That's What Brothers are For

As the time draws even closer to Brent and my long awaited attempt to become Ironmen on September 8th in Madison, Wisconsin, I get more and more excited. Imagine the thought of looking forward to something that has been on your mind, night and day for years and that day is now just beyond your finger tips and getting closer by the minute. I feel like a little boy on about December 1st knowing that on Christmas or Hanukkah morning he is finally going to get the chance to unwrap his dream gift. Can’t eat, can’t sleep, and can’t think of much anything else. Well that’s about where I am right now.

 Brent and I are currently increasing our time spent on the bike and our training will probably peak at about a 40 mile ride. That portion of the race will be 112 miles but we will never bring our training up as high as that as it would likely leave us on empty come the actual race. We just continue to get stronger as we  increase our mileage and then enter the race with the confidence that we’ve put in enough miles during our training to be able to take it up a notch and conquer the course.

Some things that people probably don’t realize is that Brent will give me water about every ten minutes so that I stay hydrated. I can't take water myself so I am positioned in front of Brent on the bike and I turn slightly to my left to take in fluids. Brent leans forward while biking and pours the water into my mouth. We will also take nourishment during the race as it is important to keep the engine running. Though I wish it was a burrito from Moe's or a Carvel Ice Cream cake, I will likely exist for 16 hours on bananas and peanut butter sandwiches while Brent will eat just about everything in site to keep his energy level high. Like a finely tuned machine if you don't keep it properly fueled it won't run as it was designed. 

And though it may or may not be something anyone wants to think about, I will be wearing a condom catheter during the race so that we don’t have to stop every ten minutes for me to void. I normally don’t need to wear such a contraption because I am blessed enough to be able to void on my own but with this long a race, where every second counts, there is no time for pit stops. A guy’s gotta do what a guy’s gotta do. Brent on the other will do what many Ironman do if nature calls and that will be to use the water or the bike if necessary. It’s the part of the Ironman that many don’t consider but 140.6 is a long way to ignore something like that.

Another question people have asked recently is what I will wear during the event. Some think a bathing suit or a wet suit but Brent is a strong enough swimmer that I don’t even get splashed very much so I’ll be wearing running tights and a KPeasey t-shirt and then transition right to the bike and running chair in the same attire. Brent of course will do the swim in a wet suit and bathing cap and then he’ll have a change of clothes as he exits the water. We will have three helpers along the course, one is responsible for me, one is responsible Brent and one is a spare helper. Brent’s helper will hold up a towel and Brent will change following the swim.

As I said in my last post, I will be envisioning the shoot during the race as that will be my motivation and inspiration. The thought of completing this amazing event with my brother is motivation enough but being in the zone and thinking of the finish will drive me and keep me going throughout the 14-16 hours the race will take. Brent and I also have a bit of an advantage over those who are competing solo in that we can communicate with each other and spur each other on throughout the Ironman in the event we tire or lose our focus. So much of this is mental and to have each other to pick the other up will be a positive advantage.

So in some ways, Brent will be carrying me during the race, but I’ll also be there to carry him. 

And after all, isn’t that what brothers are for?

Walking with KPeasey is a campaign affiliated with The Kyle Pease Foundation, Inc (KPF). Walking with KPeasey works to create awareness and raise funds in support of KPF. 

The Kyle Pease Foundation, in turn, promotes success for young persons with disabilities by providing assistance to meet their individual needs through sports and competition. Programs include scholarship opportunities, purchasing adaptive sports equipment, and participating in educational campaigns around Cerebral Palsy.

Training With KPeasey

I’ve been finding it getting awfully difficult to fall asleep at night knowing that everything that Brent and I have been working towards is just around the corner. Up until this point the greatest moment of our running career occurred just last month at the Peachtree 10K where we became the first assisted pair in the long history of the race to compete. It doesn’t get any better than the local crowds cheering our names as we travel 6.2 miles through the familiar streets of our home town Atlanta…Or does it? 

Now just two months later, Brent and I will make Pease history as we try to have the words Ironman etched next to our names. 140.6 miles through the water and roadways of rural Madison Wisconsin…2.4 miles of swimming, followed by 112 miles on the bike and finished up with 26.2 miles of marathon. Our goal is to break the 17 hour mark which of course would make us forever IRONMEN and though Brent and I are hoping for a time between 14 and 16 hours, I’ll be honest…anything this side of 16:59:59 is good enough. 

That one second is the second that differentiates an Ironmen from a couple of guys who competed to become Ironmen. 

