Ironman Eve

As I sit on the eve of racing IRONMAN Wisconsin, I have a mix of emotions. I am ready to race. I am excited to cheer on my teammates Mike and Marc to their first IM. I am anxious to see the results of my past year of training.  This week has been a flashback of highs and lows.  My Facebook feed has been showing me all of the "On This Day" posts ranging from my 2014 IMWI prep and finish to the 7 year anniversary of my arm injury.....the same injury that led me to that IM finish.

While one would think that that would be enough of a roller coaster, tomorrow marks the 15th anniversary of September 11th. 15 years ago, I worked until Midnight, then fell asleep with the TV on at home. My wife was a Flight Attendant spending (tonight) in Milwaukee. I awoke to reports of a plane into the WTC, an action movie on TV of course.......until a phone call woke me up right!  My wife called asking what was going on. They had been forced to land in Minneapolis. Guess that was live news and not a movie!

Our lives were changed instantly. She was laid off, recalled, repeat multiple times the following several years. I saw a change in how Emergency Responders (Police, Fire, EMS) were treated. I fought to go to New York to help, but was unable to make it work.  In 2006, we were able to make a trip to Ground Zero to pay our respects.

In 2014, I raced IRONMAN Wisconsin for me. It was for everything that I had overcome.  In 2016, I am racing for those who can not.  Our Police, Fire, EMS, and Military who are no longer able to. Tomorrow is for them!