basketball simply by trying harder. There are 100's of people out there with non-visible challenges as well, who simply get disregarded because we can't see how hard their life can be. Instead of asking yourself, "Why aren't I doing anything?" ask the athlete "Why do you do what you do?" You will more than likely find out, it is for the same reason any other person competes, and that's for the personal satisfaction of being better than he or she was yesterday.
I'm the first one to admit I probably post way too many pics and details about my work-outs and races. I'm not doing that so people say "Look at that dwarf-athlete"' I'm hoping that over time, people will forget that I have dwarfism and simply see me as some soon-to-be 50 year old guy who decided almost 7 years ago, to take control of his life. Do I want to be the first person with dwarfism to complete an Ironman triathlon? Heck ya! But if someone else does that first, that's not going to take away from what I will eventually do and I'll be the first one to congratulate them. I simply want others with dwarfism, especially young children who have been told countless times, sometimes by people who love them dearly, "You can't do that because you're too small" to realize there are no limits to what the human heart desires.