So for now, as strange as some people find it, I have been training harder than I ever have in my life. Many people think that I have the easy part and though Brent may agree with them while he’s paddling, pedaling and pushing me for 140.6 miles but it is important for me to be prepared for this too. I have never sat on a bike for nearly nine hours and the average human body is not likely to fare too well without proper preparation. 

Brent and I go out and train far longer and more often than we normally do in order to get both of our bodies used to that many miles out on the course. I’ve been eating better than I normally do and have been trying to increase my liquid intake. I’m struggling a bit there as I don’t really enjoy drinking water but unfortunately it’s a very important part to stay hydrated and I need to get better at it. It would be a shame if Brent was up to the task but I wasn’t so it is important not to let my brother and my teammate down.

My trainer, Matthew Rose, (yes I have a trainer) tells me to visualize the shoot. The thought of 45,000 screaming fans lining the shoot at the end of the race is something I just can’t imagine despite his efforts to help me mentally imagine what it will be like. That is the golden carrot hanging just in front of me that will motivate and inspire me and subsequently inspire Brent to the finish line. 

There’s one very important thing for my readers and our fans to remember though. Becoming an Ironman is not and never will be for or about me and Brent. It’s about our Foundation and the people who we are hoping to inspire. People who see what we are about to accomplish and believe that anything is possible through our efforts. 

We are very proud of the Kyle Pease Foundation and take great pleasure in seeing the looks on the faces of the athletes who compete with us. It is exciting to know that through the efforts of a few we have impacted the lives of many. So though Brent and I will be thrilled to wear the Ironman medal around our necks on the evening of September 8th, we really know that the medal symbolically hangs from the necks of all those friends, fans, athletes and sponsors of the Kyle Pease Foundation. 

We know that through their continued inspiration and efforts that the only thing that will not be humanly possible is finishing in a second more than 16:59:59.  Off to Wisconsin!

Walking with KPeasey is a campaign affiliated with The Kyle Pease Foundation, Inc (KPF). Walking with KPeasey works to create awareness and raise funds in support of KPF. 

The Kyle Pease Foundation, in turn, promotes success for young persons with disabilities by providing assistance to meet their individual needs through sports and competition. Programs include scholarship opportunities, purchasing adaptive sports equipment, and participating in educational campaigns around Cerebral Palsy. 

Blazing the Trail

I hope everybody is having a great summer and enjoying the weather that has been bestowed upon us. A lot of exciting stuff is happening right now with the Kyle Pease Foundation as we continue to grow as an organization and spread the message of inclusion. The highlight of the summer and one of the best moments of my life (so far) happened on July 4^th when Brent and I combined to become the first assisted team to ever compete in the Peachtree Road Race.

Makes us look fast :)

The Peachtree Road Race is a tradition in Atlanta every Independence Day and is the largest 10k in the country. It was incredible to be out there with 60,000 runners and 61 wheelchair participants. We blazed the trail though as the only assisted team to participate in the race. The race, which began in 1970, has never had a team like Brent and me, and we can only hope that this is the start of something big.

The weather was a bit rainy as we took off by ourselves shortly after the wheelchair athletes and before the sea of 60,000 runners. The reaction of the fans and the people of Atlanta were amazing throughout the entire 6.2 mile course. There were times that I was so into the cheers of the crowd that I felt like I was dreaming.  

I am proud of what the Kyle Pease Foundation does but never imagined that we would re-write history. By competing in this race we suddenly became recognized in the same circle as Dick and Rick Hoyt. I’ve said this since the day we started running, that I have nothing but respect for what the Hoyts do. They are the trailblazers and paved the way for us. They are the leaders and always will be the leaders and inspire me to be more, but to be mentioned in the same breath as them is really an honor to Brent and me. Running in the Peachtree was really a surreal moment to be recognized as local heroes by the people of Atlanta. It was just phenomenal. My dream is that next year and for many years to follow there will be more and more Kpeasey athletes competing in this race which is such a part of our city.

So many people have come up to me since and told me what an inspiration we are. I had no idea that it was going to be so awesome. Even as I write this, I’ll be honest, I get goose bumps. It helped the Pease Brothers reach a new level and kind of get over the top. Many of our friends know that we will be competing in the Iron Man in Wisconsin this September but hopefully with the exposure that we got racing in the Peachtree there will be many more fans keeping an eye on the results as we compete in our first 140.6 at the end of the summer.

