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Dear Dick and Rick, I just felt compelled to write you a note of thanks. After being medically discharged from the Army in the 90's following a leg injury, I was at a pretty sad crossroads in my life, when I watched a documentary in the early hours of the morning in the UK, that charted your Iron man. I remember crying more that night than I have ever done in my life! It made me realize that no matter what life throws at you, you can still do whatever you want. it just takes a little more effort and a truck load of determination. So that's what I did, I found a direction, and more importantly my spark I picked myself up and built a career, and more importantly a family. In October 2003 I was sitting up in the early hours of the morning working to keep my business afloat, and there it was again, a story about team Hoyt on TV!!!!!!! So I sat and thought, and the next day I sold my business, became a better dad to my kids, bought a bike and started training. It nearly killed me and I cursed you both every day. I have climbed my own little personal mountains every day and became a better father with every step.......not to mention 4 stone lighter. So here I am entered into the UK Ironman on August 21st and was doing really well, with my poster of you both on my garage wall for daily inspiration. Until last week when, out on a training ride I was hit by a car breaking my arm in a few places and roughing myself up pretty bad. Not to mention a totally destroyed bike! So I've been back in that dark place for the last 10 days, pretty low, feeling the dream was over. Then a friend of mine dropped your DVD off this evening that he found on a colleague's desk. I've watched it, cried a little.....,in fact a whole lot, ordered my bike on-line and have written a revised training plan that will get me to the finish line with my injuries. I have 6 weeks to go, and today I am struggling to walk, and can't straighten my arm past 90 degrees, but I'll do it. I've found my spark again, I know what I want to achieve. Thanks!!!!! Just to let you know that I will be carrying a picture of you both with me during the race and I'm thanking you now for getting me to the finish line. You are both an inspiration and if I have to swim one handed and cross the finish line last, it will be no less of an achievement from finishing in 11hrs.....maybe more ? Here's to you both, and hopefully for 17 hours on the 21st, you won't mind having an honorary member of team Hoyt? Kindest regards Follow up from Mike after the race! I did it ………… I have never been so nervous since my early military days, but if I could bottle that feeling on the start line and sell it to people I'd be a millionaire. I had a great one-armed swim and managed to exit the water in 1 hr 16 mins (you can tell Dick that I'm a better swimmer than him one handed!!!!!!) The relief that I'd managed it was unreal. In transition, the most important thing I did was to put my photo of Team Hoyt and my photo of my family into my pockets. I figured if I was going to be an honorary member of Team Hoyt for the day, I'd better take the boys with me. My new bike was awesome and the modified gear shifting worked well so that I could change both sets of gears with the right hand. As the bike went on I felt better with every stroke and every time the hills loomed I remembered the title of the book "It's only a mountain". My mountains are nothing to those Rick has faced and that made them just a little flatter, which was enough. I remember coming into T2 after 6hrs 40mins on the bike and having the most bizarre thought of my life. "Only the marathon to go" ......made me chuckle The legs were like jelly and the course was a killer but I had Dick chasing me down now, I figured I'd be ahead of the boys at this point, and that Dick would be racing after me as we entered his strongest element so I kept going. I had the pictures in my hand now and every time we hit the hills I looked at them. Dicks words of "yes you can" spurring me on the whole way. The finish was a blur, but I did it. 12 hours 59 mins and 51 seconds, I almost felt like the boys going for a qualifying time to race Boston as I broke into a sprint to get under the 13 hour barrier We did it. (and you can tell Dick he's still a lot faster in the run than me........even lending Rick his legs) Thanks to Dick and to Rick for the inspiration ……. thanks to Ironman for the challenge. I am much more relaxed now, the Ironman was for a challenge and the accident just made it more so. The surgery on the elbow can wait, the family now cannot. My goals now, to be as good a father as Dick. Team Hoyt, an inspiration both on and off the Triathlon circuit. |