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So I'm watching the 1999 IronMan Hawaii Triathlon recap on TV... and these amazing people are swimming 2.4 miles, then biking 112 miles.. THEN RUNNING another 26.2 miles. 140 miles in all.
And they zero in on specific triathlete's stories of course... because what would sports be without the human interest angle? And they show a father/son pair as they go through this grueling course. The son has cerebral palsy. The father is 59 years old.
This father... He swims the miles with his son in tow. He bikes the 112 miles carrying twice the weight of the other triathletes. And even when it's apparent that they won't make the official cut-off time for the marathon portion of the race, they continue anyway. Because they're there and because the son still wants to go on. And that's enough for the dad.
And so when they could just give up and say "well, maybe next year," they run. They pass people along the way. They AREN'T last. And before the clock strikes 12... in the dark, through a cheering crowd, they finish.
And it's a hell of a thing.
-skao
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