My Ironman journey feels like it started a mere 10 weeks ago, not 10 months! Over the last 10 months I’ve had some tough training days, both mentally and physically draining. And more recently, I barely (ok, “barely” is a strong word just added for dramatic flare) struggled through the Chinook Half Triathlon. Those challenging sessions definitely make me a stronger competitor, but they also serve as a reminder to truly reflect on what the heck I’m doing. And what I’m doing is riding a bicycle and running around the city, two things that make me happy. Swimming is even starting to grow on me…sometimes. So although I may have the odd day when I think “why the hell am I putting myself through this”, I have been fortunate to have the support of great coaching, close friends, and the world’s most supportive wife that seem to make me realize its all worthwhile at the end of the day. Even more rousing are those experiences when you realize what you are going through on the very worst day isn’t even on the scale of real struggle in this world. Yeah swimming 3.8km, cycling 180km, and running 42.2 makes for a long day, but I turn on my tap to fill up my water bottles, grab a few slices of pizza at the end of the race, and jump in the car to drive back to the 5 bedroom house we’re renting. One recent experience that has made me appreciate how easy we have it has inspired me to dedicate my Ironman Canada race on August 28 to a bigger cause this year, fundraising for the SSUBI Foundation.
Dezz and I travelled to Africa last summer, taking in the World Cup in South Africa, viewing wildlife in Tanzania, and visiting Uganda to meet up with Dezz’s kickboxing coach and our friend, Phillip Ndugga. Philip travels back to his homeland every summer to rebuild schools and improve the lives of so many people with his family and the SSUBI Foundation. Volunteering with SSUBI Foundation, we were blessed with the opportunity to meet some wonderful people and see first hand what real struggle is. Teachers working diligently to educate their students with limited resources, students struggling to focus and learn under conditions we can’t begin to imagine in North America, and women fraught to find a better life for their families. While helping to build a school in Gulu, Northern Uganda last year (an area that was, until very recently, ravaged by civil war and rebel threats), we were touched by the joy evident on the children’s faces (there were even unregistered kids that snuck into class just for the opportunity to learn) and the appreciation shown by the locals. What a way to finish off our 5 ½ week trip.
To continue our support of those amazingly resilient Ugandans and express our appreciation to Philip, I would love to garner support for SSUBI through my journey to Penticton. I considered a few different organizations to support through fundraising, some maybe a little closer to home geographically or emotionally to my supporters. But the impact those smiling faces had on us will last a lifetime; how proud those kids were to show off their English and math skills and to sing and dance for their “visitors” was truly memorable. Coupled with the fact that we have seen first hand how the donations are spent and that were treated like family by the SSUBI crew in Uganda, SSUBI just seemed like the right choice.
I know there’s always a cause to support, especially in this age of social media. But if you are interested in supporting the SSUBI Foundation on behalf of my IMC journey, I would be most appreciative. You can visit my donation page at http://www.canadahelps.org/GivingPages/GivingPage.aspx?gpID=13449 and learn more about SSUBI at www.ssubifoundation.org.
I continue to be humbled by the support offered by friends and family. Thank you all.
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