24 Hour Triathlon

Last year, my brother, Kevin, and I competed in the 24hr triathlon in Lake Mills, Wisconsin. We had to complete legs (2.6 mi run, 11.2 mi bike, and .24 mi swim) in any order, so long as they amounted to full triathlons. For example, if we did 20 bikes and runs, but only 5 swims, it would only count for 5 full triathlons. It was the ultimate game of strategy as transitions also had to be taken into consideration between every leg! In order to make it happen, we had to have the best possible crew, which resulted in our parents dedicating 24 hours of their time to be there for us despite the loss of my dad's father that same week. For 22 swims (close to 5.5 miles), 22 bikes (246.4 miles) and 21 runs (54.6 miles) my parents were there for support, filling water bottles, dumping water on us in the high-90s temps, and ensuring we had all the nutrition we needed to cover roughly 307 miles. We are so blessed to have such a wonderful family that goes out of their way to help us accomplish any crazy goals we can come up with. It was incredible getting to share the experience with them and to witness my brother running 47 sub-7 min pace miles! Not only that, but we got to see several other fantastic athletes, with never-quit mentalities, pushing themselves to the limit in extremely tough conditions. Thanks, mom and dad, for being with us for an unforgettable day, to Heather and Tommy for tracking us from afar, to the race directors and bike mechanic for cheering us on, and to our Grandpa for being with us in spirit. Goal are never achieved alone.