Neither Ironman nor Life Itself Happens as Planned for Pease Brothers

There are very few who paddle, pedal or push their way around the planet who understand the phrase, “Life doesn’t always happen as you plan,” more thoroughly than the assisted triathlete team of Kyle and Brent Pease. 

 

So when nearly three thousand Ironman competitors faced the challenge of thirty mile an hour head winds and dangerous rip tide currents as they set out to conquer the 140.6 mile course at Ironman Florida this weekend, it was simply business as usual for the Pease Brothers.

 

“Every day is an Ironman for me,” explained the ever-positive Kyle, who was born 29 years ago with cerebral palsy. “But that makes a challenge like this just another day at the office.”

 

The fierce current that strangled the Gulf of Mexico this past weekend was deemed to be so dangerous that race organizers made the eleventh hour decision to cancel the 2.4 mile swim with wet suit clad racers standing on the ready at the edge of the white-capped surf. 

 

In the case of the Pease Brothers they had inflated their kayak and had Kyle safely fitted in his life jacket awaiting the sounding of the starter's horn blow when race organizers made the decision to change plans.

 "At first we were certainly disappointed in not having the swim component," added Brent, who leads his younger brother through the surf towing the kayak via a rope tied around his waist. "But watching the lifeguards and boat struggle out there we knew Ironman did the right thing. It certainly didn't take from the experience of the day."

 

The competition therefore began an hour later than expected as the Ironman officials declared the event a duathlon, reducing the length to 138.4 miles, yet face first into the teeth of a 30 mph head wind.  The Pease Brothers navigated the bike portion of the event in just over nine hours and at times questioned whether or not they would make the cutoff. 

"We certainly had that thought. That fear. But we were not going to allow that to be our deterrent", added Brent who pedals the custom-made three wheeler with Kyle sitting in front of him at the mast. "Kyle worked his tail off and helped push us all the way to the finish of that bike. The headwinds were brutal and it was like trying to sail against the wind but we somehow managed to find a way together to get there."

To the encouragement of the inspired crowd, the Pease Brothers disembarked their bike, re-fueled and headed out to run the final 26.2 in a time of 4:28:15, finishing their slightly shortened Ironman in a time of 13:53:08 and for the second time in the past two years crossing the finish line, not one in front of the other but side by side to the sound of the announcer's voice, "Kyle Pease, Brent Pease, You are an Ironman."  
 

The Atlanta-based brothers, who completed Ironman Madison Wisconsin 2013 in a time of 15:09:24, are the founders of The Kyle Pease Foundation, whose purpose is to create awareness and raise funds to promote success for persons with disabilities by providing assistance to meet their individual needs through sports. 

"This was an opportunity to put the Foundation in the spot light through the efforts of Brent and I," beamed Kyle, a graduate of Kennesaw State University. "There was no way that Brent and I would fail while representing all the members of KPF." 

 

Brent added, "I didn't honestly think it would be as special as Madison was but in many ways it was more special. I think this opens more doors to inspire others to live their dreams."

 

"To live without limits and to take on the biggest of challenges. We look forward to a race soon with kids from our foundation taking on something like Ironman."

 

Golden Memories, Ironmen and Platinum Friendships

There are some things in life that, no matter how highly anticipated, end up far exceeding expectations. Such was the case of last weekend's Camp Wheel Away event held at Fort Yargo State Park in Windner GA. 

From the moment we wheeled onto the campgrounds to the second we hugged and said goodbye, the experience blew away all of my expectations. To be outside with my fellow wheel chair users enjoying the great outdoors in this beautiful part of Georgia was absolutely incredible. Camp Wheel Away allowed us to put the Kyle Pease Foundation front and center as we were able to sponsor eleven individuals at Camp Twin Lakes.  

My personal highlight was going airborne on the zip line as I screamed at the top of my lungs while hovering above the tree line. Rumor has it, that if you listen closely, you can still hear me screaming. We also swam and did arts and crafts, ate together in the mess hall and participated in assisted archery. 

Camp Wheel Away is absolutely something we will be doing annually moving forward. 

Brent and I are quickly approaching Ironman Panama

City. This will be our second Ironman event together and we look forward to soaking up the moment and relishing the atmosphere of competition. Brent and I are extremely close as brothers but we were never closer than while spending 15:09:24 together last year in Madison WI. We look forward to spending hopefully even less time bonding together this year in Panama City. 

