The Kyle Pease Foundation was in full force at the Richard B. Russell Triathlon in Elberton, GA two weeks ago. This day proved extra special to me as it marked the maiden voyage of fellow KPF Athlete and my dear friend, Curtis Ward, into the thrills of triathlon.
Curtis and I played adaptive sports together when we were younger and to see him become a full-fledged triathlon junkie gives me a great personal thrill.
From the ages of 11 to 18, Curtis and I would play wheelchair handball, track and field, and baseball at many camps around the city. We lost touch for a while until last year when I saw him working at a local movie theater. He has been involved with the foundation now for about a year but this was his first attempt at completing a tri.
With the help of five other KPF members, Curtis made it through the course in a very impressive time of 4:27:32. You can always recognize Curtis by the Kangol hat and the coffee in his right hand. Throughout the day he was also recognizable by the huge smile on his face.
It was great to get the cobwebs off the boat and bike as we head into a busy fall highlighted by the Marine Corp Marathon in October and Ironman Florida in November.
We will be doing a local triathlon during the first weekend in September with the Bert Show recipient. This is a very special event and another ground breaking effort for the Kyle Pease Foundation.
We cannot say enough about the incredible work that Elsha is doing in Utah. She runs at least one race per week and is now raising money for KPF through her birthday wish fundraiser. What an incredible woman!!
We are going to cut this post short as the pictures seem to do a much better job at telling the story of the Richard Russell Tri than I do. Below is a wonderful video created by our dearest friend and KPF board member, John David, with many photos that capture the essence of our amazing race day.