Well Said, Gary

From my weekly Team in Training newsletter, which included an entry from a triathlete:

The following excerpt from a letter to his teammates by Nashville participant, Gary Mappin, (who experienced not one, but two flat tires on the bike course!) makes a beautiful connection between this experience and the patients whose lives we hope to impact through our fundraising efforts.

I think it has come together for me; the connection between cancer patients and triathletes, the answer to my daughter's brain-overload question ["Dad, why do people play sports?"] and what I took from the race today. As sports enthusiasts, we seek to overcome what seems to be insurmountable goals within a controlled environment with rules, regulations and safety nets included. We start out with great expectations and then disaster strikes or the circumstances we thought we would be facing suddenly change. In a very microscopic way, we simulate real life challenges people face in everyday life, such as the people we raced for today. I "experienced" that common-thread in meeting Jana and Joshua Kelley on Friday night and Dori on Saturday night [Nashville tri team's honored teammates]. I'm sure their life dreams and plans never included the hand they were dealt. After calamity struck, they went on to display the courage and fortitude needed and chose to live in the moment and live for the journey and not the final destination. I think the reason we miss this in our society today, is because we glorify the athlete and not the people who are living this out in real life drama on a much larger scale.

I do believe participation in sports helps develop the coping skills needed to pursue our dreams and overcome our obstacles. I also believe it takes an exceptional coach to prepare you to accept the hand you are dealt and teach you how to live in the moment and savor the journey.

This is so true about Dori ... how she has changed:

After calamity struck, they went on to display the courage and fortitude needed and chose to live in the moment and live for the journey and not the final destination.