We have been practicing, taking the bike out and physically and mentally preparing. Though we don't know the course yet we do have a better idea of what to expect having been through the experience once before. 

We want to thank our friends, families and sponsors who will be riding with us for all 140.6 miles of our second attempt at becoming Ironman. 

Following Ironman keep your calendars open for our big "Weekend with the Peases" which will take place the weekend of November 15th and 16th. The weekend will begin on November 15th at the Holcomb Bridge Hustle 5K. This is our biggest run of the year and we are looking for runners and volunteers. The race begins at 7:30 in Alpharetta. 

The following day we will knock 'em down at Stars & Strikes in Sandy Springs, GA at our annual bowling fundraiser event. We are really excited to be holding this event during the day this year so bowlers of all ages can join us. Stars and Strikes is located at 8767 Roswell Rd, Sandy Springs, GA 30350. 

The event will cost $35 per person with kids enjoying the afternoon free of charge. This includes a t-shirt, good times plus lots of raffle prizes! This is our biggest fundraiser of the year and allows us to fund many of our initiatives throughout the year. 

Rolling Up Countless Memories at Camp Wheel Away

Toasting marshmellows over a crackling fire... Making new friends while hiking in the Georgia hills... Crickets chirping you to sleep in the middle of the night... falling asleep under the bright autumn moonlight... watermelon dripping down my chin.... the laughter of new friends and old as we sit around the campfire as another day comes to an end...

These are but a few of the memories that await the campers as another year of Camp Wheel A Way quickly approaches. Camp Wheel A Way is only two weeks away and we are so excited to be able to bring endless memories to disabled campers from around Georgia.  The Kyle Pease Foundation is partnering with Camp Twin Lakes and Camp Will Away in Winder, Georgia to bring this unique and innovative camping experience to campers from ages 6-30. 

Camp will be held from October 10-12. If that isn't exciting enough, Kpeasey will be in the house for the weekend. I am really looking forward to hanging out, getting to meet new friends and participating in all types of fun camping activities. 

The camp staff is made up of volunteers and qualified nurses who will run the activities for people with Cerebral palsy. Activities include archery, arts and crafts, fishing, rock climbing, boating and much more. 

All cabins have heat and air conditioning and are ADA accessible. 

I urge anyone with a disability to join us as there is still availability to attend our one of a kind camping event. The attendance fees are sponsored by the Kyle Pease Foundation so short of being afraid of crickets there is no excuse not to attend.  

Email us at walkingwithkpeasey@gmail.com to get a camping application. 

The Gouteix Family Expresses Extreme Gratitude to the Bert Show and KPF

 

Julia and Pascal Gouteix competed in their first paired triathlon this weekend, and it was such an amazing experience. The journey this has taken Pascal on has been such a pleasure and an honor to witness up close.

As some of you may know, we first became connected to The Kyle Pease Foundation through The Bert Show as part of a Father’s Day surprise for Pascal. In conjunction with Fragile Kids Foundation, they provided him with a raft to pull Julia along on the swim, a bike trailer and extra supportive seating to keep Julia comfortable during the race. Pascal has always been active, and had completed several triathlons prior to Julia’s arrival and this became a great opportunity for them to find something fun to do together.

The equipment provided was the catalyst for Pascal to make this dream a reality, but the connections we've made as a result have been priceless. It's so hard to feel connected when you're a parent of a child with a disability, especially when connection often means being stuck in some dreary support group that can leave you feeling hopeless. I hate to generalize, but this seems especially true for fathers.

Since the show aired, Pascal has received so much support from a technical standpoint from Brent Pease at foundation, but also from an emotional standpoint as well. We've been put in touch with amazing families that are living parallel journeys to ours, and words really can't describe how good it feels to have those connections. As parents of a three-year-old with cerebral palsy, meeting athletes like Kyle, Marin Smith, Justin Knight and Kevin Enners give us so much hope for the future. Their parents and siblings aren’t too shabby either.

It's difficult to say that you won't let your family be defined in any way, shape, or form by the disability of your child, because it truly shakes your world in ways that you can't imagine. But I do believe that you can choose to be defined by your response to it. Our hope is that people can see that having a child with a disability is not a tragedy, it's not a burden. As corny and contrived as it may sound-it's a blessing in so many unexpected ways. We are so lucky to have found this amazing, supportive group of athletic families and we look forward to many, many more races in the near future!

Old Friends Tri to Rekindle at The Richard B. Russell

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.

Until next time, keep on wheelin'! 

Richard B. Russell Triathlon Photo Album