Being congratulated by race organizers just past the line

I really want to thank the Shepherd Center and the Atlanta track club for the opportunity granted to Brent and I to participate in this historic day. Following our historic achievement we were invited to appear on Good Day Atlanta to be interviewed live in studio. That was an incredible feeling as well to see our faces broadcast all over Atlanta but was still pale in comparison to crossing the finish line with Brent behind me and the sounds of thousands of screaming fans filling the air.

Kyle

All together now

The stage was perfect...well almost.  A rainy sky had us a little nervous as we unloaded the car early on the 4th of July.  When we were 7 & 9 years old, I remember standing in Piedmont Park watching the wheelchairs come flying down the hill...years later I never thought we would be there together.  But here we were at the start line of our first Peachtree.  Rain or shine we were running!

 



Off to the races!

 We've done a lot of racing since we started down this path, but this one ranks pretty high up.  60,000 individuals run this race every year and here we were charging down Peachtree.  Even the rain couldn't damper the crowds spirits and we certainly got a lot of encouragement along the way...especially up Cardiac Hill right past Shepherd Spinal Center, the wheelchair race organizers, who played such a big role in our entry this year!



Finishing up the last of the hills!

It's hard to describe how special it is to allow so many others to see the thrill of accomplishment but I know that as we work for more assisted runners next year the effort will have all been worth it.  Even charging down 10th street to the finish of our first Peachtree together, I did not fully appreciate how big the moment was.  As we stood talking with race organizers, reporters, family & friends, we realized that it was truly a special day and one we will not soon forget.  I know that you can expect to see us every year out there, celebrating the 4th, laughing and crossing that finish line for so long as we can!

Pretending we are famous (THANKS TACOMA)

Of course a special thanks to Shepherd Spinal Center,  & The Atlanta Track Club, for making this day possible.  We look forward to the continued hard work to help grow the assisted athlete category in The Peachtree.  Thanks as well to Fox 5 ATL, for sharing our story  and letting others see just how special this can be. 
Thank you all for sharing in our journey! Together We Wheel!

Brent

Racing!!!

Over the past few weeks, KPF has had many positive highlights, including two of our athletes doing their first triathlon in the Tri The Parks series that is held all around the state.  Justin Knight and Corbin McKenzie were rockstars.  They raced all day with big ole' smiles and it was just so awesome to see more athletes competing together.  Marin Smith completed her second duathlon on the same day..

Multiple boats on the water...SIMPLY AWESOME

 Racing with all of these incredible athletes is a true pleasure for me but possibly even more so for our AMAZING volunteers.  Curtis Henry who helped build our Freedom Concepts came out as our first bike volunteer and along with his wife Jen on the swim were a big part of Justin Knight completing his frist Triathlon ever!  It truly takes a village as we have said countless times and having people help make this all possible is a great source of pride!

J Dude rolling in with Curtis with a fist bump from Greg Smith! #togetherwewheel

Andrew Shanks and Taylor Pike pulling J Dude out of the water with Jen Henry in tow from an AWESOME swim

The very next wee,k the joy continued as Lauren Smith, older sister to KPF athlete Marin, donated money from her girl scout troop.! Lauren and her friends from troop 11591 were gracious enough to share $1200 from cookie sales to help KPF continue it's mission.  But it didn't stop there.  Lauren then entered her first aquathon at 11Global and won!!

Lauren crossing the finish line!

Speaking of 11Global... it was our second triathlon in three weeks and we took our same team of Corbin and J Dude  who went out for another race.  It was quite a day and everybody did a fantastic job, including Justin's mother, Teresa, who set a personal record during her run!! Andrew Shanks and Karl Otts started off the day with J Dude and Karl stayed out on the run for a fun day with J Dude who came in third for the day!

Corbin and Steve headed out on the bike!

Karl and J Dude after a great bike!

And coming in for a STRONG finish

11 Global was a fantastic day with so many people making the day so wonderful.  We cannot wait until we have 10 boats on the water and even more smiles as we all find the joy of competition and the joy of sport.  If you saw Steve, Corbin, Justin or Teresa after you would know what I mean.  Those ATHLETES worked hard out there and earned those medals!

Podium Shot

Again, I would like to give a big shout-out to all of the volunteers who have made the past couple of weeks possible.  Curtis, Erica, Amy, Jen, Andrew, Eric, Taylor, Karl, Richard, Chuck, JD and all of the race volunteers we cannot say it enough but THANK YOU.   Without you guys, none of this is possible and we cannot wait to join you again!!  #togetherwewheel

KPeasey