Graniteman Cleareater Olympic 2019

Days before the race, the forecasted heat index was not pretty. The race organizers made the decision to move the start an hour earlier.  Little did I know that I would not have the opportunity to start this race.

Just after midnight the day before the race, the medical helicopter I work for was enroute back to our base after dropping a patient off at a trauma center.  As we were on approach to land, things went terribly wrong. We crashed into the ground on the airfield.  The crash killed both of my teammates. I was left in critical condition.

I spent the next week in the Level One Trauma Center ICU. The next three were spent on a trauma floor. The next four were spent in inpatient rehab. During my stay, I underwent five surgeries to repair my broken bones.

Needless to say, my 2019 race season was over.