BRETT DEWOLFE • IRONMAN LAKE PLACID
“I’m training for an Ironman."
It’s something I’ve said a lot over the past few months and it’s almost immediately responded to with at least one of, but mostly all of, the following three questions:
1. What’s Ironman?
Simply put: it’s a triathlon… a really long & tough triathlon. To be a little more specific, it’s a 2.4mi swim, 112mi bike, and 26.2mi run. It has long been regarded as one of the toughest endurance events in the world but is gaining momentum with a larger following as people realize it is possible. No, it’s not the one in Hawaii that you see on TV every year. Although that is an Ironman event and is the same distance, it’s also the World Championships and is damn near impossible to qualify for!
2. Why?
Again, we’ll start with the simple answer: Why not?!? Although the answer doesn’t end there, think about it really, why not? Because it’s too hard? Because it’s too big of a commitment? Because I don’t know if I can? Because I’m afraid to fail? Because I’m afraid of it? Why not? I think I’m still figuring this answer out for myself, but I’m damn close! The good news is that I’ve got plenty of time to do so while swimming, riding and running- and believe me I do!
I didn’t realize it at the time but I believe the answer to this question started coming together eleven years ago in the emergency room of a small hospital in North Conway, NH. I was lying there on a gurney, strapped to a back board paralyzed from the waist down, trying like hell to avoid a catheter. I failed. The doctor there said that I would “never walk again,” aaaaand, BANGO! I’ll show that bastard what he knows about Brett DeWolfe. Not only will I walk, I’ll get back on that ski mountain, I’ll play lacrosse, I’ll be a triathlete, and eventually… I’ll be an Ironman. The truth is I never even considered the fact that I might not walk again. I realize now how crazy and maybe naïve that sounds, but I really never even entertained that as a possibility. I think that’s the eternal optimistic nature I was born with and taught by example while growing up.
The rest of the answer is a combination of a lot of things. I like a challenge. I’m fascinated by what the human body is capable of. Let’s be honest, it would be pretty cool and feel damn good. Blah blah blah… Most importantly is that I take a lot of inspiration from my Dad. He was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in the mid 90’s. In the years since, needless to say, he has had some tough obstacles to overcome both physically and emotionally. I can’t even begin to imagine just how difficult that could be on a person. The reason I can’t is because in all of these years of him adjusting to his condition and questioning it, I honestly cannot remember him complaining about it, having self pity over it, or being depressed about it just once. NOT EVEN ONCE! It’s not that I doubt it has happened, it’s that you’d just never know it. His emotional toughness and his optimistic ‘just deal with it’ approach on life is genuinely inspiring. Now, hearing this, remember the ‘why not’ questions. I think of my dad and it seems to me that: it’s not too hard, it’s not too big of a commitment, so what if I fail, what’s there to be afraid of? How hard is this commitment to train over the next 7 months, and eventually race, going to be relative to my Dad’s daily courageous commitment to be optimistic and positive in life?!? Not very.
So I ask again, Why not? I can’t think of a reason either.
3. Are you crazy!?!?
No. You didn’t listen to the ‘why’ answer, did you?
