Ironman 70.3 North Carolina

Dear Blog diary,

I don’t know why I started triathlon. I never had a background in any of the three. Fair to say, at least some of it has to do with the name, Ironman. Been Team Stark since day one. I think it’s fair to say I replaced cigarettes with triathlon. Worse drugs to be addicted to.

When I first even considered it, I told my brother about it. I picked Chattanooga because years back I tagged along on a bouldering trip with him and his friends.

Not in his nature to tell people what to do with their lives but he didn’t hesitate. He didn’t go into logistics, costs, training, fact that I had basically zero experience. He very quickly responded “Yes. Register right now. And I will go with you.”

It’s that last part especially that I’m most grateful for. “And I will go with you.” You can’t buy that. And that’s what I mean by people who empower you. I’m not sure I would’ve moved forward without that but I’m eternally grateful for that support.

Then, this time around he took it up a notch. He and his lovely lady Allison volunteered to be safety kayaks on the water. Mind you there are literally thousands of people in the water swimming so zero chance he could’ve found me. And I’m in the pack, maneuvering around other swimmers, everybody kicking and smacking everyone. Keep in mind in open water swimming, it’s not clear water with a black line at the bottom so I’m sighting, just trying to go straight but I’m so glad I found him.

A rushed moment on the water for obvious reasons. Still such a powerful moment in the ocean. Start to think back at all the moments we’ve shared through life and here we are in the ocean sharing this moment. Brings tears to my eyes if I think of it long enough.

Could go on and on about the race and how it went. Learned more than the first one. Humbling. Better time. Faster. More fit. But I’d rather tell anyone reading this how much I love my big brother. I look up to him and he has never looked down on me. There’s no Eric without Ryan. And if you have this kind of relationship with a sibling, actually vocally tell them what they mean to you. And whatever it is that they do, go with them.

Best regards,

E