The Ironman ...

Yesterday I met with my sister to finalize our plans for flying to Hawaii on Saturday. I am really excited as this is the first time that I've ever been to Hawaii. I am even more excited to be volunteering at the World Champion Kona Ironman.

I've tried to explain to others what it means to be at an event like this, it's hard to do when all that people grab on to is the fact that I'm going to Hawaii. That seems to be the main focus and it IS exciting to be going to Hawaii, don't get me wrong on that! There is so much more to it though, I'm going to Hawaii AND I'm going to be in the middle of an Ironman.

DelRene and I watched a tape from the 2005 Ironman yesterday. . It reminded me of WHY I get so emotional at the finish line of an Ironman. While I have great admiration for those that finish in the front of the pack, it's the ones that come in out of the dark that really bring the greatest inspiration and admiration for me.

The athletes that finish the entire thing in 8 hours and a few odd minutes are impressive, but that is their job and they are the pros. Listening to the stories of the others that are participating in this race is where the real meaning of Ironman lies. The first story on the tape was of the 80 year old man that began to run to keep up with his grandchildren. They showed him sitting in the transition tent, moving from the bike to the run, and he was taking his time, he was still 15 minutes ahead of the cut off time. When he crossed the finish line, again running in out of the dark, his grandchildren held his hand and crossed the finish line with him. At 80 years old, he finished his first Ironman.

The next was a young girl that had only one leg. She was a beautiful girl, with long blond hair and an attitude that was a joy to see. She told the story of growing up and when she would fall, rather than help her up her Mom would tell her that she could do it on her own. She did do it on her own and she thanked her Mom for teaching her that she COULD do it. There were a lot of people during her growing up years that told her she couldn't do things as well. The coaches in high school that told her she "can't" compete because of her leg. She ran the Ironman to show those that said she "can't" that she most certainly can! She wanted to do something extraordinary and finishing an Ironmon with her artificial leg was something very extraordinary.

This was her second attempt. She didn't make the bike cutoff the year before. Again, coming in out of the dark, she crossed the finish line, all smiles and my tears of joy flowed. She did something extraoradinary and if she can do it, all those that have been told that they "can't" do something realize that they CAN do it as well.

Then we come to John Blais. He was diagnosed with ALS (Lou Gehrigs Disease) and he decided he wanted to finish an Ironman, he wanted to BE an Ironman. This is a diagnosis of death, but he was determined to live each day that he had to the fullest. He said that the life span after the diagnosis is normally 3 to 5 years, he was in his early 30's. His parents said that they would have liked to just take care of him, make his life easier if they could, but this was something that he wanted to do and they supported him.

His hands were no longer working well by the time that the Ironman came around and he worked around that. He made each check point and kept continuing on through the night. He never gave up. He joined the ranks of those making their way through the night with their glow sticks, the ones who win the minute that they cross that finish line. These are the ones that I come to see.

He knew that he was technically dying, yet he was living beyond his wildest dreams. At the finish line, he lay down and rolled across and the words "John Blais, you are an Ironman" were heard ... the crowd cried with him and joined in his celebration. At this years Ironman there will be those that will still do the ALS roll as they cross the finish line in Memory of John Blais. He passed away on May 27, 2007. This is one of his poems:

Why Do I Teach?

My Educational Philosophy
By: Jonathan S. Blais Parents… Students… Teachers…
Too often we are scared.
Scared of what we might not be able to do.
Scared of what people might think if we tried.
We let our fears stand in the way of our hopes.
We say yes when we want to say no.
We sit quietly when we want to scream.
And we shout at others, when we should keep our mouths shut.
Why?
After all, we only go around once.
There's really no time to be afraid.
So stop.
Try something you've never tried.
Teach it… Do it… Risk it…
My educational philosophy is simple.
Be original…
Idealistically, Pragmatically, Humanistically, and behave yourself.
In the real word,
Problems solvers keep their hands out of their pockets.
Walk the walk, not the talk and learn from your mistakes.
Follow a leader or lead the followers.
Have a goal, make a plan, and just do it.
Share a global view and find a way to communicate.
Think big and start small.
Finish what you start and always stay the course.
Listen and hear… don't just do one or the other.
Think of your students first and always be true to the cause.
Remembering that…
Wiping your hands clean is a good thing
As long as it isn't with someone else's blood, sweat and tears.
Share your ideas with every student you meet.
Shake their hand, hold it, and remember it for life.
After all,
You have nothing to lose except your fear.
Only everything,
Everything… to gain. -blazeman

This is why I will stay and watch those that run through the night, in the dark, and cross the line to hear their name ahead of "you are an Ironman". Each and everyone of them have a story and when they finish, they have won. The others that finish ahead of them all return to cheer on those still coming in out of the dark. Hawaii will be amazing ... but the spirit of the Ironman will be with me forever.