He did it! He was last out of the pool, last on the bike, and they cut his run course short, but he finished, and he earned the respect and admiration of every spectator out there. He never quit, he never gave up, and he powered through to the end. The guy in the Gatorade ad crawling across the line at Kona has nothing on this kid's heart.
The competition was fierce -- almost every other kid in his age group was slim and sleek, wearing tri shorts and wheeling in these great 26-inch bikes. He's wearing baggy swim trunks and pushing a heavy-ass Wal-Mart special 20" bicycle. But I tell you, everyone around that pool was cheering him on in the pool, and on the bike, and folks gathered around the finish line to cheer him in at the end. He had people coming to him afterward, congratulating him on a job well done and for persevering. It was so amazing to me, both the heart demonstrated by that boy and the crowd willing him on with their chants and their cheers and their applause. It was so inspiring.
Right after we took this photo, Jack, the race director, who will be getting a great big thank-you letter from me, asked him if he had fun. Without missing a beat, my son, the TriAthlete, replied, "Yeah, it was great!"
Dead freakin' Last beats Did Not Start any day. My hero, my son. The Triathlete.
1 comment:
Sandro,
Congratulations on finishing your first triathlon!!! What an incredible achievement. The entire Kucera family applaudes you for going the distance. You are indeed an inspiration to so many young men and women. Way to Go, Sandro. You are our triathlete of the year!
XOXO
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