But more important is congratulating Will and the entire Team in Training FALL Triathlon season as they completed the Kerrville Quarter & Half Distance event on September 29. If you recall I was on this team until I learned about I would require surgery...so I lived in via Will : )
The weekend was quick but fun...as always we had a great time supporting our TNT athletes while also honoring those that have fought blood cancer. This team had a rather large group of individuals called Bennett's Buddies - who trained in honor of a 3 year old little boy named Bennett. I had met Bennett's parents, Kirsa and Keith last year but was able to meet the rest of their team in Kerrville and we all had a good time. Bennett was diagnosed with high-risk Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) in April of 2011 when he was 13 months old. He is now two years into a three and a half year chemotherapy treatment that is extremely hard on his little body. In addition to chemotherapy, he has received 16 blood transfusions, as well as numerous spinal taps and bone marrow tests. Through it all, he has remained a courageous, strong, and resilient little boy, who has learned to walk and talk, all while fighting cancer. Bennett's parents, who both completed the Quarter Distance, started participating in TNT events only 4 months after his diagnosis, and plan to continue their dedication to helping find a cure! Below is a photo of most of the team below...the orange shirts are Bennett's Buddies. Bennett's Buddies raised over $70,000 as a team.
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| Bennett, Honored Hero |
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| Fall Triathlon Team - Kerrville 2013 |
Will had a great race...he felt good and finished strong. This was a training event helping him prepare for Austin Ironman 70.3 this coming weekend and ultimately Ironman Cozumel 140.6 in December. I can't even begin to tell you the hours he has put in swimming, cycling and running over the past several months. It is grueling and inspiring all rolled into one! The hours of training has definitely been a challenge for Will as a father and husband. Balancing his time has been difficult and it doesn't come without some unwanted side effects like missing one of the kid's games or simply feeling like he is missing out on what the three of us are doing on a Sunday morning (even if that's just hanging in our PJs) but this is what we do...we train to keep our bodies and our minds strong...and we fundraise to find a cure for cancer....AND our kids know that! And along that note... our daughter entered the Believe. Dream. Inspire. Reflections art contest at school...she is pretty artistic. I knew she would come up with something beautiful. Little did I know it would be so simple yet powerful...this is what she decided to enter. It isn't fancy and it might not come close to winning...but we are beyond proud (and blessed) that our actions and words are flowing into her heart.
I've got one specific person to congratulate and that is our dear friend, Robert. Robert and I actually completed Tahoe Century together in 2000 (that was my first TNT event). Robert was also on the Captex Triathlon team in May of last year where Robert and I both earned our Triple Crowns. Kerrville earned Robert his 2nd Triple Crown with Team in Training...that means he has fundraised and completed two full marathons, two century rides and two triathlon events. Way to go Robert!
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| Will & Robert at the start of the race. |
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