We are thrilled to have launched our mini-chapter out west and to have the ELSHAnator on our team is extremely exciting. So the start of this week's post will be written by me, while Elsha will bring us to the finish line.
This fall is going to be a very exciting time for Brent and I as we are leading up to another Ironman in November in Panama City Florida. As many may recall, we completed our first Ironman last year in Madison, WI and are eager to improve upon our performance this year in Florida. This is an opportunity to bring a lot of positive attention to the Foundation in addition to achieving some personal goals.
On August 9th, we will be competing in the Richard B. Russell Tri
Justin Knight and Curtis Ward will be joining us and will be helped through the course by a team of volunteers. Justin has completed a triathlon before, but Curtis has not. Curtis and I grew up together playing adaptive sports and now having him as a member of Walking with KPeasey is especially gratifying.
The race is only an hour trip from Atlanta so if any friends or fans want to help us enjoy the day, please join us and be sure to wear your KPeasey blue.
In the end of October, Brent and I will be bringing ten KPF teams to compete in the Marine Corp Marathon, aka the People's Marathon. This will be a memorable event as we compete with teams from Team Hoyt Virginia Beach, Team Hoyt New England, Ainsley's Angels, Myteam Triumph and Push America. All of these are assisted athlete organizations with similar goals as we have at KPF. To run with them will be incredible. Brent and I will be making the trek but not competing since the Ironman is the following week and we need to keep our bodies fresh.
Before I pass the baton to Elsha, I want to remind everyone that we are still searching for campers to attend Camp Wheel Away. We will be reaching out to various disabled agencies around Atlanta to make sure that these spots don't go unclaimed. The weekend camp
will take place from October 10-12. And as I reach the half way point, I'm going to rehydrate and turn the wheels over to Elsha Stockseth.
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“I am Ironman...” Okay so my pusher James English is and I am at least a triathlete. This was a big challenge, but I was really excited to see what I could do. This was also my first time using the W.I.K.E. trailer that The Kyle Pease Foundation helped me get.
My parents and the other kids parents were really nervous, especially for the swimming part. I was more worried about the biking. There were 5 "Push to the Finish" kids including myself. We got to start 30 minutes before the other 500 racers which helped a lot.
First was the 750 meter swim. This actually turned out to be my favorite part because it was so smooth and easy. I just had to lay down in the raft as James pulled me behind. Everyone else worried about us tipping over or getting soaked, but it was just like riding It’s a Small World at Disneyland, very smooth and slow, just without the silly song.
There were about three people on kayaks watching us along with the patrol boat. When we reached the beach again it was very special because the other racers parted and cheered to welcome us.
After making it up the steep hill and dirt trail, we reached our bike trailers. They were already hooked to the bikes, so once James changed and I was buckled in, we were off. The 20k bike ride was really fun because we got to go so fast. My blanket holding my head started falling, so at the halfway point James was able to fix it. We reached the transition area and converted to the jogging version of the W.I.K.E. It was very simple and worked out great.
The 5k was my least favorite part because we had to run on a dirt trail with tons of weeds and small rocks. James did really well with me though because he would try to go around the bumps and divots. This was such a great adventure and I am really happy that I was able to finish without too many difficulties.
James said that it was one of his favorite races too which I love
